Speed Reduction Mitigation Strategies on Rural Highways at Two-Way Stop Control Intersections and Curves
The relationship
between speed and safety is characterized by the physics of vehicle motion.
Reduced speeds can likely yield safer driving and various techniques are
adapted to reduce the speed at high-risk locations though some of the techniques
may not be effective sometimes to reduce the driver speed to a recommended
level.
Rural roads are
susceptible to a high rate of crashes, and the crash severities tend to be
worse, leading to many fatalities and incapacitating-injury crashes. Studies
conducted on crashes at rural intersections of state highways and local
roads/streets with two-way stop control have proved that the problem was likely
poor judgment by the stopped driver on the minor approach of the speed of an
oncoming vehicle and/or safe gap in traffic on the major highway.
Several mitigating
strategies have been suggested and studied in various studies to improve safety
at the two-way stop control rural intersections and at other rural highway
segments. In this study, four strategies including solar speed display units,
mobile speed trailers, optical speed bars, and colored pavement were tested and
assessed in some locations in Kansas.
The results
indicated that the solar speed displays and the mobile speed trailers were
highly effective in reducing speeds on approaches to intersections and speed
transition zones. The solar speed displays and the mobile speed trailers
indicated statistically significant reductions in mean speed of from 1.70 mph
to 7.1 mph and from 2.5 mph to 7.1 mph respectively. But optical speed bars did
not show statistically significant results. And similar to the optical speed
bars, the sections of colored pavement did not yield reliable results.
In a word, based on
the results of this study, it can be concluded that
both the solar speed display units and mobile speed trailers used on this study
were effective in reducing speeds at the desired points. In addition, additional studies
and longer term studies should be conducted.
Article by Ranjit
Prasad Godavarthy, et al, from USA.
Full access: http://mrw.so/4bB5mk
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