During construction, maintenance, or utility activities on a roadway open to traffic, the ability of the roadway to carry traffic is often reduced, and there are increased hazards due to the work activity and workers in the roadway. Liability suits resulting from work zone accidents have increased dramatically in recent years. This fact and the need to keep traffic control compatible with the ever changing construction or maintenance situations has created the need for a "Work Zone Accident Data Process". The work zone accident data process is a data collection and processing procedure which starts at the construction and maintenance work site and transmits information through the regular communications channels to the State highway agency headquarters. The process is a supplement to regular police accident reporting and is used to provide both short range (immediate project application) feedback as well as long range summaries (statewide application). The process provides a flexible, systemized data gathering method suitable for use at either selected locations, at sites using selected traffic controls, or at all construction or maintenance sites.
Abstract