Intersection Safety

Background and Objectives

Intersection and intersection-related crashes consistently make up a high proportion of total fatal crashes, up to 23 percent. More than 50 percent of the combined fatal and injury crashes occur at intersections. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Strategic Highway Safety Plan identifies "improving the design and operation of highway intersections" as one of its 22 strategies to reduce highway deaths and injuries.

The objectives of the Intersection Safety research are to facilitate implementation of short-term strategies and define and evaluate long-term, high-payoff strategies to improve intersection safety. Federal Highway Administration will identify the most common and severe problems and compile information on the applications and design of innovative infrastructure configurations and treatments at both signalized and nonsignalized intersections and at interchanges. This initial effort should reveal strategic operational and research opportunities to further intersection safety.