01029384

Component

Pavement edge drop-offs (PEDO) are a safety concern which span multiple transportation organization’s levels (maintenance, safety, construction, design). PEDO is a vertical elevational difference between two adjacent roadway surfaces. It poses a potential safety problem when a vehicle strays from the travel lane due to driver inattention, distraction, or other driver error and encounters the drop-off. When a vehicle leaves the travel lane, the right wheels drop-off the edge of the roadway surface, with the normal reaction to attempt to return to the travel lane by over-correcting, with potential loss of vehicle control. Although it is generally accepted that significant edge drop-offs are a safety concern, the extent of the problem across the nation has not been fully explored since many agency guidelines related to shoulder maintenance or resurfacing improvements are not known. Presented is a synthesis of information from various states and provinces contacted to determine state of the practice and summarize guidelines for prevention and mitigation of edge drop-off during design, construction, and maintenance. Also covered are practices with regard to the analysis of safety data. This information is provided so that agencies can compare their practices with those of other agencies. It also provides information for agencies wanting to adopt or update guidelines and practices.

01020180

06-0949

English

0000-0001-5187-8022

25p

2006

Transportation Research Board 85th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Figures (7) ; References (6) ; Tables (8)

Highway maintenance; Improvements; Pavement design; Ran off road crashes; Resurfacing; Safety equipment; State departments of transportation

Pavement edge; Safety data; Travel lanes

Design; Highways; Pavements; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2006 Paper #06-0949

TRIS, TRB

Mar 3 2006 10:32AM