In 1998, approximately 30% of rural fatal crashes in the United States occurred on curves, and about 70% of these crashes were single vehicle crashes. In addition, more single vehicle crashes occurred in the dark than in the daylight, and of these night crashes, the most common crash-related driver factor was failure to keep in the proper lane or running off of the road, almost 50% of this type of crash occurred on curves. In order to address this safety concern, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has recently sponsored a research project to conduct a detailed analysis of run-off-the-road crashes in rural areas and define and evaluate alternative Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) warning systems to reduce these crashes. This paper deals with the first technical activity: reviewing and summarizing available research on infrastructure-based warning systems to address roadway departures at curves. Work is still underway for the remaining activities.
Samenvatting