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The bottom line of all work done on roads and highways should be safety. To learn what
departments of transportation around the country are using to ensure greater safety for
the motoring public, Better Roads’ editors conducted a survey by mail and by phone.
Devices can improve safety
The Idaho DOT protects motorists now that the IdaShield is in place at the state’s
passive railroad crossings. This warning system uses high reflectivity to provide safety.
As the train approaches a crossing, its light hits the shield and bounces to motorists,
providing greater visibility even during the day.
Installation of the signs began August 1st, and according to Lee Wilson, rail highway
safety specialist of the Idaho Transportation Department, their presence has already
prompted many comments from the public. "The signs are really visible, particularly
at night. They bring the crossing to attention."
At night, the IdaShield works somewhat in reverse. Vehicle headlights on the sign
create a strobe effect when a train is in the crossing. "The train crews really like
the visibility of the crossings at night. It’s somewhat better in the daylight as
well," says Wilson.
The transportation department received three-year federal approval for installation of
the new safety system. Officials plan to compare current data to the 27 years of available
accident data to determine the effectiveness of the signs in reducing train/vehicle
crashes. The Idashield was modified from the Ohio Buckeye Project to reflect Idaho’s
law requiring stop signs at all passive crossings.
Deer mirrors are being tested on Michigan’s upper peninsula roads, reports John
Kanilloppolos, acting traffic and safety engineer for Michigan DOT.
The mirrors are delineator reflectors, designed to catch the lights of passing cars.
When light strikes one, it flashes red and deer won’t proceed across the road.
Kanilloppolos says that a couple of counties in the state have tried the mirrors with good
results in cutting down on night time deer and car accidents. There will be a 2-mi. test
section, as well as a 2-mi. control section.
Also being introduced in Michigan is the use of a portable reflectivity measuring
device to assure quality and driver visibility of paint lines.
In the past, when contractors painted highway lines, quality was checked as the job was
being done, Kanilloppolos says. When the job was completed, the contractor was paid, and
the responsibility ended there. Now Michigan DOT is moving to a performance type of
specification to assure minimum levels of reflectivity after 90 days. The measuring device
being purchased is in test by the Federal Highway Association.
Practices make a difference
A policy change in the use of median barriers was initiated in California based on the
findings of a total quality management team. In examining five years of past data, the
team saw a driver behavioral change and a creep of statistical data in cross median
accidents that had not occurred in the past.
Because of the increased likelihood of accidents, the policy was changed, requiring the
use of barriers in wider medians throughout the state. Kim Nystrom, chief, Office of
Traffic Safety Programs & Research, CalTrans, explains that the goal is to mitigate
accidents prior to their occurrence. "With the added barriers," she says,
"we anticipate cutting these kinds of fatalities in half."
Mike Crow, bureau chief of traffic engineering with the Kansas Department of
Transportation, says they’re involved in a proactive approach to traffic safety
versus a reactive response. KDOT is performing road safety audits with citizens of cities
and counties throughout the state in order to identify problem areas. Such areas are then
addressed with appropriate action — traffic signs, lights, and so on — before
incidents increase at those locations.
In another, similar approach, the American Traffic Safety Services
Association-KDOT-FHWA Partnering Liaison Group, a state/industry partnership, was created
to work together in increasing traffic safety. This team studies rural intersections and
sends out quality groups, comprised of half industry and half government representatives,
to meet monthly with citizens in order to answer questions, hear concerns, and come up
with solutions.
Some agencies use high tech
The Illinois Department of Transportation is assisting victims of traffic accidents
with use of a Mobile Data Crash Reporting System. When a police officer collects data
about motorists at the scene of an accident, the information is entered on the spot into a
computer in the squad car. The report is then transmitted to headquarters by radio or
modem to headquarters, and from police files to IDOT, the central repository for accident
data in Illnois.
Larry Wort, chief of Bureau of Safety Programs for Illinois DOT, says, "This
speeds up the availability of accident data and statistics. It also improves quality, and
is a time saver for the officer on the road."
Another use of the system is in generating citations at the push of a button once the
data is loaded. This computerized information system is saving 20 to 25% of the time
formerly spent in paperwork, freeing officers to respond to additional calls.
The accident/crash component is being tested in seven counties. Collected data can be
transmitted to city hall, the county seat, or the state police district office.
All DOT personnel are familiar with Roadway Weather Information Systems, and the use of
satellite and radar images, but the benefits of the RWIS expand constantly. Joe Hill,
chief of operations, Division of Highways, in Illinois, believes its use is of major
importance to drivers across the state.
"The first reason for the RWIS is to make management decisions that improve
services. We’re better able to plan and manage. Knowing how much precipitation is
coming tells us how to plan to plow snow, and also when the storm will end. It helps us
plan activities."
Secondary to service is the control of manpower. With monitoring of equipment, snow
removal, and so on, it can cost up to $50,000/hr. in overtime for a statewide full-fledged
storm. "Knowing when to send the crews home," says Hill, "saves big
bucks."
Also available to motorists in Illinois are data transmission networks installed in
some of the rest area/visitor center lobbies. The terminals, set into the walls, give
motorists access via a mouse. By clicking, they can find out what the weather is across
the state and what they’re driving into. The DTNs make it possible for travelers to
make safe, informed choices by providing up-to-the-minute weather information.
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