STUDIES OF ROADSIDE HAZARDS FOR PROJECTING FATAL CRASH SITES

This paper presents a survey of road curvature, superelevation, gradient, and number and distance from the roadway of roadside hazards conducted in Georgia at 300 sites of fatal crashes into fixed objects and at 300 comparison sites 1.6 km (1 mile) from the accident site. More than 26 percent of fatal crash sites and only 8 percent of comparison sites had road curvature greater than 6 deg combined with downhill gradient of -2 percent or less at or approaching the sites. Fifty percent of fatal crash sites and only 23 percent of comparison sites were at or near curves greater than 6 deg irrespective of gradient. A state study found that only 22 percent of roadways throughout the state had curvatures of more than 5.5 deg. Nonlocal roads accounted for 83 percent of the fatal crashes into fixed objects but comprised only 33 percent of the roads in the state. In 98 percent of the cases objects struck were within 15 m (50 ft) of the pavement edge. Top priority should be given to modification of roadside hazards on and near curves greater than 6 deg. particularly those on nonlocal roads where the downhill grades are -2 percent or less. /Author/

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Group 3 Council.
• Authors:
  • Wright, Paul H
  • Robertson, Leon S
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1-8
• Monograph Title: Highway safety, traffic records, and law enforcement
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 609
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Fatalities; Hazards; Highway curves; Highway grades; Roadside; Single vehicle crashes; Slopes; Superelevation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fixed object
• Old TRIS Terms: Projection
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00157798
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309025842
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 28 1977 12:00AM