Almost 60% of the highway accident fatalities in the U.S. in 2003 occurred in accidents where vehicles left their lanes or ran off the road and crashed. To keep the driver on the road or to minimize the consequences of leaving the road, the vehicle and roadside must be designed to work together to protect vehicle occupants and pedestrians from harm. This article discusses some of the strategies and countermeasures that show demonstrated benefits or great promise in reducing roadway departures. The countermeasures include: signage and markings; rumble strips and stripes; median cable barriers; pavement safety edges; road widening; and raised median islands. Examples are given to describe how state departments of transportation are implementing or exploring each countermeasure.
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