Traffic Control Roadway Visual Cues
FHWA Recommends Ready-to-Use Safety Technologies
Traffic Control Roadway Visual Cues - Effective safety tools to alert drivers to changes in the roadway and the traffic flow.
Roadway Safety Is A Serious National Public Health Issue
The U.S. roadway system’s positive trends have plateaued at a fatality rate that is the lowest in history -- at 1.5 deaths per 100 million miles of travel (down from 5.5 fatalities in 1966).
However, we need to do better. In 2001, there were 6 million crashes in which over 3 million people were injured and 42,116 people died on our roadways.
There were 23,139 road departure fatalities (single vehicle run-off-the-road and head-on crashes), accounting for almost 55% of all fatalities. Of this total, 16,214 fatalities were from run-off-the-road (ROR) crashes, which comprise 38.5% of all fatalities.
Also, there were 740,000 road departure crashes (35% of all injury crashes) and 2,600,000 road departure crashes (40% of all crashes) in 2001.
Putting It In Perspective (2001)
- One road departure fatality every 23 minutes.
- One road departure injury crash every 43 seconds.
- 7,000 road departure crashes every day.
- Financial loss of $80 Billion from road departure crashes.
Daytime: Many cues available – driving is relatively easy. Nighttime: Few cues available – driving is more difficult.
Why Is Roadway Safety Such A Big Problem?
There’s no simple answer. Roadway departure crashes are usually single vehicle crashes where traffic congestion is not a factor. Inattentive drivers, poor maintenance of traffic control devices (TCD) and an aging driver population can be factors in road departure crashes.
Good drivers quickly adapt and make appropriate, safe driving decisions. But inattentive or drowsy drivers are less able to adapt to new roadway demands. Without fully attending to driving, a person can carelessly make a driving mistake that leads to a crash.
Even a good driver needs traffic control devices to guide them and warn them of coming driving situations. However, if traffic control devices aren’t maintained and if they aren’t retroreflective, then drivers are less able to respond quickly to changing driving conditions.
Finally, our growing, older driving population has decreased vision acuity and slower reaction response. As drivers age, they are increasingly challenged by driving environments – particularly at night where fatal crashes greatly outnumber daytime fatal crashes at a rate of 3:1.
FHWA RECOMMENDS THE USE OF TRAFFIC CONTROL ROADWAY VISUAL CUES: Effective safety tools to alert drivers to changes in the roadway and the traffic flow.
What Is A Roadway Visual Cue?
Retroreflective pavement markers. Delineators. Rumble stripes (pavement markings over rumble strips). Roadway signs. All of the items just mentioned are types of roadway visual cues alert the drivers and help them make informed, safe and appropriate driving decisions.
How Do Roadway Visual Cues Improve Roadway Safety?
Roadway visual cues are extremely important tools to help drivers anticipate changes in the roadway (i.e. curves), the traffic flow (i.e. work zone delays), and safety concerns (i.e. approaching exit).
All drivers need visual cues to alert them to upcoming driving conditions during the day and during the night. However, nighttime drivers are less able to see these visual cues – whether it be a sign, a pavement marking or some other type of traffic control.
Reduced visibility is a major cause of nighttime crashes. This is why retroreflective materials are used on signs, pavement markings, and other traffic controls to enhance the visibility of visual cues at nig
Benefits of Visual Cues
- Alert drivers to changing roadway and traffic conditions.
- With advance notice, drivers are able to make safe driving decisions.
- Extremely helpful aid for the growing, older driver population.
Why Are Visual Cues Such An Important Safety Strategy In The Next 20 Years?
The American driving population is growing older. By 2020, the 65 and older age group is expected to reach 50 million and account for one-fifth of the driving population.
This is an extremely important point, because as people age, their ability to react quickly slows down and their visual acuity declines. Senior drivers need to know about upcoming changes in the roadway (i.e. curves, exits,), with enough time to process the information and make a good driving decision. Visual cues help senior drivers make safe driving decisions.
Visual cues -- such as brighter signs and markings -- are becoming more important than ever due to our aging driving population.
FHWA Delineation Practices Handbook
FHWA has published a comprehensive guide called FHWA Delineation Practices Handbook. This handbook supplements the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and provides information on pavement markings, raised pavement markers, delineators, and other roadway visual cues which promote safety, enhance traffic operations and increase driver comfort in navigating the roadway.
For More Information, Contact:
Harry Taylor, FHWA Office of Safety
Phone: 202-366-2175
Email: harry.taylor@fhwa.dot.gov
