|
Roadway Departure Safety
Roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of highway fatalities. In 2009, there were 16,265 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 18,087 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States. A roadway departure crash is defined as a non-intersection crash which occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line, or otherwise leaves the traveled way. FHWA uses the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to compute statistics on roadway departure crashes. http://www.nhtsa.gov/FARS   Technical Assistance/ToolsHere's where to find technical guidance and tools for practitioners.
Eligibility LettersFederal-Aid Reimbursement Eligibility Process Policy/GuidanceClick here to find more information about FHWA Policies and Procedures that relate to Roadway Safety, including information about the FHWA's roadside hardware crashworthiness policy. FHWA policy requires the roadside hardware used on the National Highway System (NHS) to be performance-tested for crashworthiness. While FHWA oversight is limited to the NHS, the FHWA strongly recommends the use of crashworthy devices on all public facilities where run-off-the-road crashes may occur. This link will also bring you to Frequently Asked Questions on roadside barriers and crashworthy work zone traffic control devices. Research/ResourcesClick here for links to research organizations that are currently conducting research on Roadway Departure Safety topics. Continued research is needed to find more effective techniques for improving road safety, and to assist decisionmakers in implementing the most cost-effective roadway departure crash countermeasures.
By focusing on reducing the number and severity of roadway departure crashes, we can significantly reduce highway deaths and injures. The FHWA supports the five strategies in AASHTO's Strategic Plan for Improving Roadside Safety
|
eSubscribeProgram ContactBrian Fouch Nick Artimovich Will Longstreet Cathy Satterfield Joseph Cheung What’s NewGuidance memorandum on the Roadside Design Guide - 4th Edition NEW! Memorandum - Roadside Safety Hardware-Federal-Aid Reimbursement Eligibility Process NEW! 2009 MUTCD Compliance Dates Revised NEW! FHWA Technical Advisory T 5040.40: Center Line Rumble Strips NEW! FHWA Memo: Technical Advisories for Rumble Strips NEW! Roadway Departure Safety Implementation Plans Roadway Departure Countermeasures Roadside Design: Steel Strong Post W-beam. A guidance memo was issued on May 17, 2010 on the height of guardrail for new installations. Guidance regarding existing guardrail will be developed in the next several months, in consultation with AASHTO’s Technical Committee on Roadside Safety. Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [HTML, PDF] MUTCD Text of the Proposed Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Standard Summary of the MUTCD Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Standard Revised Assessment of Economic Impacts of Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Publications |
The FHWA's Roadway Departure Safety Program provides important information for transportation practitioners, decision makers, and others to assist them in preventing and reducing the severity of roadway departure crashes.
