Federal, state, and local agencies have identified increased intersectionsafety as an achievable objective in their campaigns for safer highways. Roundabouts have the potential to reduce the number of fatal and severe crashes. Roundabouts have been successful in Europe and Australia in both the urban and rural environments for decades. The documented safety benefits associated with roundabouts address numerous concerns surrounding injurycrashes at intersections; however, applications of roundabouts on two-lane high-speed (40+ mph) rural highways have not been explored to the extentthat urban roundabouts have in the United States. This research includesa safety analysis of roundabouts on high speed rural roadways in the United States. The findings show the average injury crash frequency was reduced 84%, average injury crash rate was reduced 89%, angle crashes were reduced 86%, and fatal crashes were reduced 100%.
Abstract