01476138

Component

Studies of the relationship between characteristics of horizontal curves and accident rate have been reported in several countries. The characteristic most often studied is the radius of a horizontal curve. Functions describing the relationship between the radius of horizontal curves and accident rate have been developed in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States. Other characteristics of horizontal curves that have been studied include deflection angle, curve length, the presence of transition curves, super-elevation in curves and distance to adjacent curves. This paper assesses the international transferability of mathematical functions (accident modification functions) that have been developed to relate the radius of horizontal curves to their accident rate. The main research problem is whether these functions are similar, which enhances international transferability, or dissimilar, which reduces international transferability. Accident modification functions for horizontal curve radius developed in the countries listed above are synthesized. The sensitivity of the functions to other characteristics of curves than radius is examined. Accident modification functions developed in different countries have important similarities. The synthesized function appears to be a reasonable estimate of the typical relationship.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB25 Highway Safety Performance.

01470560

13-0321

English

20p

2013

Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Crash rates; Functions (Mathematics); Highway curves; Radius

Transferability

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2013 Paper #13-0321

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Feb 5 2013 12:12PM