Return to the VTRC Home Page
Click here to print the printer friendly version of this page.
 
Page Title: VTRC Report Detail

The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s), who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes only and is not to be considered an endorsement.

Title:

Development of a Systemic Safety Improvement Plan for Two-Lane Rural Roads in Virginia
Authors:
Hyun W. Cho, Ph.D., Benjamin H. Cottrell Jr., P.E., and In-Kyu Lim, Ph.D., P.E.
Hyun Woong Cho
Hyun Woong Cho
Benjamin H. Cottrell, Jr.
Benjamin H. Cottrell, Jr.
Year: 2019
VTRC No.: 21-R10
Abstract:

About 17,500 crashes per year occur on the more than 32,800 lane-miles of undivided two-lane rural roads maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and crash numbers are increasing.  Roadway departure (RD) crashes comprise about58% of crashes on these roads.  Since these crashes are widely distributed across the state, determining how and where to focus limited highway safety resources through the deployment of low-cost, high-benefit systemic countermeasures is paramount to beginning to reduce the number of crashes on these roads. 

The purpose of this study was to develop a systemic safety improvement plan for RD crashes on two-lane rural roads using low-cost countermeasures.  Segments that have the potential for safety improvement were selected using VDOT’s RD safety performance functions.  Decision tree analysis was applied to perform a systemic classification of roadway characteristics that are correlated with RD problems.  A list of countermeasures to deploy to target specific segments and patterns was developed based on the literature and input from VDOT staff. The countermeasures were intended to warn of curves ahead, delineate curves, and warn of lane/road departure. Before deployment, a study of the section by VDOT district traffic engineering staff is planned in order to finalize the safety improvement plan.  The output of the study will be a safety improvement plan to deploy treatments systemically to two-lane rural roads as part of VDOT’s safety program.