LOW COST SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

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LOW COST SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS
Practitioner Workshop Introduction Session 1
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Logistics

• Health and safety (emergency exits, procedures
  for evacuation, etc.)
• Please turn off cell phones/Pagers
• Breaks (when, restrooms, telephones)
• Lunch arrangements
• Other site-specific issues

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Course Instructors

• Name, Company, e-mail address, phone

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Course Instructors

• Fred Ranck, Resource Center, FHWA
• fred.ranck_at_fhwa.dot.gov

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Self Introductions

• Who you are
• Who you work for and what you do
• What experience you have with safety improvements
  
• What you want to get out of the course

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This is a workshop! Expect to do some work!

• Ask your questions as you have them, Please!
• Parking Lot for Questions to be addressed later
  in workshop
• Work problems and exercises (based on actual case
  studies)
• Facilitated questioning and discussions

Discussion
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Introduction

• Learning Outcomes
• Review National Traffic Crash Experience
• Relate Substantive Safety Approach to Nominal
  Safety Applications

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Introduction

• Traffic Safety Facts 2003
• 43,220 Deaths, up 0.9 all-time high since 1990
• 2,891,000 Injuries, down 1.2
• 6.305 million police reported crashes
• A crash every 5 seconds
• An injury every 10 seconds
• A fatality every 13 minutes

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Introduction

• 2002 2003 Highway Statistics

Exposure Measure Year Year Change
Exposure Measure 2002 2003 Change
Vehicle Miles Traveled 2,855,756M 2,879,894M 0.8
Registered Vehicles 225,684,815 230,199,000 2.0
Population 287,973,924 290,809,777 1.0

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Introduction

• 2003 Highway Traffic Fatal Injury Rates

Role Year Year Change
Role 2002 2003 Change
Occupants 2,735,000 2,708,000 -1.0
Drivers 1,863,000 1,848,000 -0.8
Passengers 873,000 859,000 -1.6
Motorcyclists 65,000 64,000 -1.5
Non-Occupants 126,000 119,000 -5.6
Pedestrians 71,000 68,000 -4.2
Pedalcyclists 48,000 44,000 -8.3
Other 7,000 8,000 14
TOTAL 2,926,000 2,891,000 -1.2

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Introduction

• 2002 Highway Traffic Fatalities Trend

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Introduction

• Cost of All Crashes in U.S. (Year 2003)
• 231 Billion
• 820 (500 for every person in the U.S.)
• 2.3 of the GDP

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Introduction

• U.S. Highway System Among Worlds Safest
• Fatality Rate has decreased or remained same (as
  Traffic is Increasing)
• But over 42,000 Deaths 2,920,000 Injuries per
  Year
• US DOT Safety Goals (FHWA, NHTSA, FMCSA)
• 20 Reduction in Highway deaths injuries by
  2008
• 50 Reduction in Large-Vehicle-Related deaths
  injuries

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Introduction

• Substantive Safety Varies Significantly by Type
  of Road, Location and Other Factors

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Introduction

• Rural Road Safety by The Numbers

• Fatality Rate is 2.5 times that for Urban Roads.
• 40 of Travel and 60 of Fatalities

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Introduction
an absolute

• Safety

• Safer- a relative term

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Link Between Standards and Safety

• How can we make highways sufficiently safe?
• Does applying standards achieve it?
• How about cost-benefit?
• What can are the countermeasures that highway
  professionals can use?

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Introduction Exercise I
Discussion

• Identify some of the Low Cost Safety Measure
  that you are aware of?
• Lets list them

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Introduction Exercise I

• Low Cost Safety Improvements

Discussion

• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________

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Introduction

• What is low cost ?
• Agency definition
• Funding source (capital program, 3R, or Operation
  and Maintenance budget)
• Developer funded
• No official definition in this course
• One agencys low cost is another agencys too
  expensive !
• Generally lt 10,000

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Is this road less safe or more safe?
Exercise II
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Introduction Exercise II

• What are some Low Cost Safety Measures (i.e.,
  Traffic Control Devices, shoulder treatments,
  lighting.) that could make this road safer?
• Lets list them

Discussion
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Introduction Exercise II

• List Low Cost Safety Measures (i.e., Traffic
  Control Devices, shoulder rumble, lighting.)
  that could make this road safer?

• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________

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Is this road safe or unsafe? Exercise II

• Lighting
• Advance Warning Signs
• Delineators
• Chevrons
• Shoulder Rumble Strip

Which of these low cost measures are required
(i.e., nominal requirement)?
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Substantive and Nominal Safety

• Nominal Safety is examined in reference to
  compliance with standards, warrants, guidelines
  and sanctioned design procedures
• Substantive Safety is the actual crash frequency
  and severity for a highway or roadway

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Nominal Safety
Nominal Safety Advance Warning Sign Advisory
Speed Plaque
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Substantive and Nominal Safety

• Nominal Safety

• Defines users legal behaviour
• Provides for special user needs
• Protects professionals from claims of legal
  liability

1st Step
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Nominal Safety
1st Step

• Speed limit 45 mph
• Traffic Volume 2,000
• - Expect 2 crashes per year at this traffic
  volume

• What if this curve experienced 7 crashes in the
  past two years with the Advance Warning Sign?

Nominal Safety Advance Warning Sign Advisory
Speed Plaque
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Nominal and Substantive Safety
1st Step
2nd Step
Nominal Safety Advance Warning Sign Advisory
Speed Plaque
Advance Warning Sign Advisory Speed Chevrons
Safer Substantive Safety
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Introduction

• Example

1st Step
2nd Step
Nominal Safety Advance Warning Sign
Conventional Road Size
Oversize Double-Up Yellow Flashers 35 25
reduction in Crashes Substantive Safety
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Introduction

• New approach to Geometric Design and Application
  of Traffic Control Devices and to Safety
  Improvements is Substantive Safety.
• Why?

Discussion
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Nominal Safety

• Legal Liability and Substantive Safety Approach
• Going beyond the nominal requirements of the
  Green Book/MUTCD demonstrates clear satisfaction
  of Nominal requirements
• Juries and Judges look favorably upon actions by
  highway agencies which go beyond minimums

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Introduction

• New Proven Technologies

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Introduction

• AASHTO Strategic Safety Plan Guidebooks

Website for NCHRP Report 500 Guidebooks is
http//www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/AllProjects/NCHRP
17-18(3)
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Introduction

• Countermeasures EFFECTS
• Proven
• Tried
• Experimental

Discussion
Proven
Tried
Experimental
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Introduction

• Example

Tried
Tried
CRF -22
CRF -22 -49
Nominal Safety Advance Warning Sign
Conventional Road Size
Chevrons 49 reduction in Crashes
Substantive Safety
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Introduction

• New Proven Technologies

Specific Crash Modification Factors/ Crash
Reduction Factors are in the Notebook Appendix
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Key Safety Principles and Design

• No highway is safe, only safer or less so
• We know how to make highways safer
• Law of diminishing marginal returns applies
• Money should be spent effectively

http//www.knowledgesys.com/applications/rim-app.h
tml
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Introduction

• Review Questions

• Nominal Safety

compliance with standards, warrants, guidelines
and sanctioned design procedures

• Substantive Safety

the expected crash frequency and severity for a
highway or roadway
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Introduction

• Review Questions

• What is the relationship of compliance with the
  Green Book and the MUTCD to Nominal Safety?

Ordinarily can be expected to result in nominal
safety performance

• How can you reduce crashes where there is a
  Substantive Safety problem?

Apply low cost safety improvements beyond the
nominal (minimal) requirements
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Introduction

• Learning Outcomes
• Reviewed National Traffic Crash Experience
• Related Substantive Safety Approach to Nominal
  Safety Applications

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Introduction

• Questions?