According to the Federal Highway Administration, over 6 million lane-miles of roadway are in rural areas, and more than two-thirds of these rural roads are owned and operated by local entities. In 2008 56 percent of the 37,261 fatalities on U.S. roadways occurred in rural areas. Rural areas face a number of highway safety challenges due to the nature of their facilities. More than 20 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States occur at intersections and over 80 percent of intersection-related fatalities in rural areas occur at unsignalized intersections. This document provides information on effectively identifying intersection safety issues in local areas, choosing the countermeasures that address them, and evaluating the benefits of those treatments. It is geared toward local road managers and other practitioners with responsibility for operating and maintaining their roads. It offers information on the procedures and processes to improve the safety of local rural unsignalized intersections and to reduce the potential for future crashes. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting