The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has dedicated this week to raising awareness for rural road safety. The theme of the week is Life Between the Lines! The focus will be on safety solutions to address rural road departure problems. Sain Associates is currently working on a contract with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to improve the safety of local roads in 18 counties in Middle Tennessee. Most of the crashes we see on these local roads are roadway departures. These crashes are not just specific to Tennessee, as 66% of rural roadway fatalities nationwide are roadway departure crashes!
Roadway departure crashes can be related to speed, curvature, weather and road conditions, or driver behavior. There are several low-cost countermeasures available to help prevent roadway departures.
- Rumble stripes on the edge line of the travel lane: Rumble stripes can be as narrow as four inches, which allows the countermeasure to be effective on a rural route with very little shoulder. Rumble stripes alert drivers through vibration and sound that their vehicle has left the travel lane.
- Enhanced delineation of horizontal curves: Enhanced delineation of a curve can be as simple as wider edge line striping to help better define the edge of the travel lane. Chevron signs are often used to delineate a horizontal curve.
- Advisory Speeds: Appropriate advisory speeds in curves are another useful tool. Speed control is one of the most important methods for reducing fatalities and serious injuries.
- Safety Edge: Safety Edge shapes the edge of the pavement at approximately 30 degrees from the pavement cross slope during the paving process. This safety practice eliminates the potential for vertical drop-off at the pavement edge, has minimal effect on project cost, and can improve pavement durability by reducing edge raveling of asphalt.
- Shoulder widening and High Friction Surface Treatment are also options, but usually not low cost.
Check out the Center for Rural Road Safety for more information on Rural Road Safety Awareness Week.