NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 1

Module 1-1

Road Safety CE576 Fall 2011

Ahmed Abdel-Rahim, Ph.D., P.E.

The Nature of Road Safety

Module 1-1

Exercise 1: Defining Safety

How do you define safety?

Module 1-1

Various Definitions

Public health

Highway safety professional

Design, maintenance, or operations engineer

Transit

Human Factors

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 2

Module 1-1 4

A Definition of Road Safety

Roadway safety is the number of accidents (crashes),

or accident consequences, by kind and severity,

expected to occur on the entity during a specific period.

Ezra Hauer

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National Highway Fatalities and Fatality Rates

Source: Created by Cambridge Systematics based on fatality data retrieved from the Fatality Analysis Reporting

System

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and vehicle miles traveled data (Federal Highway Administration.

*2008 Preliminary data retrieved from NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Research Note DOT HS 811 124

30,000

32,000

34,000

36,000

38,000

40,000

42,000

44,000

46,000

48,000

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

Fa

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M V

MT

Total Fatalities

Fatality Rate per 100MVMT

1988-2008*

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National Highway Injuries and Injury Rates

Source: Created by Cambridge Systematics based on injury data retrieved from NHTSA Traffic Crash Facts 2007

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

3,500,000

4,000,000

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

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20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Inju

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M V

MT

Total Injuries

Injury Rate per 100MVMT

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The Public Health Perspective Events Causing Health Problems

• Cancer

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Obesity

• Suicide

• Homicide

Exposure to Risk

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 3

Module 1-1

10 Leading Causes of Death by Age Group, United States─ 2010

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The Dynamics of a Crash

Kinetic Energy:

The energy an object possesses

because of its motion

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The Dynamics of a Crash

Slide 2: Explain and define crush energy (include image below)

The Dynamics of a Crash

Crush energy:

Deformation of car and human parts Module 1-1

11

Crash Models and Road Safety

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 4

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Driver Behavior and Crash Models

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Multidisciplinary Approaches

Road

Environment

Factors (28%)

Vehicle

Factors (8%)

Human

Factors (95%)

4%

24% 67%4%

4%

Road

Environment

Factors (28%)

Vehicle

Factors (8%)

Human

Factors (95%)

4%

24% 67%4%

4% 4%

24% 67%4%

4%

Module 1-1 14

Road Safety – a Complex Field

Road safety is a complex, multidisciplinary, multimodal field devoted to the prevention and/or mitigation of crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

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Major Topics

The Complex Nature of Road Safety

Safety Disciplines

4 Es of Road Safety

Road Safety Modes

Crash Prevention Paradigm Shift

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 5

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Safety Disciplines

Backgrounds

Education

Perspectives

Multimodal

Module 1-1 17

Safety Silos

Institutional Levels

• Federal

• State

• Local

Modes

• Passenger vehicles

• Trucks

• Transit

• Pedestrians/bicyclists

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The 4 Es of Road Safety

Engineering

Education

Enforcement

Emergency Response

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Engineering

Design

Construction

Operations

Maintenance

Vehicle

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 6

Module 1-1 20

Education

Behavior Change

Rules of the Road

Risk Awareness

Amplify Enforcement and Engineering Activities

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Enforcement

Police

Prosecutors

Judges

Probation

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Emergency Response

Incident Response

Emergency Medical Services

Fire and Rescue

Hazardous Materials Removal

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Human Factors & Biomechanics

Capabilities and Limitations of the Human Body

• Strength

• Reaction time

• Visual acuity

• Physical durability

Effects of Exceeding Human Limitations

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 7

Module 1-1 24

Public/Private Administrators

Driver Licensing

Vehicle Registration

Analyze Insurance Claims

Set Rates for Vehicle and Health Insurance

Develop and Enforce Policies, Procedures, and Regulations

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Vehicle Considerations

Passenger Vehicles

• Largest number of crashes by far

• Size

• Performance characteristics

Mode Connectivity

Vehicle Characteristics

• Crash types

• Fleet diversity

• Height and weight

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Other Motorized Vehicles

Commercial Vehicles

• Interaction with other vehicles

• Roadway considerations

Motorcycles

Transit and Rail

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Comparison of Vehicle Type Involved in Crashes

Vehicle Type

Crash Type

Total Number of Crashes

Rate (per 100 million vehicle-miles

traveled)

Rate (per 100 million registered vehicles)

Passenger Cars

Fatal 25,029 1.55 18.52

Injury 1,893,000 117 1,401

Property Damage 4,169,000 258 3,085

Light Trucks

Fatal 22,838 2.01 24.05

Injury 1,209,000 107 1,273

Property Damage 2,919,000 257 3,074

Large Trucks

Fatal 4,932 2.21 58.15

Injury 82,000 37 971

Property Damage 354,000 159 4,176

Motorcycles

Fatal 4,655 43.22 74.75

Injury 80,000 746 1,291

Property Damage 18,000 168 291

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Non-Motorized Transport

Pedestrians

Bicyclists

Roadway Facilities

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Paradigm Shift

Single Modes and Disciplines

Collaboration

Multidisciplinary and Multimodal Strategies

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Multidisciplinary Approaches

Young Drivers

• Zero tolerance

• Graduated driver licensing

Safety Corridors

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Fatal Crash Involvement by Driver Age

NCHRP 17-40, June 2010 9

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State Licensing Law & Driver Fatal Crash Involvement

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STRONGEST GDL – reduction of 38% for fatal crashes and 40% for injury crashes among16-year-old drivers.

WEAKEST GDL – reduction of 11% for fatal crashes and 19% for injury crashes.

Life-Saving Interventions – GDL

Source: Baker et al., 2007

Module 1-1

Rating of GDL Laws in the United States

Legend

= Good

= Fair

= Marginal

= Poor

Source:

http://www.iihs.org/laws/gdl_intermediate.aspx

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Safety Corridor Programs

Legislation

Data Analysis

Signage

Enforcement

Public Education

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Module 1-1 36

Safety Corridors in New Mexico