跳至主要内容

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
Image by letyeu, from Flickr-cc.

评论

发表评论

此博客中的热门博文

A Comparison of Methods Used to Determine the Oleic/Linoleic Acid Ratio in Cultivated Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Cultivated peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oil and food crop. It is also a cheap source of protein, a good source of essential vitamins and minerals, and a component of many food products. The fatty acid composition of peanuts has become increasingly important with the realization that oleic acid content significantly affects the development of rancidity. And oil content of peanuts significantly affects flavor and shelf-life. Early generation screening of breeding lines for high oleic acid content greatly increases the efficiency of developing new peanut varieties. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of methods used to classify individual peanut seed as high oleic or not high oleic. Three hundred and seventy-four (374) seeds, spanning twenty-three (23) genotypes varying in oil composition (i.e. high oleic (H) or normal/not high oleic (NH) inclusive of all four peanut market-types (runner, Spanish, Valencia and Virginia), were individually tested ...
发表评论
阅读全文

Location Optimization of a Coal Power Plant to Balance Costs against Plant’s Emission Exposure

Fuel and its delivery cost comprise the biggest expense in coal power plant operations. Delivery of electricity from generation to consumers requires investment in power lines and transmission grids. Placing a coal power plant or multiple power plants near dense population centers can lower transmission costs. If a coalmine is nearby, transportation costs can also be reduced. However, emissions from coal plants play a key role in worsening health crises in many countries. And coal upon combustion produces CO 2 , SO 2 , NO x , CO, Metallic and Particle Matter (PM10 & PM2.5). The presence of these chemical compounds in the atmosphere in close vicinity to humans, livestock, and agriculture carries detrimental health consequences. The goal of the research was to develop a methodology to minimize the public’s exposure to harmful emissions from coal power plants while maintaining minimal operational costs related to electric distribution losses and coal logistics. The objective was...
发表评论
阅读全文

Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Continuous Use of a Home-Use High-Frequency Facial Treatment Appliance

At present, many home-use beauty devices are available in the market. In particular, many products developed for facial treatment use light, e.g., a flash lamp or a light-emitting diode (LED). In this study, the safety of 4 weeks’ continuous use of NEWA TM , a high-frequency facial treatment appliance, every alternate day at home was verified, and its efficacy was evaluated in Japanese individuals with healthy skin aged 30 years or older who complained of sagging of the facial skin.  Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), melanin levels, erythema levels, sebum secretion levels, skin color changes and wrinkle improvement in the facial skin were measured before the appliance began to be used (study baseline), at 2 and 4 weeks after it had begun to be used, and at 2 weeks after completion of the 4-week treatment period (6 weeks from the study baseline). In addition, data obtained by subjective evaluation by the subjects themselves on a visual analog scale (VAS) were also analyzed. Fur...
发表评论
阅读全文