Centerline Rumble Strips
The primary purpose of centerline rumble strips (CLRS) is to warn drivers whose vehicles are crossing centerlines of two-lane, two-way roadways to avoid potential crashes with opposing traffic. Rumble strips of a raised or grooved pattern of specific dimensions are placed on the roadway surface or shoulder at specific intervals to warn drivers. In the case of grooved rumble strips, the tires from the vehicle sink in the grooved depressions and contact the trailing edge of the groove as they pass over the rumble strip. This repeated striking of the tires with these surfaces produces noise providing the driver with the audible warning, and vibration in the vehicle providing the tactile warning.
CLRS primarily address the problem of drowsy or inattentive drivers on two-lane, two-way highways drifting left out of their lane and striking an oncoming vehicle. Two types of crashes are generally considered correctable by CLRS: head-on and opposite-direction sideswipes, often referred to as cross-over or cross-centerline crashes.
(Excerpted from NCHRP Synthesis 339)
