Case Study Filter: Countermeasures

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Enhancing Nighttime Visibility for Safety

The nighttime fatality rate on the nation's roadways is three times higher than the daytime rate, and 76% of pedestrian fatalities occur at night. FHWA offers tools including safety countermeasures, updated and new approaches for lighting design and traffic control devices.
FHWA Nighttime Visibility WebpageFHWA Nighttime Fact SheetFHWA Lighting Countermeasures

Local and Tribal Match Road Safety Program

FHWA’s Match program connects local and tribal agencies with peer mentors to help resolve local and tribal road safety issues.
Program website

AWSC at Low-Volume Unsignalized Intersections

Delaware
With 40% of fatalities and serious injuries occurring at low-volume, unsignalized intersections, DelDOT implemented All-Way Stop Control. After three years, there were zero fatalities and 82% fewer injury crashes at the intersections evaluated.
AWSC crash trends memoRoadway Safety Foundation case studyLocal news article

Mumble Strip and Stripe Research and Evaluation

Arkansas
ARDOT evaluated mumble strips as a variation of rumble strips that reduce noise pollution while maintaining driver safety. They found comparable safety effectiveness with less environmental impact.
ARDOT newsletter article, pg. 5

Improving Safety and Mobility at Traffic Signals

Utah
UDOT is addressing safety and mobility at traffic signals for all road users, including snow buildup in traffic signal LEDs, wrong-way driving countermeasures, and accessible pedestrian signals. Automated performance measures allow for full situational awareness, even for vulnerable road users.
Traffic signals webpageLocal news video-LIDARATSPM webpage

MASH Test Level 3 Compliant Guardrail System on 1H to 1V Slope

Texas
Under some conditions, achieving the recommended 2-ft offset from guardrail posts to the slope break is challenging. Texas A&M Transportation Institute found a thrie-beam option would work in these conditions and pass MASH TL-3 tests.
Roadside Pooled Fund test report

Crash Testing of Electric Vehicles into W-beam Guardrails

Nebraska
Crash testing of electric vehicles (EVs) into W-beam guardrails revealed concerns about the compatibility of EVs with existing barriers due to increased weight from batteries. In the first test, a Tesla Model 3 penetrated under the guardrail, and in the second test, a Rivian R1T ruptured the guardrail and penetrated through the barrier.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln articleLocal news articleUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln video

New Jersey’s Systemic Approach to Safety

New Jersey
NJDOT's Systemic Approach to Safety focuses on proactively addressing crash risk by widely implementing low-cost, proven effective countermeasures throughout a roadway network. The systemic approach considers elements not typically identified through traditional approaches.

No resource links available.

The Safe System Approach in New Jersey

New Jersey
NJDOT has integrated the six principles and five elements of the Safe System Approach (SSA) into its programs, practices, and projects, aiming to achieve zero fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.
Presentation slides

Turning Road Safety Audits into Projects

New Jersey
NJDOT noted a 10-16% reduction in total crashes due to implementations from road safety audits. Over 25 road safety audits RSAs have been conducted on state, county, and municipal roadways under HSIP.

No resource links available.

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