You and your family are driving to Grandma’s for Easter weekend. You’re at the wheel and get a call from a relative asking about your arrival. You answer what should be a quick question but then get caught up in the conversation that lasts for several minutes. While this might seem like an innocent situation,…
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Have you ever wondered what that terrible noise and vibration are when you slightly veer on a roadway? Those noisy bumps are referred to as rumble strips, and they are formed when a ribbon of asphalt has been milled with a special tool. Rumble strips produce sound and vibration to alert drivers when they cross…
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In honor of National Roundabout Week, we’re sharing a throwback blog from 2016! A few years have passed since it was last published, but one thing remains the same – roundabouts are a proven safety countermeasure because they can substantially reduce crashes that result in serious injury or death. Roundabouts can improve safety, promote lower…
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Many Southern Middle Tennessee drivers have already traveled through the work zone at Exit 46 on Interstate 65 (I-65) in Maury County. The construction will last approximately three years, but the process started nearly two decades ago. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) contracted with Sain Associates in 2002 to begin planning for modification of…
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Did you know that pavement markings are not as simple as you might think? Pavement markings are used to convey many different messages to the driver, signaling which part of the road to use and where passing is allowed. Pavement markings use two primary indicators – color and line style – to relay information to…
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Every day in America, parents and caregivers travel in a vehicle with their children. While many of those children are riding in correctly installed car seats for their ages and sizes, most are not. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car seat use can reduce the risk of injury in a crash…
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In last week’s blog, we looked at several factors that may be contributing to an increase in fatality rates per miles driven since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It’s important to think about what we can do to reduce the risk of death or serious injury in road crashes. How can safety professionals address the “new…
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Engineers and planners face a variety of challenges when planning and designing new roadways. Although many of these challenges apply to the widening and expansion of existing roads, certain obstacles are unique to roadways along new alignments. When planning for roadway design projects, it’s helpful to have a general understanding of potential barriers so delays,…
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The Greater Birmingham Regional Planning Commission hosted the Federal Highway Administration’s Designing Streets for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Workshop on February 20th and 21st. I had the opportunity to attend as a representative of Sain Associates, along with other consultants and individuals from local municipalities and organizations. The two-day workshop was centered on bicycle and…
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According to the “Hands Free Tennessee” campaign, there were 24,600 crashes involving a distracted driver in Tennessee in 2018. A recent study also revealed that from 2015 to 2017, Tennessee had the highest rate of distracted driving deaths in the nation, at 7.2 distracted driving deaths per 10 billion vehicle miles. Tennessee’s rate is nearly five times higher than the national…
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