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Title:

Effect of Stopping Sight Distance on Crashes at Crest Vertical Curves on Rural Two-Lane Highways

Accession Number:

01558923

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

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Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309369220

Abstract:

This paper demonstrates that the crash reduction benefits of improving stopping sight distance (SSD) vary substantially over the highway system, with the greatest benefits likely at locations where a horizontal curve, intersection, or driveway is in a sight-restricted area. The paper analyzes crash data for 452 crest vertical curves on two-lane highways in the state of Washington, approximately equally distributed between sites with SSD below and above existing design criteria. Preliminary analyses found statistically significant differences in crash frequency between the groups of sites in SSD categories, but the statistical significance of these differences disappeared when a factor was introduced to account for the presence of horizontal curves, intersections, or driveways that were hidden from an approaching driver’s view by the sight restriction. The presence of such hidden features was found to be highly statistically significant. There is a need for highway design guidance to give higher priority to addressing sight distance limitations when hidden roadway features are present and to recognizing that sight distance improvements may have little effect on crash frequency or severity when such hidden features are not present. Consideration should also be given to development of SSD models for use in highway design to reflect better the differences in SSD needs on various elements of the roadway system.

Monograph Accession #:

01582968

Report/Paper Numbers:

15-3161

Language:

English

Authors:

Harwood, Douglas W
Bauer, Karin M

Pagination:

pp 45–53

Publication Date:

2015

Serial:

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Issue Number: 2486
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISSN: 0361-1981

ISBN:

9780309369220

Media Type:

Print

Features:

Figures (1) ; References (8) ; Tables (8)

Uncontrolled Terms:

Crest vertical curves; Obscured view

Subject Areas:

Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 30 2014 1:04PM

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