Safety Analysis of Highway Curves Where Crashes Occur in South Carolina

Details

• Creators:
  Sarasua, Wayne ; Murray-Tuite, Pamela ; Farzinpour, Farhad ; Brown, Kweku ; Davis, William J.
• Corporate Creators:
  Clemson University. Glenn Department of Civil Engineering ; Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  South Carolina. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Materials and Research ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Countermeasures Curve Radius Curve Super Elevation Data Analysis Highway Curves Rieker CARS Safety Analysis Statistics Traffic Crashes Traffic Safety
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-SC-26-01
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; South Carolina
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  South Carolina. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Materials and Research
• Abstract:
  The design of highway curves has significant impact on traffic safety. More than 25% of fatal crashes in the United States occur on horizontal curves, and the crash rate for curves is approximately three times higher than other highway sections. Furthermore, crashes are over 4 times more likely to be fatal on horizontal curve sections compared to similar highway tangent sections. These statistics underscore the critical need to identify and mitigate the specific risks associated with driving on curved sections, particularly in the context of Vision Zero goals for zero roadway fatalities. This research focuses on a detailed analysis of curves where vehicle crashes occur in South Carolina. Eight years of crash data and an inventory of circular curves including Rieker CARS data are analyzed to identify trends and the effectiveness of countermeasures. The research achieved several objectives including identifying potential locations of compliance issues related to curve signage and also identifying curve locations of highest crash frequency that can benefit from potential countermeasures. The research required innovative data development methods vital to achieve the objectives.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SPR No. 771
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cfb9c17ec28d8c87ff72d3e2aaf479e0833ec7aab11175eeba668aa06f69403229e1a4c28bd8007012e2ff6f8300d1fad1f47a8058c3c8566474434527626135
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89141/dot_89141_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.17 MB ]