POINT OF VIEW: ROAD SAFETY INFORMATION: SUPPLYING A VITAL NEED

A recent TR News article by Pfefer and Neuman advocated improving the use of safety data in highway design. This argument follows theirs, but is broader and more focused. It is broader because it deals with all the decisions that have an impact on safety--not just highway design decisions. It is more focused because it emphasizes the need for accessible, authoritative, fact-based information about the safety consequences of various decisions. This kind of information is a prerequisite for a significant decrease in highway casualties. However, compiling and maintaining this information requires long-term commitment and extensive resources. This article points out that only a fraction of useful safety knowledge now finds its way into the Transportation Research Information Service (TRIS) and similar databases. Some material has never been submitted for publication or presented at a conference. A website with free access could make such information available. If the website is useful, people will download documents, ask questions, chat, seek advice, and find contacts. This article concludes that the technology is ripe and the atmosphere is favorable to start building the Safety Online Resource and Communication Exchange (SORCE). The author calls on the Transportation Research Board to provide the leadership to make SORCE happen.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07386826
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Hauer, E
• Publication Date: 2000-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 15-17
• Serial:
  • TR News
  • Issue Number: 210
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0738-6826

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision making; Highway safety; Information dissemination; Websites (Information retrieval)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Perspective (Point of view)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00800156
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 10 2000 12:00AM