United States Department of Transportation
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Abstract:As a part of an effort to improve safety and evaluate optimal levels of investment in trooper patrols, Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) and Alaska State Troopers (AST) with the coordination of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) College of Engineering commenced a study to develop a relationship between highway investment levels and crash instances in Alaska. The Phase I (Abaza, 2016) of the project is considered as “Proof of Concept” due to fact that scarcity of datasets for analysis to make further conclusions. The current research focuses on developing the correlation between patrol vehicle presence and crash occurrence, considering longer data collection periods for better statistical correlation. Data for an additional 18 months were collected from the appropriate sources and for a total of 2.5 years data were analyzed. Additional data, including pavement surface conditions and weather conditions, were also collected from the Road Weather Information System (RWIS). Binary logistic regression was used to examine the correlation. The research team determined that a correlation exists between trooper presence (enforcement) and reduction in crashes in the five highway corridors. In addition, analysis of the data revealed some characteristics that might help AST develop enforcement strategies to further reduce crashes. Lastly, a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis was performed, showing that current enforcement levels are economically favorable on all corridors. In some areas, the benefit-cost ratio indicated that Alaska receives benefits that are twice the cost of enforcement. It is recommended to use the findings of this project to improve safety on these corridors and continue ongoing data monitoring with the data for extended periods to demonstrate adjustable enforcement levels as needed to achieve more predictable and desirable outcomes.
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Content Notes:Performed in cooperation with Department of Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering, University of Alaska Anchorage, under a contract with the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF). Osama Abaza, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Alaska Anchorage, was the Principal Investigator and Muhammad Saif Uddin was the Research Assistants.
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