Highway SAFETY ENGINEERING STUDIES PROCEDURK GUICE
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HIGHwAY SAFETY ENGINEERING STUDIES PROCEDURK GUICE PREPARED FOR: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EOERAL HIGHWAY DMINISTRATION JANU~Y 1981 PREPARED BY: GOODELL-GRIVAS, INC. 17320 M. EIGHT MILE. RD. SOUTH FIELD, MI ~i8G75 This Procedural Guide was developed for use at the Pilot Training Course held in Washington, D.C. on January 26-30, 1981. TABLE OF CONTENl~S Description Page Introduction .... .. ..... .... ......................... ...... ....1 I. History Of The Highway Safety Improvement Program .............l II. Framework Of The Highway Safety Improvement Progr M . ..........2 111. Highway Safety Terminology .......... ... .... ... ..... ...........5 IV. Oetails of Subprocesses, procedures, and Te~hniq”es...........8 PLANNING COMPONENT, PROCESS 3 - CONOUCT E\!GINEERING STUDIES @ SUBPROCESS 1 - Collect and Analyze Data ......... ..........12 ~ ACTIVITY 1 - Perform Accident Study Procedures ........l2 kcident-B?[sed Procedures ........ ....37 @ ACTIVITY 2 - Field Review Lc,cation ......... .. .. .......56 @ ACTIVITY 3 - Select Appropriate Traffic, Environ- mental , and Special Study Procedure s.. ...7l Traffic -8ased Procedures .............86 Environment Based Procedures ........2O3 Special Engineering Studies .........258 @ ACTIVITY 4 - Select Techniques .......................294 @ ACTIVITY 5 - Perform Procedures. .......... ...........299 e ACTIVITY 6 - Identify Safety Deficiency es .. ..... .....3O4 @ SUBPROCESS 2’- Oevelop Candidate Countermeasures .... ......3O7 ~ ACTIVITY 7 - Develop Feasible Count ermeasures ........3O7 @ SUBPROCESS 3 - Develop Projects ............... ......... ...324 @ ACTIVITY 8 - Predict Accident-Reduction Capa- bilities of Countermeasures ........ .....3z4 @ ACTIVITY 9 - Perform Economic Analysi s ............ ...328 @ ACTIVITY 10 - Select Project s.. ......-...............361 TABLES OF CONTENTS (CO1/T1D) Description Page APPENDICES APPEND IX A - References .. .. ........ .... ..... .. ... .......A-l AP?ENDIX B -Glossary of Terms ...... ............ .... ....B-l APPENDIX C - Procedure and Data Obtained ................C-l APPENDIX O- Filmin?rocesses ................. ..........0-1 APPENOIX E - Alternative Accident Pattern Tables for Countermeasure Development. ............E-l APPENDIX F - Accident Reduction Factors .... ... ..........F-l APPENDIX G - Interest Tables. ...........................G-1 APPEND IX H- Fu,iing Issues .............................H-1 OATA FORMS .. ..... ... ....... .... ... ....... .. ... ........ ... ...1-1 CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY 1 - Smal 1 Rural Agency CASE STUDY 2 - Large Metropolitan. .4gency LIST OF TABLES Table @ Primary considerations for accident data collection. .. ........16 Technique utility for accident data. CO1 lection methods .............. ................. .... ..... .............18 3. Recommended accident data collection techniques.. .... .........18 4. Description of sample list of available statis- tical computer packages .. ..................-.. -.. .. .........26 5. Typical accident characteristic categories ....................27 6. Accident trend or pattern eval uaticln..........- ....- . .........32 Recommended field review survey periods .................. .....63 Primary considerations for safety performance ‘evlew ................ .. ......... ...........................64 Technique utility of safety performance studies. .............70 Favorable safety performance techniques .. .................. ...70 @termination of selected procedures .. ................... .....73 12. Primary considerations for volume study techniques ............93 13. Technique uti 1ity for volume study .. .........................102 14. Favor able volwe study techniques ...... ............ ...... ....103 Primary considerations for spot speed study. ..... ... .. .......109 ::: Technique utility for spot speed study ............ ... ........115 17. Primary considerations for travel time and delay study techniques .................. .... .. .... ...... .... .....123 Technique utility for travel time and delay study .. .. .. ......l29 Favorable travel time and delay study techniques .............l29 Primary considerations of highway capacity study techniques ...................... ......... ....... ...........145 21. Critical volume and level of service relationsh ips .. .........l49 22. Technique utility for roadway capacity study ...... .. .........l52 23. Favorable roadway capacity study techniques .......... ........152 24. Primary considerations for traffic conflicts technique ............................ ..... .................168 25. Feasible improvements for confl ict patterns - signalized, four-leg (four-lane) intersections. ............171 26. Primary considerations of gap study techniques ...............l7g 27. Technique utility for gap study ..... .. ... ....................184 28. Primary considerations for traffic lane occupancy technique .:.: ................................... ....... ....185 29. Technique utll~ty for traffic lane occupancy study.. .........192 30. Favorable traffic lane occupancy techniques . .. ...............lg2 31. Primary considerations for queue length study techniques .......................... .......................197 32. Technique utility for queue length study ........ ..... ........2O2 33. Favorable queue length study technique ............. ..........2O2 iv LIST OF TABLES (CONT’0) Table Paqe 34. Primary considerations for roadway inventory study technique s .. ............. .... ......... ... ..... ......207 35. Technique utility for roadway inventory study ............ ...2ll 36. Favorable roadway inventory study techniques. ....... .. .....211 37. Primary considerations for sight distance study techniques ....................... .. ......... ... ...........zI7 38. Technique utility for sight distance study . ........... .. ....22l 39. Favorable sight distance study techniques . ............. ... ..22l 40. Primary considerations for skid resistance studies .. ..... ... ...... .............. ................ .. ...227 41. Technique utility for skid resistance studies ... .. ........ ..23l 42. Primary considerations for highway lighting study technique ....... .. ..................... .... .........z34 43. Pedestrian crosswalk lighting warrants ..... ... ..............243 44. Technique utility for highway lighting study ........ .. ......247 45. Favorable highway lighting study techniques ... ......... .....248 46. Primary considerations for hazardous fog and ice study techniques ......... ... .......253 47. Technique uti 1ity for hazardous fog and ice condition study ............. .. ........... ..... .... ........256 48. Primary considerations for school crossing study technique s .... ...................... ... ..... ... .....260 49. Primary considerations for railroad crossing study techniques ......................... .... .. ...........272 50. Data for visibil ity triangles.. ............. .... .... ........275 51. Technique utility for railroad crossing study .. ............28O 52. Primary considerations of traffic control device study techniques ........ .. .........................284 53. Technique uti 1ity for traffic control device study techniques .. .. ..... ... .. ............... .. ..... ... ...286 54. Primary considerations of bicycle and pedestrian study techniques .. .... .. ... ........... ....... ..... ........2g0 55. Technique utility for bicycle and pedestrian studies .. .......... ... ...................... .... ....... ...2g2 56. Summary of avail able techniques for traffic, environment, and special study procedures .. .... ...........296 57. Data purpose by procedure ........ ...... .. ... ..... ...........305 58. Primary considerations for countermeasure develo~ent procedures .. ...... .. .. .. ... ........ .... .......310 59. General accident pattern table ........ ... .. ... .. ............3ll 60. NSC and NHTSA accident costs .. .. .... ..... .. .. ...............331 61. Sample service life estimates. ..... ............ .. .. ..... ....335 62. Primary considerations for economic analysis procedures ........... ....... ... ........ .... ............. ..34o 63. Rating indices of countermeasures ... ...... ..................366 v LIST OF FIGURES m a- 1. Highway Safety Improvement Program at the pro- cess level ......................... ... ....................3 2. Highway Safety Improvement Program subprocesses. .. ... ........4 3. Engineering investigation model ... ...........................g 4. Accident reporting form- Michigarl ...... .... .......... ......14 Manual sumary of accident character istics .. ......... .......2O 2: Collision diagram form. ......- ..............................22 Computeri zedcoll isiondiagrm. ............ ....... ..........23 :: Sample statistical program outputs, ........ ........ ..........25 9. Relationship of confidence level in a normal distribution .. ... ..................................... ...30 10. Accident by time of day character istics .. ... ... .. ...........45 11. Manual accident summaries (exmple) ... ...- ........ .. .. ... ...47 12. Collision diagram (example) - 1975 ..........................48 13. tillision diagram (example) - 1976 . .... .....................49 14. Col?ision diagram (example) - 1977 ....... ...................50 15. Checklist of field review questions ........... ..............57 Filming method. .. .................... .... ........ .... .......67 Field placement of portable traffic counters for specific information types.. .. .... .. ................... ..g7 18. Spot speed study data -exmple ..................... .......117