Transverse rumble strips (TRSs) (also called in-lane rumble strips) have been used by some agencies to warn drivers in rural areas that they are approaching a stop sign. The strips typically consist of grooves crossing the roadway surface to provide a tactile and audible warning for drivers. An example is shown of TRSs on a rural road in Minnesota. Many studies have focused on the effect of TRSs on driver behaviour, and there is some evidence that TRSs are effective in reducing the intersection approach speeds. However, the results from these crash-based studies are not reliable due to the lack of rigor in the accident evaluation designs. The objective of this effort was to examine the impact of TRSs on crashes, specifically total crashes, injury crashes, and specific crash types, such as right-angle and run stop sign crashes. The effort also included an economic analysis to investigate the tradeoffs between different crash types. It could be hypothesized that the major effect of TRSs would be to reduce instances of drivers failing to stop at an intersection because they are unaware of the intersection (or stop sign) presence (i.e., reduce run stop sign crashes). However, by increasing the driver’s awareness of the upcoming intersection, the TRSs might also affect crashes where the driver stops at the sign but then pulls out into the path of an oncoming vehicle (i.e., reducing right-angle crashes). Thus, analysis of both is warranted. (Author/publisher)
Abstract