Accident Characteristics at Construction and Maintenance Zones in Urban Areas
Accident Characteristics at Construction and Maintenance Zones in Urban Areas

Author: Nicholas J. Garber

Publisher:

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 98

ISBN-13:

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Safety at construction and maintenance zones is now considered as one of the major concerns of traffic and highway engineers, particularly in urban areas where the installation of work zones significantly affect the flow of traffic . This issue is getting more important as greater emphasis is placed on maintenance and rehabilitation work rather than on new construction, resulting in the proliferation of work zones in the nation's highways. Preliminary analysis of accident data at urban workzones in Virginia indicates that accident rates tend to be significantly higher when work zones coupled with the expected increase in traffic volume will result in significant increase in accident rates, unless effective measures are taken to increase safety at these work zones. The identification of effective safety counter measures at urban work zones, however, requires a clear understanding of work zone accident characteristics and knowledge of the effectiveness of different traffic control devices commonly used. A study was therefore conducted to identify the predominant accident characteristics in urban work zones in Virginia and to evaluate the effectiveness of different traffic control devices in reducing the increase in accident rates during periods of work zone activities. This paper presents the results of statistical analyses of accident data for different work zones and the predominant accident characteristics identified from these analyses. While significant increase in accident rates were observed, there was no significant difference observed in type and severity of accidents. For the covering abstract of this Conference see IRRD abstract number 853851.

Crash Characteristics at Work Zones
Crash Characteristics at Work Zones

Author: Nicholas J. Garber

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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Work zones tend to cause hazardous conditions for drivers and construction workers since they generate conflicts between construction activities and traffic. A clear understanding of the characteristics of work zone crashes will enhance the selection of the appropriate measures that can minimize the negative impacts of work zones. This study investigated the characteristics of work zone crashes that occurred in Virginia between 1996 and 1999. The information on each crash was obtained from the police crash record. The location of each crash was categorized as being in one of the five areas of a typical work zone: advance warning area, transition area, longitudinal buffer area, activity area, and termination area. An analysis of the percentage distributions was then carried out with respect to area in work zone, severity, type of collision, and type of highway. The proportionality test was used to determine significant differences at the 5 percent significance level. Selected crash characteristics, such as the proportions of single- and multi-vehicle crashes, were compared for work zone and non-work zone crashes. The results indicated that the activity area was the predominant location for work zone crashes regardless of highway type and that rear-end crashes were the predominant type of crash. The results also indicated that the proportion of sideswipe same direction crashes in the transition area was significantly higher than in the advance warning area and that work zone crashes involved a higher proportion of multi-vehicle crashes and fatal crashes than did non-work zone crashes.

Determining Major Causes of Highway Work Zone Accidents in Kansas
Determining Major Causes of Highway Work Zone Accidents in Kansas

Author: Yong Bai

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13:

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The primary objective of this research was to investigate the characteristics of fatal crashes and risk factors to these crashes in the work zones so that effective countermeasures could be developed and implemented in the near future. The objective was accomplished using a four-step approach.

Reducing Work Zone Crashes by Using Vehicle's Warning Flashers as a Warning Sign
Reducing Work Zone Crashes by Using Vehicle's Warning Flashers as a Warning Sign

Author: Yong Bai

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13:

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Rural two-lane highways constitute a large percentage of the highway system in Kansas. Preserving, expending, and enhancing these highways require the set-up of a large number of one-lane, two-way work zones where traffic safety has been a severe concern. Aimed at reducing the work zone crashes attributable to inattentive driving, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) initiated a research project to evaluate the effectiveness of a traffic warning sign that is assembled by using the emergency warning flashers of the vehicles in one-lane, two-way work zones. This warning sign was named as the Emergency Flasher Traffic Control Device (EFTCD). It works in the following fashion. When a vehicle entering a one-lane, two-way work zone where stopping is required for waiting to pass the work zone, the driver is required to turn on its emergency warning flashers to warn the following vehicles of the work zone stopping condition. The EFTCD is flexible and cost-effective and may particularly benefit those work zones that are frequently moved due to the construction progress. To accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed EFTCD, researchers conducted experiments in three one-lane, two-way work zones in Kansas including two with a 55-mph speed limit and one with a 65-mph speed limit. During experimental period, researchers collected vehicle speed data with and without the EFTCD and surveyed drivers for their interpretation of this warning sign and recommendation on its potential implementation. Analyses results showed that the EFTCD effectively reduced the mean speeds in work zones as well as the proportions of notably high speeds. In addition, survey results indicated that the EFTCD successfully captured the attention of most drivers when they approached the work zones. A majority of drivers recommended the implementation of this warning sign in the work zones. Therefore, researchers concluded that the EFTCD was effective in one-lane, two-way work zones. Recommendations on future research were also presented based on the results of this study. The outcomes of this research project benefit not only Kansas, but also other States where rural two-lane highways constitute a high percentage of their highway systems.