Development and Evaluation of Virginia's Highway Safety Corridor Program

Development and Evaluation of Virginia's Highway Safety Corridor Program

Author: Michael D. Fontaine

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13:

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On July 1, 2003, legislation went into effect that established a highway safety corridor (HSC) program for Virginia. The intent of the HSC program is to address safety concerns through a combination of law enforcement, education, and engineering countermeasures. Fines for violations in the highway safety corridors are doubled, subject to a $200 minimum for criminal infractions and a $500 maximum for traffic offenses. The Code of Virginia required the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner, in conjunction with the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, to develop criteria for designating and evaluating highway safety corridors. The legislation required that this process include a review of "crash data, accident reports, type and volume of vehicular traffic, and engineering and traffic studies." This report documents the results of a study to develop a method to designate HSCs on Virginia's interstate and primary systems. The impacts of the HSC program on interstate crashes and speeds are also presented. The framework for the interstate program described was adopted and applied by the Virginia Department of Transportation, resulting in the installation of three HSCs around the state. The results of an evaluation of the data for 2004 indicate that the program did not produce a benefit in terms of safety or speed reduction, although the results were based on only 1 year of data. Preliminary crash data for 2005 indicate that a positive safety benefit may have occurred at the I-81 and I-95 Richmond HSCs. A rigorous analysis of the 2005 data could not be performed since comparison site data were not yet available, but the preliminary data seem promising. The HSC program currently does not have any dedicated resources with which countermeasures may be implemented; this may limit the potential effectiveness of the program. Additional effects might be observed if dedicated resources were available to allow a more systematic approach to enforcement, education, and engineering within the designated HSCs. Further analysis of the HSCs using at least two more years of data should be performed to gain a more accurate picture of whether the HSCs have had a positive safety benefit.


Synthesis Study

Synthesis Study

Author: Charles J. Nemmers

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13:

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"The needs for a comprehensive synthesis of Safety Corridor programs throughout the nation was expressed by states in the Midwest in order to more effectively implement programs and select pilot corridors in the respective states. Information was gathered from 12 surveyed states that currently have some type of Safety Corridor program. The 12 states include Alaska, California, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Members of each state DOT as well as FHWA divisions were contacted and interviewed about their respective programs."--(p.ii)


Roadside Design Guide

Roadside Design Guide

Author:

Publisher: Amer Assn of State Hwy

Published: 1996-01-01

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9781560510314

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This document presents a synthesis of current information and operating practices related to roadside safety and is developed in metric units. The roadside is defined as that area beyond the traveled way (driving lanes) and the shoulder (if any) of the roadway itself. The focus of this guide is on safety treatments that minimize the likelihood of serious injuries when a driver runs off the road. This guide replaces the 1989 AASHTO "Roadside Design Guide."