Low Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study (PFS) presented by Kim Eccles, P.E. Senior Engineer, VHB

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Background AASHTO’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan Leading to development of NCHRP Report 500 Guidebooks –22 are planned, 17 are published and available –Guidebooks contain safety “strategies” 80% of strategies are ‘tried’ or ‘experimental’ After lead states developed their safety plans, they were encouraged to implement the guidebook strategies

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Purpose of Study Safety practitioners continuously voice the need for safety effectiveness data –Accident Modification Factors (AMFs) Study will perform rigorous before-after evaluations of strategies found in NCHRP Report 500 Guidebooks

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Project Status Current committed participants (26): AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MN, MS, MT, NC, ND, NY, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA Total state committed funds: $2,880,000 FHWA funding is $1.5 Million Total anticipated project funds: $4,380,000 To date, there are 3 contracts initiated for this project NCHRP 17-35, Low Cost Safety Improvements project

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Completed Activities Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met in March 2005 to develop a prioritized list of strategies to be evaluated –60 Strategies from the following guidebooks: Aggressive Drivers Unsignalized Intersections Lane Departure (Run Off Road, Hazardous Located Trees, Head On) From these strategies, installation data were collected from all states for the 30 highest priority strategies (based on TAC ranking)

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Scoping Study resulted in four strategies that had enough installation data to perform evaluations –Center two way left turn lanes on two lane roadways (2 to 3 lane conversions) –Pavement markings with supplementary message “STOP AHEAD” –Flashing beacons at stop controlled intersections – Higher retro-reflectivity sheeting for stop signs Completed Activities

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Installation Databases It is crucial to collect installation data and before conditions to evaluate safety effectiveness

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Installation Databases Records of dates and locations of safety improvements difficult to locate –Records may not be kept or may be in paper file –Local offices may maintain records –Information may be incomplete Developed a simple database for maintaining implementation records –Can be used directly or as a model

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Information entered separately based on type of strategy –Intersection –Segment –Spot Microsoft Excel or Access –Access form to facilitate data entry Logmile, GIS, or Link-Node System Installation Databases

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Location information –Jurisdiction, county, streets, milepost (or similar) –Roadway or intersection type –Surrounding area (e.g. rural) Prior condition –Volume and year –General condition information Information in Database

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Treatment information –Treatment (drop down list or write-in) –Description –Cost –Construction dates –Other changes Other information –User can add or modify database as needed Information in Database

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS

Read-Me File –Explains use of CD –Provides explanation of all variables PDF copies of 500 Series Volumes page information sheet on study Other Information on CD

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS VHB mailed two CDs to each participating state –Will provide additional copies upon request Available on project website Copies of Information

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Project Website Update on current activities Installation databases available for download Links to other ongoing studies Will eventually house comprehensive list of Accident Modification Factors

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Current Activities Final data collection and evaluations are ongoing for the four strategies in Phase I –What impact does the treatment have –Crash type considered –Various safety effects of treatments Draft results will be available at the beginning of 2007

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Current Activities Kickoff of Phase II of evaluation at the second TAC meeting (June 1-2, 2006) –Older Drivers, Trucks, Pedestrians, Horizontal Curves, and Utility Poles –States ranked strategies prior to meeting, resulting in “Top 16” –Few states brought installation data on top 5-10 strategies –Currently in search of data

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Current Activities Strategies with high potential for evaluation during Phase II (based on the second TAC meeting, June 1-2, 2006) –Various lane width versus shoulder width configurations (for a given roadway width) –Advance warning signs at intersections, particularly effect on older drivers –Modifying sight distance on horizontal curves (most likely through reconstruction)

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Future Activities Contractor will complete the evaluations of the first four strategies (Phase I) –Draft results January 2007 New contract just signed to continue with the next group of evaluations (Phase II) –Draft results early 2008

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Project Roadmap

Low Cost Safety Improvements PFS Project Contacts Kerry Perrillo Childress Kim Eccles (VHB) Project Website: