U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Research and Technology Agenda
Comprehensive Approach to Safety
High-quality data and useful analysis tools can help transportation professionals make better decisions.
Developing new designs and technologies can help prevent crashes at intersections as well as the roughly 20 percent of fatalities that result from these crashes.
Keeping roads safe for walking and biking increases transportation options, reduces congestion, and improves the quality of life in American communities.
Using strategies to reduce speed-related crashes can help keep the roads safe for everyone.
Analyzing roadway crashes and keeping cars on the road could help lower roadway fatalities by 50 percent.
Improving safety for motorcyclists, some of the most vulnerable roadway users.
Improving road design and safety countermeasures to address the unique challenges of rural roads.
Improving our understanding of the ways drivers perceive and use the Nation's roadways.
Program Contact
Monique Evans
FHWA Office of Safety Research and Development
Tel: 202-493-3074
Email: monique.evans@dot.gov
Although tremendous progress has been made to improve highway safety, nearly 33,000 people still die in highway vehicle crashes each year. FHWA is working to prevent deaths and injuries by identifying and analyzing critical road safety issues. The Agency's comprehensive approach uses engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services to reduce deaths and serious injuries.
FHWA's safety research program addresses the causes of roadway deaths and injuries related to roadway design, construction, and maintenance. The safety research program develops robust data analysis tools that enable transportation professionals to match crash causes with cost-effective countermeasures. With safety resources aimed at targeted safety problems, State and local agencies can deliver significant safety improvements to the public.
FHWA develops and promotes programs and technologies that have led to fewer injuries and deaths on the Nation's roads. For example, support for the implementation of roundabouts has reduced the potential for crashes at intersections and the use of longitudinal rumble strips warns drivers when their vehicles begin to stray from their lanes. Reflective traffic signs and pavement markings also make traffic control devices more visible and keep drivers aware of the road environment.
Training and technical assistance programs provided by program offices and the Resource Center extend the reach of FHWA safety research. Through these professional development activities, State and local transportation professionals gain the knowledge and tools they need to launch innovative and effective safety improvement initiatives for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
Each of the following objectives expands to describe the Safety strategic approach to innovation.
 | Objective 1: Support the systematic planning, management, and evaluation of roadway safety. |
 | Objective 1: Support the systematic planning, management, and evaluation of roadway safety. |
| Objective 1: Support the systematic planning, management, and evaluation of roadway safety. |
Strategies
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Driver behavior is a key factor in as many as 90 percent of highway crashes, but until recently, our ability to examine behavior and its impact on safety was limited. In 2005, the U.S. Congress funded the Future Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2). The centerpiece of the safety focus area in the program is the largest naturalistic driving study (NDS) ever conducted. In this unprecedented initiative, the vehicles of 3,147 volunteers were instrumented with a variety of sensors, including cameras recording the drivers' actions and the forward and rear views out of the vehicles; forward facing radars; global positioning systems to record the vehicle locations continuously; internal passive alcohol detectors; information about the drivers' uses of the vehicle controls; and a number of other sensors. When the vehicle is switched on, all data are recorded as the driver conducts normal activities. Analyzing these data allows safety researchers to go beyond understanding "whether" a particular safety countermeasure works, to knowing "how" it works. Researchers are able to observe drivers responding to all aspects of the driving environment--the vehicle, traffic characteristics, the design of the road, traffic control devices--and assess the relative risk of drivers' actions. With this previously unavailable insight into driver behavior, the industry can develop new and improved countermeasures to save lives and reduce the frequency and severity of injuries on our highways. FHWA leads the implementation of SHRP2 results. The primary objective of this effort is to provide access to the use of these data sets by the widest possible range of researchers and support their use. FHWA is sponsoring exploratory advanced research into the automated extraction of features of interest from massive video datasets.
Activity ContactLincoln Cobb Additional Resources
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Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Communications for Safety Support and Development for the Connected-Vehicle ProgramVehicle-to-infrastructure communications for safety is the wireless exchange of critical safety and operational data between vehicles and highway infrastructure. The primary intent of vehicle-to-infrastructure communications is to avoid or mitigate motor vehicle crashes, but it also can enable a wide range of other safety, mobility, and environmental benefits. Vehicle-to-infrastructure safety applications use data exchanged between vehicles and infrastructure elements to perform calculations that recognize high-risk situations in advance, and issue driver alerts and warnings through specific countermeasures. The objectives of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communications for safety research programs are to:
Activity ContactCarl Andersen Additional Resources
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Highway safety is affected by factors including the geometric design of the roadway; the selection and placement of roadside hardware; the use of traffic control measures; vehicle size and performance capabilities; and user needs and abilities. Digital data related to these critical elements of roadway design, however, are not readily available for analysis. To improve safety assessments of highway projects, FHWA developed and maintains the HSIS, a roadway-based database that provides quality data on a large number of crash, roadway, and traffic variables. The database helps transportation professionals by: processing annual data from select States into a common format and making that data accessible for analysis; providing data, which can be used to analyze a large number of safety issues ranging from problem identification to modeling efforts; and sharing data with other professionals conducting research such as the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, universities, and others studying highway safety.
Activity ContactCarol Tan Additional Resources
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Transportation development processes have traditionally only addressed safety impacts on a qualitative, rather than quantitative, basis. Quantitative analysis of the expected safety impacts of geometric designs would improve project design and deployment. With the exception of the first edition of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Highway Safety Manual (HSM), there are few quantitative tools to assess safety. To meet this need, FHWA sponsored the development of the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM), a suite of software analysis tools that supports project-level geometric design decisions by evaluating the safety and operational effects of design. The model includes six evaluation modules: 1) Crash Prediction, 2) Policy Review, 3) Design Consistency, 4) Intersection Review, 5) Traffic Analysis, and 6) Driver/Vehicle. The IHSDM results help project developers make design decisions that improve a roadway's expected safety performance, and justify and support the developers' geometric design decisions. The Crash Prediction Module also serves as an essential resource in support of the HSM, Part C: Predictive Method. FHWA offers free training and technical support to help transportation planners and engineers to incorporate this new tool into their project development process.
Activity ContactClayton Chen Additional Resources
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In recent years, considerable effort was focused on the development and use of crash modification factors. Crash modification factors are quantitative estimates of the effectiveness of safety countermeasures. The Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study, which began in 2005, involves 28 State departments of transportation (DOTs). It is currently FHWA's second-largest Transportation Pooled Fund study. The study evaluates unproven safety improvements, which have the potential to reduce crash severity on a national level. Potential improvements are drawn from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 500. The most promising improvements are submitted for inclusion in the Highway Safety Manual. The study also provides benefit-cost ratio analysis to assist State DOTs and transportation agencies in safety project planning.
Activity ContactRoya Amjadi Additional Resources
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State departments of transportation (DOTs) and other transportation agencies are often reluctant to invest in safety improvements without reliable, scientific evidence that demonstrates their effectiveness. FHWA's Development of Crash Modification Factors (DCMF) project--conducted in partnership with State DOTs and other stakeholders in the fall of 2012--focuses on scientific evaluation and allows transportation agencies to select and implement appropriate safety improvements with confidence.The DCMF project will develop crash modification factors and benefit-cost ratios for new or unproven safety improvements by utilizing Empirical Bayes and other relevant methodologies. The project will provide State DOTs and other transportation agencies with scientifically rigorous estimates of safety improvement effectiveness.
Activity ContactRoya Amjadi Additional Resources
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Transportation professionals are challenged with choosing safety strategies that deliver the greatest safety benefits, even when budgets are limited. These professionals can use crash modification factors to quantify and compare expected safety benefits of multiple safety strategies to determine the most cost-effective solutions. FHWA established the Crash Modification Clearinghouse in 2009 to provide transportation professionals with a regularly updated online repository of crash modification factors, a mechanism for sharing newly developed crash modification factors, and educational information on the proper application of crash modification factors.Planners and engineers may use crash modification factors to evaluate and compare the relative cost effectiveness of safety strategies for enhancing signal visibility; the cost and safety consequences between paved and unpaved shoulders; and the long-term safety impacts of a series of roundabouts as opposed to a series of signalized and unsignalized intersections.
Activity ContactKaren Scurry Additional Resources
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| Objective 2: Accelerate the reduction in injury and fatal crashes at intersections. |
| Objective 2: Accelerate the reduction in injury and fatal crashes at intersections. |
| Objective 2: Accelerate the reduction in injury and fatal crashes at intersections. |
Strategies
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Highway intersections pose safety conflicts between through traffic on highways and traffic turning to access or exit the highway. One design solution developed by transportation professionals to reduce driver conflicts is the double crossover diamond interchange, also known as the diverging diamond interchange. The double crossover diamond design channels both through traffic and left-turning traffic to the left side of the road at ramp intersections. With this design, traffic arriving at the downstream ramp may turn left to access the freeway without conflict and can move simultaneously with through traffic. At the ramp, traffic is channelized back to the right side of the road. Double crossover diamond interchanges are used in European countries to improve safety, but have not been widely implemented in the United States. To help transportation professionals apply double crossover diamond designs to address interchange safety issues and congestion, FHWA is conducting research that will evaluate the operational and safety impacts of double crossover diamond interchanges; document the state of practice in geometric design, signage, and signal timing coordination; and identify strategies to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists in double crossover diamond interchanges.
Activity ContactWei Zhang Additional Resources
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Rural and isolated high-speed intersections pose unique safety challenges, especially with regard to running red lights. A detection-control system is a new dilemma zone protection technology, designed to reduce crashes and unnecessary delays at these intersections. The system requires proper sensing to detect the speed and length of vehicles on each major road through lane, and vehicle presence detection on minor approaches. The technology must be tested thoroughly prior to implementation on a larger scale. FHWA is sponsoring research to investigate the operational and safety impacts of detection-control systems by deploying them at eight sites in four different States. Specifically, the research will identify the effectiveness of detection-control systems in reducing red-light running violations; identify environmental conditions correlated with red-light running violations; and inform future efforts to develop and deploy detection-control systems as a safety measure on rural high-speed intersections.
Activity ContactWei Zhang Additional Resources
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Access management policies--common on arterial roads--are regulations restricting intersection and signal spacing along a road. States and municipalities incorporate access management policies with other roadway design strategies to reduce collisions at turnoffs from arterials onto smaller streets. However, there have been few quantitative assessments of the effectiveness of these policies, both in design and compliance. To ensure that State and local agencies are employing proven strategies to meet the safety needs of communities, FHWA is conducting a research study to develop methods to evaluate the safety impacts of access management policies and design techniques; develop an access management evaluation method to assess driver compliance of these policies; and develop corridor-level crash prediction models to assist in the effective selection and application of these techniques.
Activity ContactWei Zhang Additional Resources
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Mini-roundabouts are gaining popularity in the United States as a new type of intersection. They can be part of a traffic-calming scheme, and may be an optimal solution for a safety or operational issue at an existing stop-controlled or signalized intersection where there is insufficient right-of-way for a standard roundabout installation. Although mini-roundabouts could address numerous safety and congestion issues, they may not be appropriate in all contexts, including areas with high truck volume or light volumes of street traffic. FHWA is investigating the operational and safety impacts of converting existing sign- and signal-controlled intersections into mini-roundabouts, and is producing a design guide for mini-roundabout implementation in the United States. The study will enhance understanding of the safety benefits of mini-roundabouts, impacts of mini-roundabouts on reducing congestion, and implementation of mini-roundabouts in a variety of contexts.
Activity ContactWei Zhang Additional Resources
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| Objective 3: Increase pedestrian and bicycle safety and mobility. |
| Objective 3: Increase pedestrian and bicycle safety and mobility. |
| Objective 3: Increase pedestrian and bicycle safety and mobility. |
Strategies
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Pedestrians tend to choose the shortest possible path from a point of origin to a destination, even when the shortest path may result in increased safety risks. Safety engineers need to be able to identify, evaluate, and apply safety measures for drivers and pedestrians at locations that are potentially hazardous so that the most convenient path is also a safe path.State and local agencies have used various treatments to encourage safe pedestrian crossing, including pedestrian hybrid beacons and rectangular rapid flashing beacons. An evaluation of the effectiveness of these practices is needed. FHWA is conducting research to help improve the understanding of pedestrian and driver responses to existing pedestrian treatments. This research will evaluate the performance of selected pedestrian crossing treatments in reducing pedestrian injuries and fatalities; help guide the development of higher-performing and more cost-effective devices and installations; and enhance the ability of designers to incorporate pedestrian hybrid beacons, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and other devices into pedestrian crossings, which will ultimately allow pedestrians to choose routes designed for their safety.
Activity ContactAnn Do Additional Resources
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Crash data indicate that the majority of pedestrian fatalities occur in nonintersection locations. It is likely that a substantial proportion of these fatalities occur when the pedestrian is crossing the roadway outside of appropriate intersection crossings. Despite greater safety risks, many people will cross a road where it is most convenient to access their destinations. While it is not feasible to place crosswalks at all locations where pedestrians might choose to cross the roadway, it is possible to identify the environmental characteristics and cues that influence pedestrians to cross at risky locations. If a better understanding of midblock crossing affordances is attained, then modifications can be made to increase pedestrian safety through marked crossings and midblock crossing inhibitors.This research project will apply human factors techniques and methodologies to identify pedestrian motivations to cross at midblock locations in urban and suburban areas; identify the environmental characteristics associated with different crossing behaviors; and develop effective and low-cost countermeasures--including roadway treatments or other safety strategies--to improve pedestrian safety relevant to midblock crossing.
Activity ContactJim Shurbutt Additional Resources
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Evaluation of Pedestrian Safety Engineering Countermeasures at Urban and Suburban Midblock Crossing LocationsMidblock or nonintersection locations account for about half of the pedestrians injured in crashes. For fatal crashes, the situation is much worse. Approximately 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at nonintersection locations. When pedestrian travel involves crossing a street or highway with long distances between intersection crossings, many pedestrians choose to cross at a midblock location, despite the lack of a formal crosswalk.The goal of this research is to improve pedestrian safety at urban and suburban midblock crossing locations through the identification of appropriate low- to mid-cost countermeasures. Specifically, the project will evaluate the effectiveness of 1) pedestrian crossing signs with embedded light-emitting diodes, and 2) pedestrian crossing signs with beacon designs on the yielding behavior of drivers; and identify driver preferences and responses to pedestrian crossing sign brightness levels.
Activity ContactAnn Do Additional Resources
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| Objective 4: Provide policy and technical assistance to State and local agencies in reducing speeding-related fatalities, injuries, and crashes. |
| Objective 4: Provide policy and technical assistance to State and local agencies in reducing speeding-related fatalities, injuries, and crashes. |
| Objective 4: Provide policy and technical assistance to State and local agencies in reducing speeding-related fatalities, injuries, and crashes. |
Strategies
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In rural and suburban areas, excessive speed on curves is a contributing factor in many roadway crash fatalities and injuries. State and local agencies have used a variety of roadway treatments to encourage drivers to identify safe speeds for upcoming curves and to self-adjust. Such treatments include rumble strips and other surface modifications. Without a holistic understanding of roadway treatments to encourage safe speed, however, State and local agencies may not have the necessary information to make the best decisions for their roadways. To address this lack of knowledge, FHWA is sponsoring research to document and analyze the wide variety of roadway treatments designed to reduce speed, focusing on treatments that are implemented during road rehabilitation. The research report will describe the available roadway treatments that result in appropriate driver speed adjustments on rural and suburban roadway curves and tangent sections; document the cost-effectiveness and aesthetics of the treatments; describe the impact of the treatments on bicyclists and pedestrians; and provide guidance to transportation agencies on how to implement appropriate treatments as part of rehabilitation, resurfacing, and reconstruction projects.
Activity ContactAbdul Zineddin Additional Resources
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Curves on two-lane rural roads are a significant safety concern. An estimated 56 percent of run-off-road fatal crashes on curves are related to speed. Dynamic speed feedback sign systems are new methods designed to encourage drivers to reduce speeds on curves, decreasing the risk of roadway departure. These systems show promise, yet they have not been evaluated fully. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic speed feedback sign systems in reducing speed and crashes on rural, two-lane roadway curves; and enhance transportation professionals' knowledge of the potential of this new technology to reduce speed-related fatalities and serious injuries because of lane departure.
Activity ContactAbdul Zineddin Additional Resources
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| Objective 5: Reduce crashes and fatalities due to roadway departure. |
| Objective 5: Reduce crashes and fatalities due to roadway departure. |
| Objective 5: Reduce crashes and fatalities due to roadway departure. |
Strategies
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Curved roads, especially those in rural locations, are common sites for crashes because of increased speed and reduced visibility. FHWA is working with partner agencies to research innovative techniques and strategies to reduce crashes at horizontal curves. Through this program, FHWA seeks to identify and promote proven and effective implementation practices; and the best technologies for speed-activated traffic control devices.
Activity ContactJoseph Cheung Additional Resources
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Roadway departure crashes account for the majority of highway fatalities. In 2009, there were 16,265 fatal roadway departure crashes (53 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States), which resulted in 18,087 fatalities. Roadway departure crashes include those that occur when a vehicle crosses an edge line or centerline. To reduce roadway departure fatalities and serious injuries, FHWA is conducting research to understand better the causes of road departures and vehicle rollovers, and to develop strategies and safety standards. The objectives of this research are to 1) undertake detailed analyses of rollover crashes to better understand underlying vehicle kinematics associated with rollover crash causes; 2) evaluate the potential effectiveness of new treatments and countermeasures; and 3) investigate whether current design practices can be improved to reduce rollovers.FHWA undertook reviews of crashworthiness datasets to improve understanding of the limited, but evolving, forensic data surrounding rollover crashes. Sources of the data range from a fatality census based on police crash reports, to onscene crash investigations with detailed crash environment, vehicle, and occupant data. This literature review and data analysis will feed into a modeling effort to understand vehicle dynamics and occupant outcomes when a vehicle leaves the roadway. Vehicle interactions with barriers and various terrains types are under consideration for the modeling effort.
Activity ContactAna Maria Eigen Additional Resources
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Perimeter security devices are used to prevent the unwanted intrusion of speeding motor vehicles into U.S. Government buildings and other critical facilities, and thus serve a critical national role in enhancing infrastructure security in the United States. To support the development of perimeter security devices, FHWA works with the Department of State to develop state-of-the-art computer models and crash simulations to study the effectiveness of infrastructure security barriers. FHWA validates simulations through full-scale crash tests at FHWA's Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory. The results of the simulations and testing are used to improve the design, applicability, constructability, and deployment of infrastructure barriers.
Activity ContactEduardo Arispe Additional Resources
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To support crash research, FHWA develops and maintains an array of finite element models for typical vehicles. Developing such models involves reverse engineering to create new vehicle models, understanding the technical requirements for modeling vehicle features (e.g., suspension systems, frame structures, interiors), and verifying and validating the models. It also consists of assessing changing vehicle characteristics to reflect next generation vehicles, and assuring that modeling of these vehicles is compatible with finite element modeling protocols and crash simulation software tools. FHWA also provides documentation and support to users of the models. Current projects include developing and validating detailed finite element models for a mid-sized car and a tractor-trailer vehicle.
Activity ContactEduardo Arispe Additional Resources
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FHWA investigated Safety Edge(SM) technology to determine whether tapering the edge of a road would help drivers to navigate back on the road. According to the 3-year crash analysis, the benefits outweighed the costs by as much as 63-to-1. Most importantly, Safety Edge can contribute to saving lives by reducing the potential for rollovers and other severe crashes.
Activity ContactCathy Satterfield Additional Resources
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| Objective 6: Improve the visibility on and along the roadway and of traffic control devices. |
| Objective 6: Improve the visibility on and along the roadway and of traffic control devices. |
| Objective 6: Improve the visibility on and along the roadway and of traffic control devices. |
Strategies
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Adaptive lighting is a growing trend in the roadway industry, driven by the development of new lighting technology and a nationwide push to reduce energy use and environmental impacts. Adaptive lighting is a design methodology where the lighting system adjusts to the roadway environment, providing an optimum level of light as ambient conditions change. While transportation agencies have begun to introduce adaptive lighting into their roadway projects, techniques for implementing adaptive roadway lighting have not yet been standardized.The Strategic Initiative for the Evaluation of Reduced Lighting on Roadways will evaluate the issues associated with the application of adaptive lighting to the roadway environment and develop recommended practices for implementing adaptive lighting systems. The study will develop recommended approaches to implement adaptive lighting; provide a legal review of the issues associated with adaptive lighting; and conduct a review of the crash and safety benefits associated with implementing adaptive lighting technologies.
Activity ContactAbdul Zineddin Additional Resources
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Vehicle headlamps and glare can impair a driver's ability to navigate and identify safety hazards, especially at night. A better understanding of the factors contributing to visual disturbance is needed to develop standards and policies that will make roadways and vehicles safer for everyone. FHWA is sponsoring research to evaluate driver performance in high-speed road and low-speed street environments, as well as the safety impacts of vehicle headlamp options and prototype adaptive illumination concepts (such as camera-based detection systems involving a momentary peripheral illumination feature). Through this project, researchers will identify any measurable differences in driver performance among varying lighting types and levels; develop methods to evaluate the safety impacts of lighting types; and identify the correlations between driver performance and vehicle and roadway lighting to inform safety policies and standards.
Activity ContactAbdul Zineddin Additional Resources
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| Objective 7: Reduce motorcycle crashes and fatalities. |
| Objective 7: Reduce motorcycle crashes and fatalities. |
| Objective 7: Reduce motorcycle crashes and fatalities. |
Strategies
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Over the past decade, motorcycle fatalities have grown to represent 14 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States. In response to this growing issue, FHWA initiated the Motorcycle Crash Causation Study, the most comprehensive investigation about motorcycle crashes in the United States in more than 30 years. The study collects data on real-world motorcycle crashes in Orange County, California. Trained crash investigators are collecting information on the crashed motorcycle, the riders involved in the crashes, the crash scene, and resulting injuries. The results of this study will include a unique dataset on motorcycle crashes, riders, and roadway conditions; a better understanding of motorcycle crash causation factors; analysis leading to countermeasures and safety standards; and ultimately, a reduction in motorcycle crashes and fatalities.
Activity ContactCraig Thor Additional Resources
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| Objective 8: Reduce fatalities and serious injuries on local and rural roads. |
| Objective 8: Reduce fatalities and serious injuries on local and rural roads. |
| Objective 8: Reduce fatalities and serious injuries on local and rural roads. |
Strategies
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Rural areas can benefit from low-cost intelligent transportation systems (ITS) as a means to reduce vehicle crashes. ITS can improve safety by efficiently alerting drivers to changing travel and road conditions, traffic incidents, or other important information. FHWA is supporting research in this area to identify the most promising ITS solutions for rural roads; understand application of ITS in rural areas; and provide tools and training for local and rural implementation.
Activity ContactRosemarie Anderson
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| Objective 9: Improve the understanding of how road users perceive, process, and respond to the roadway environment to inform better roadway design, construction, repair, and improvement processes. |
| Objective 9: Improve the understanding of how road users perceive, process, and respond to the roadway environment to inform better roadway design, construction, repair, and improvement processes. |
| Objective 9: Improve the understanding of how road users perceive, process, and respond to the roadway environment to inform better roadway design, construction, repair, and improvement processes. |
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Approximately 4,700 annual roadway fatalities are run-off-road crashes on rural two-lane roadways with horizontal curves. Post-crash investigations show that in most cases, the driver was familiar with the roadway, but could have been distracted or in a hurry. The purpose of this project is to evaluate methods of establishing and eliciting precrash conditions using a driving simulator. Expected outcomes of the project include, 1) a better understanding of precrash driver behavior on two-lane rural roadways with horizontal curves for use in driving simulation research; and 2) development of strategies to reduce run-off-road crashes on such roadways.
Activity ContactJim Shurbutt Additional Resources
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Driver confusion, especially when related to lane choice, can lead to dangerous driving errors. The purpose of this project is to develop a method to predict driver expectations at interchanges and determine how these expectations affect driver behavior. Researchers will study driver behavior and expectations at a range of interchanges of varied complexity. Expected results of this study include recommendations for more intuitive directional signage at interchanges and for interchange designs that will improve driver navigation, safety, and comfort.
Activity ContactJim Shurbutt Additional Resources
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Designing navigation signage for complex interchanges is a challenging undertaking. At the same time, complex interchanges are precisely where clear navigation signage and markings are most needed. This project seeks to identify potential improvements to current practices of displaying navigational signs and highway markings for complex interchanges. This project will develop noteworthy practices for interchange signage to improve driver comfort and safety while enhancing transportation professionals' understanding of different signage effects on driver decisionmaking.
Activity ContactJim Shurbutt Additional Resources
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Multiple Sources of Safety Information From V2V and V2I: Redundancy, Decision Making, and Trust--Safety Message Design ReportWith advances in technology, changeable message signs now can be built to resemble existing static signs, and can display exact replicas of signs from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). New changeable message signs also have custom color, animation, video, and brightness options, which could distract drivers and result in heightened safety risks. This project will examine the distraction potential of information sources in the right-of-way, with a focus on the full graphic capabilities of changeable message signs. The project will determine the distraction potential of various types of information when displayed on changeable message signs, including advertisements within the right-of-way. The study will determine how motorists respond to these types of information when displayed on a changeable message sign in both simulated and onroad driving environments; develop a scientific basis for making decisions about the types of information that can be displayed safely within the right-of-way without adversely distracting drivers; and determine appropriate guidelines for use of changeable message signs.
Activity ContactBrian Philips Additional Resources
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Page Owner: Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management
Topics: research, infrastructure, pavements, safety, bridges, operations, policy, environment, planning, realty
Keywords: research, national research and technology agenda, activities, challenges, strategies, objectives, infrastructure, pavements, safety, bridges, operations, policy, environment, planning, realty, technology TRT Terms: research, planning methods, strategic planning, planning stages Scheduled Update: 08/01/2016
This page last modified on 08/26/2015
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