Highway Traffic and

Safety Analyses

Lecture 16: Road

Safety Concepts

Purdue University
School of Civil Engineering
West Lafayette
Road Safety and Its Measurement
What is road safety?
Road safety crosses multiple areas
Stakeholders of highway safety
Present issues
Safety Management System
Objective, perceived, and nominal safety
Measures of safety
 Road Safety

When is a road considered safe?

Basic facts about road safety

 Haddens Matrix
Road safety crosses multiple areas
Pre-Crash Crash Post-Crash
Attitudes Safety Belts Use Travelers Age
Driver Skills Air Bags Travelers Health
Alcohol/Drug Use Side Impact First Aid Training
Travelers Vision Protection
Education

Safety Equipment Vehicle Size Fuel System Integrity

Vehicle Design Vehicle Weight
Vehicle
Automatic Seatbelts

Road Design Roadside Hazards EMS Response

Weather Conditions Fixed Objects Hospitals
Road + Road Operation
Availability of Med.
Environment Road Maintenance
Services
Lighting
Delineation

Matrix developed by William Hadden, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

 Stakeholders of Road Safety
Legislature (funding, safety law and regulations)
Government (overseeing)
Road administration (road safety management)
Bureau of motor vehicles (safety through proper licensing)
Police (crash data, enforcement)
Public research agencies (knowledge enhancement)
Auto industry (observance of safety regulations, competition)
Highway industry (safe road construction)
Freight industry (safe trucks operation)
Railroad industry (safe railway construction and operation)
Insurance industry (reduce crash costs)
Emergency medical services (reduce crash consequences)
Private consultants (research, analysis, service)
Citizens coalitions (lobbying for safety improvements)
 Organizations Involved
in Road Safety
United States Department of Transportation American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
National Association of Governors Highway Safety Representatives
(NAGSHR)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
American Automobile Association (AAA) Traffic Safety Foundation
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA)
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
National Safety Council (NSC)
Bicycle Federation of America
American Trucking Association (ATA)
Transportation Research Board (TRB)
American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)
Roadway Safety Federation (RSF)
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)
 Safety Emphases
Drivers - curbing aggressive driving, reducing impaired
driving, keeping drivers alert, increasing driver safety
awareness, seat belt usage, aging drivers
Special Users - pedestrians and bicyclists
Vehicles - motorcycle and commercial truck safety, vehicle
safety enhancements (antilock brake systems)
Highways - vehicle-train crashes, highway intersection
design and operation, head-on and across-median crashes,
and work zones
Emergency Medical Services - increase survivability of
crash victims
Management - gathering and analyzing crash data
 Safety Emphases
Highways
Reducing Vehicle-Train Crashes
Keeping Vehicles on the Roadway
Minimizing the Consequences of Leaving the Road
Improving the Design and Operation of Highway Intersections
Reducing Head-on and Across-median Crashes
Designing Safer Work Zones

Management
Improving Information and Decision Support Systems
Creating More Effective Processes and Safety Management Systems
 Safety Management System
1991 ISTEA required SMS from state DOTs

1997 TEA-21 - Transportation Equity Act for the 21st

Century doesnt require SMS

SMS developed by some states anyway

Florida http://www.dot.state.fl.us/safety/SMS/SMS.htm
North Carolina http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/preconstruct/traffic/safety/
Safety Management System
Cycle
Safety-
related Safety Projects
Decision Implementation
Making

Safety Data
Acquisition
and
Management
Safety Management System
Decision-making Process
Identify highway hazard
Determine causes
Determine countermeasures
Develop safety projects
Select projects for implementation

Evaluate projects effectiveness

 Objective, perceived, and
nominal safety

Objective safety measured with crashes

Perceived safety felt by motorists
Nominal safety measured with
compliance to design and operational safety
standards
 Measures of Safety
Expected crash frequencies (crash/year)
Expected crash rates (crash/unit exposure)
Example unit exposures http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa
(used by Fatality Analysis Reporting System)
100,000,000 vehicle-miles traveled (VMT)
100,000 registered vehicles
100,000 licensed drivers
Measures of Safety
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa
Measures of Safety
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa