ATSSA Signal March/April 2019

The Signal | Mar/Apr 2019 21 Innovation & New Programs easily determine where to focus their ef- forts. Satterfield said the FHWA has been working with the National Association of County Engineers (NACE) to acceler- ate the use of these plans. Moving forward, Satterfield said the FHWA will continue to use a data-driven approach to reducing RwD crashes. Ap- proximately one-third of all traffic fatalities in the United States are a result of a RwD in a rural area. “Over the next two years we will focus on encouraging more state and local transportation agencies to use a sys- temic, data-driven approach that looks specifically at reducing roadway depar- tures in rural areas,” Satterfield said. “Each agency needs to own its part of the problem and determine what works best where they are and with what tools. We will work with state DOTs and LTAP Centers to provide technical resources and support and foster communication between peers to find more and better ways to reduce these crashes, because every day counts.” Get the facts on Roadway Departure crashes Roadway Departure (RwD) crashes are a major concern for a number of state and federal agencies in the United States. RwD crashes account for 52 percent of all traffic fatalities in the across the country. Crashes that occur after a vehicle crosses an edge or center line (trailing from the travel lane) resulted in an average of 19,233 traffic fatalities from 2015 to 2017. Rural RwD crashes are also an additional focal point for the roadway safe- ty and infrastructure industry. Substantial safety improvements on rural roads can be difficult to make due to the size of the rural road network, which accounts for approximately 70 percent of public road mileage. In fact, two-thirds of rural fatalities involved a roadway departure. Rural roadway departures (RwD) account for approximately one-third of all traffic fatalities. All U.S. Traffic Fatalities U.S. Public Road Mileage All U.S. Traffic Fatalities 19,233 Traffic Fatalities RwD: 52% Rural Road Network: 70% Urban: 49% Rural RwD: 34% Rural other: 17% 0 0 0 2015 2017 100 100 100 Roadway departure countermeasures that can be applied systemically include: • Signage and markings that delineate lane edges and alignment changes and help drivers navigate. • Rumble strips that alert drowsy and distracted drivers drifting from their lane. Reducing Rural Roadway Departures Systemic application of proven safety countermeasures on rural roads helps keep vehicles in their travel lanes and reduce the incidence and severity of roadway departure crashes. Curves are over- represented in roadway departure crashes and therefore are good locations for systemic improvements. • Friction treatments at curves or other important locations to reduce loss of control. • Shoulders, SafetyEdgeSM, and clear zones to provide opportunities for a safe recovery when drivers leave the roadway. • Roadside hardware that can reduce the severity of roadway departure crashes. This information was provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)