01516101

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2458-08

The 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices recognizes the potential safety benefit of providing enhanced delineation on temporary traffic control devices and allows for warning light enhancements on channelizing devices and temporary barrier walls. The argument for using warning lights in work zones is that they provide an incremental benefit to safety. Ideally, the additional costs of using warning lights should be offset by that safety benefit; in other words, the reduction in crash costs should equal or exceed the costs of the devices. In this study, the researchers collected and analyzed data on the cost of steady-burn warning lights, computed the increases in crash costs that could be expected to occur in two types of work zones, and computed the reductions in crash costs (i.e., safety benefits) that would have to occur from the use of the steady-burn warning lights to justify their use on a benefit–cost basis. On the basis of the results of this cost-effectiveness evaluation, the researchers recommend that the use of steady-burn warning lights in work zones be discontinued.

01552937

14-3822

English

pp 65–73

2014

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309295499

Print

Figures (2) ; References (29) ; Tables (8)

Cost effectiveness; Costs; Equipment; Highway safety; Lane changing; Median barriers; Street lighting; Temporary barriers; Traffic channelization; Warning signs; Work zone safety; Work zones

Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 27 2014 3:19PM

• Analysis of Expected Crash Reduction Benefits and Costs of Truck-Mounted Attenuator Use in Work Zones
• Drivers’ Smart Assistance System Based on Radio Frequency Identification: Enhanced Safety and Reduced Emissions in Work Zones
• Dual Microwave Radar Vehicle Detection System at Four-Quadrant-Gate Railroad Grade Crossing
• Human Factors Issues of Accidents at Passively Controlled Rural Level Crossings
• Human Perceptions of Vehicle Turning Intention: Overall Performance and Contributory Factors
• Impact of Design and Construction on Quality, Consistency, and Safety of Traffic Control Plans
• Impact of Work Zone Lighting on Driver’s Detection of Objects
• Investigation of Train Warning Times and Gate Violations
• Lane Bias Issues in Work Zone Travel Time Measurement and Reporting
• Method for Road Lighting Audit and Safety Screening at Urban Intersections
• Photometric Evaluation of Steady-Burn Warning Lights in Work Zones
• Safety Evaluation of Illuminance Transition at Highway Tunnel Portals on Basis of Visual Load
• Use of Fixation Heat Maps to Evaluate Visual Behavior of Unfamiliar Drivers on Horizontal Curves