What Makes a Roadway Safe?

ISLAND COUNTY

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

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First off, some facts:• More than one million people are killed

each year on the world’s roadways.

• More people die in the U.S. each month from traffic accidents than died in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

• U.S. Traffic Accidents cost more than $150 billion annually.

• Rural two-lane roads represent 80% of all U.S. Highways and most lanes are less than 11 feet wide.

• Rural two-lane roads experience higher rates of accidents than freeways.

• Wider lanes and shoulders are among the most effective means of improving rural roadway safety.

Shoulders Provide:

• Space to escape serious accidents

• Space to pull over because of vehicle malfunction

• Space to pull over to let emergency vehicles respond

• Improved sight distance

• Space for bicycle and pedestrian use

• Space for bus stops

• Space for plowed snow and maintenance operations

• Reduction of storm water degradation of pavement

Some Roadway Considerations:

• Sight Distance - ability to see and anticipate ahead

– Topography - hills vs. flat ground

– Horizontal Curves

• Posted speed vs. driver speeds

• ADT - Average Daily Traffic

• Types of traffic - cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, pedestrian

• Type of service - residential, collector, arterial

• Uniform dimensions to conform with roads elsewhere

Roadways Aren’t Just Pavement;They also provide:

• Stormwater treatment with grass strips and swales

• Stormwater runoff absorbed with infiltration trenches

• Embankments, cut slopes and retaining walls

• Signage and utilities set back from edge of roadway

• Driveway accesses with safe sight distances

• Vegetation to control erosion and enhance the view

What are My Chances?

• Q: I drive all the time. When am I more likely to be involved in a car accident?

A: Double-check your seatbelt on Saturday, by far the most likely day for an accident. The worst time is between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am.

• Q: How much safer is my big fat SUV?

A: Some say not at all. Although very large vehicles offer more protection in an accident, they are far more likely to be involved in an accident in the first place.

• Q: Which groups are least likely to wear a seatbelt?

A: Those with the least common sense: minors, drunks and males.• Q: What is my most dangerous toy?

A: Your bicycle accounts for almost 400,000 emergency room visits per year. (Well, ok, not your bicycle).

Reprinted with permission from Whidbey Printers, “Facts of Life”, May 2003

Sidewalks

• Vertical and/or lateral separation from roadway

• Minimal grades and drop-offs

• Minimal cross-slopes

• Minimum Width to allow two-way pedestrian traffic

• Easily maintained

• Meets ADA standards (mobility)

• Clearances of 8 feet above sidewalk

• People prefer straight lines; Point A to Point B

• Determine pedestrian destinations and align to serve the greatest amount of pedestrian traffic

II know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves;

and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion,

the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education

Thomas JeffersonSeptember 28, 1820