Crashes Related to Type and Location of Driveway Access
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2022-12-01
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Edition:Final Report, 1/01/2021-12/31/2022
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Abstract:This study examines how commercial driveway access location and design interact with roadway and interchange characteristics to influence vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian safety. The final sample for analysis included: a) 192 roadway segments with 9,889 commercial driveways and 10,596 driveway-related crashes; and b) 69 interchanges with 832 commercial driveways and 853 driveway-related crashes in the vicinity of the interchanges. Several analytical methods were used to assess the safety effects of driveway type and location on crash type and severity, including summary statistics and statistical analysis, generalized linear modeling techniques, and exploratory case studies. Results indicated that both non-traversable medians and TWLTLs decrease the overall crash frequency at commercial driveways along corridors compared to undivided or painted medians. Exclusive right-turn lanes at commercial driveways were found to reduce the average number of driveway-related crashes near interchanges by 49.7% compared to shared right-turn lanes, and by 64.0% compared to no right-turn lanes. Shared right-turn lanes also significantly reduced the probability of severe injury and fatality crashes by 35.3% at commercial driveways along corridors. Both sufficient driveway throat length and driveway channelization were found to improve commercial driveway safety. Unsignalized or signalized commercial driveways located less than 500 ft from the end of the interchange ramp taper increased the potential for severe injury crashes by 261%. Conventional bike lanes appeared to induce pedestrian/bicycle crashes at or near commercial driveway locations, possibly due to the potential for motor vehicles to encroach into the bike lane and/or overlook bicyclists when crossing bike lanes to enter or exit commercial driveways. Conventional bike lanes were also found to significantly increase the risk of minor injury crashes at commercial driveways near interchanges. Therefore, when a bike lane is needed on a major roadway, buffered bike lanes or other types of physical barriers should be used when feasible, as well as bike lane paint at driveway locations to further alert motorists of the presence of bicyclists. Case study analysis further revealed that a variety of conflicts and crashes occur when aligning high-volume commercial driveways at full median openings without signal control. Crash clusters were also observed at driveways in the functional area of signalized intersections and interchanges. A contributing factor identified in crash reports was a tendency for “good Samaritans” to allow drivers entering or exiting driveways on multilane roadways to blindly cross one or more lanes of queueing traffic. Suggestions are offered for consideration by FDOT and other agencies relative to commercial driveway access policy, permitting and mitigation to improve roadway and interchange area safety.
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