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Central Region Crash Data Analysis
1977-2007 Statewide fatal Crashes133
123
82
83
91
99
144
129
113
93
73
88
87
101
97
94
93
77
82
78
69
67 7
1
93
80
78
89
97
67 7
1
76
14
2
13
8
92
92
10
2 11
0
16
0
14
3
14
0
10
7
81
10
1
92
10
7
10
9 11
4
12
4
92 95
86
81
74 7
8
10
6
89
89
10
0
10
1
73 74
83
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
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1994
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1998
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2007
An
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TOTAL Fatal Crashes & Fatalities in ALASKA: 1977-2007 with Annual Statewide Vehicle-Mile TOTALS
TOTAL Crashes TOTAL Fatalities Statewide Veh-Miles (Millions)
National Highway System Crash Analysis
Seward Highway: Anchorage to Seward “Y”
Glenn & Parks Highways: Mat-Su
Sterling Highway: “Y” to Soldotna
Analysis of Crashes on NHS and Other High Speed – High Volume Routes
• Crash data is analyzed and mitigation recommendations are made including:
– Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).• The HSIP is “collision-based” crash mitigation program. Locations
with an identifiable collision pattern for which a low cost quick turnaround engineering solution can be determined receive priority.
– Incorporating Safety Features in Highway Rehabilitation or Reconstruction Projects.• Crash data is utilized during the development of highway upgrade
projects and appropriate cost-effective safety improvements are incorporated into these projects.
– Traffic Safety Corridor Designation• Crash data has been used to identify Traffic Safety Corridors within
the Central Region. To date, 4 portions of state highways have been designated as Traffic Safety Corridors.
• The issue of driver safety has been receiving renewed attention due to continuing head-on fatal collisions on the heavily traveled segments of the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm, on Parks Highway between Wasilla and Big Lake and the Sterling highway between Sterling and Soldotna.
• Senate Bill 26, “An act relating to the designation of traffic safety corridors” was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor on May 26, 2006 allowing DOT/PF and DPS to designate “Traffic Safety Corridors” on high crash routes in the State.
• Traffic Safety Corridor designation allows for double fines for all moving violations and is being implemented on routes with the highest number of fatal and major injury crashes in the state.
Traffic Safety Corridor Designation
As a result of the legislation, Traffic Safety Corridors have been designated on the following routes:
• The Seward Highway between Potter and Girdwood was designated the first Traffic Safety Corridor in Alaska on May 26, 2006.
• The Parks Highway between Wasilla and Big Lake was designated a Traffic Safety Corridor on October 16, 2006.
• The Sterling Highway between Sterling and Soldotna is currently was designated a Traffic Safety Corridor in July, 2009.
• Knik/Goose Bay Road between MP 1 and MP 17 was designated a Traffic Safety Corridor in July, 2009.
Traffic Safety Corridor Designation
Traffic Safety Corridor Fatal & Major Injury Crashes on the Seward Highway
Traffic Safety Corridor Fatal & Major Injury Crashes on the Parks Highway
Traffic Safety Corridor Fatal & Major Injury Crashes on the Sterling Highway
Seward Highway Fatal Crashes:Seward to Potter, 1977 - 2009
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Seward Highway: Seward to Potter 1977-2009 Fatal Crashes
Sum of # of Fatalities Sum of # of Fatal Crashes
Seward Highway: Seward to Potter 1994-2007 Crash Analysis
3
6
2
54
67
5 56 6
7 7
4
65
13
16
6
9 9
18
13
15
18
23
19
15
18
5
0
5
10
15
20
25
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
1994-2007 Seward Highway Fatal & Major Injury Crashes: Seward to Potter (With 2008-2009 Preliminary Fatal Crash Data)
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURYMajor injury data not yet available for 2008-2009.
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
AVOIDING OBJECTS IN
ROAD
CHANGING LANES
ENTERING TRAFFIC
LANE
LEAVING TRAFFIC
LANE
MAKING U-TURN
MERGING OTHER* OUT OF CONTROL
PASSING SKIDDING SLOWING STRAIGHT AHEAD
TURNING LEFT
UNKNOWN
0.0%
2.7%
0.0%
2.7%
0.0%1.4%
2.7%
45.2%
8.2%6.8%
1.4%
24.7%
0.0%
4.1%3.6%
1.0% 0.5%2.0% 1.5%
0.0%
2.5%
29.4%
6.1% 6.1%
1.0%
37.1%
3.6%
5.6%
Seward Highway: Seward to Potter 1994-2007 Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Driver #1 Action
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURY
DRIVER INATTENTION8.89%
DRIVER INEXPERIENCE2.59%
DROVE OFF ROAD2.96%
EMOTIONAL0.37%
FAILURE TO YIELD4.07%
FELL ASLEEP7.78%
FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY2.22%
ILLNESS0.37%
IMPROPER LANE USAGE/CHANGE3.33%
IMPROPER PASSING1.11%
IMPROPER TURN0.37%
LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS1.48%
MISSING4.44%
NO IMPROPER DRIVING5.56%
NOT APPLICABLE10.74%
OTHER*7.78%
STOP SIGN VIOLATION0.37%
TAKING PRESCRIPTION MEDS0.37%
UNKNOWN4.07%
UNSAFE SPEED30.37%
WRONG SIDE/WAY0.74%
Seward Highway: Seward to Potter 1994-2007 Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Human Contribiting Factor for Driver #1
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Unsafe Speed NOT Involved
Unsafe Speed WAS Involved
58.90%
41.10%
68.02%
31.98%
Seward Highway: Seward to Potter 1994-2007 Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Unsafe Speed Factor
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURY
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
No Aggressive Driving Aggressive Driving Involved
49.32%50.68%
56.85%43.15%
Seward Highway: Seward to Potter 1994-2007 Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Aggressive Driving
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURY
Seward Highway Traffic Safety Corridor (MP 87-117) Crash Analysis
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Seward Highway: Milepost 87 to Milepost 117 (Traffic Safety Corridor) 1977-2009 Fatal Crashes
Sum of Fatalities Sum of Fatal Crashes
Seward Highway Traffic Safety Corridor (MP 87-117) Crash Analysis
3
2
1
2 2
1
2
3 3 3
2
4
3
2 2
7
4
7
13
8
11
8
10
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Seward Highway: MP 87 to Potter (Traffic Safety Corridor) Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Year
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURYMajor injury data not yet
available for 2008-2009.
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
AVOIDING OBJECTS IN
ROAD
CHANGING LANES
LEAVING TRAFFIC
LANE
MAKING U-TURN
OTHER* OUT OF CONTROL
PASSING SKIDDING SLOWING STRAIGHT AHEAD
TURNING LEFT
UNKNOWN
0.00%
4.17%
8.33%
0.00%
8.33%
50.00%
4.17% 4.17%
0.00%
16.67%
0.00%
4.17%4.00%
0.00%
2.67% 2.67%
0.00%
28.00%
9.33%
4.00%2.67%
40.00%
2.67%4.00%
Seward Highway: MP 87 to Potter (Traffic Safety Corridor) Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Driver #1 Action
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURY
DRIVER INATTENTION10%
DRIVER INEXPERIENCE
2%DROVE OFF ROAD
4%
FAILURE TO YIELD4%
FELL ASLEEP3%
FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY
4%
IMPROPER LANE USAGE/CHANGE
4%
IMPROPER PASSING2%
MISSING
3%
NO IMPROPER DRIVING10%
NOT APPLICABLE8%
OTHER*8%
UNKNOWN8%
UNSAFE SPEED30%
Seward Highway: MP 87 to Potter (Traffic Safety Corridor) Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Human Contributing Factor for Driver #1
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Unsafe Speed NOT Involved
Unsafe Speed WAS Involved
62.50%
37.50%
66.67%
33.33%
Seward Highway: MP 87 to Potter (Traffic Safety Corridor) Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Unsafe Speed Factor
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURY
43.00%
44.00%
45.00%
46.00%
47.00%
48.00%
49.00%
50.00%
51.00%
52.00%
53.00%
54.00%
No Aggressive Driving Aggressive Driving Involved
50.00%50.00%
53.33%
46.67%
Seward Highway: MP 87 to Potter (Traffic Safety Corridor) Fatal & Major Injury Crashes by Aggressive Driving
FATALITY INCAPACITATING INJURY
Major Points from the Seward Highway TSC (MP 87-117) Crash Data Analysis
• Fatal crashes have remained fairly steady while major injury crashes peaked in 2002 and have dropped since.
• Unsafe speed & driver inattention are the major human factors cited in crashes within the corridor. Unsafe speed was involved in over 37% of fatal crashes and 33% of major injury crashes.
• Over 50% of the vehicles involved in fatal & major injury crashes in the corridor were out of control or skidding.
• Less than 10% of the vehicles were recorded as passing another vehicle at the time of the crash.
• Alcohol and/or drugs were involved in over 37% of the fatal crashes.
Major Points from the Seward Highway TSC (MP 87-117) Crash Data Analysis
• Head-On crashes accounted for 28% of the fatal and major injury crashes in the corridor.
• Single vehicle crashes including “run-off-the-road”, “ditch”, “embankment”, “Overturning” and other fixed object crashes accounted for over 32% of fatal and major injury crashes in the corridor.
• Rear end crashes accounted for over 9% of the fatal and major injury crashes in the corridor.
• Aggressive driving (speed, unsafe lane change, failure to yield, following too closely, etc. accounted for 50% of the fatal crashes and nearly 47% of the major injury crashes.
Seward Highway TSC Highway User Types
• Recreational/Sightseeing Users –These can be both short and long distance travelers who generally drive at lower speeds. The Seward Highway is a National Scenic Byway.
• Commuters – These are generally higher speed, shorter distance travelers.
• Commercial Vehicles (Doubles, fuel haulers, commercial buses, etc.) – These are generally higher speed, long distance travelers.
• Wintertime Skiers – These are generally higher speed shorter distance travelers.
• Local Sports Fishermen – These are generally higher speed long distance travelers.
• Bicyclists-Pedestrians - including the Arctic Bicycle Club, and significant pedestrian activity associated with wildlife viewing, seasonal hooligan fishing, etc.
Seward Highway TSC (MP 87-117) Traffic Volumes
• 2007 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes at Potter Section House were over 9300.
• Traffic volumes have increased nearly 300% between 1977 and 2007.
• July traffic volumes are nearly 175% of the AADT (16,300) while January traffic volumes are 63% of the AADT (6200).
• Traffic volumes during busy summer weekends in July have reached 22,400, over two times the average daily traffic volume on this route.
• Nearly 1800 vehicles were recorded in a one hour period on a 4th of July weekend in 2007.
Seward Highway TSC Highway Observations
• Increased traffic volumes, particularly during summer months, sometimes difficult winter driving conditions, and a diverse mix of roadway users along with a lack of passing opportunities, caused in part by the higher traffic volumes, may contribute to poor driver behavior, driver distraction and a higher incidence of head on type crashes.
• These poor driver behaviors can make the driving task hazardous for people traveling this segment who encounter other drivers not concentrating on the driving task or not obeying the traffic control devices including the posted speed limit and no passing striping.
• Generally, the crash data does not lead to easy engineering solutions, including those that may appear to be straightforward at first glance.
• Education and enforcement is part of the solution.
What are we doing to increase Highway Safety?
• Traffic Safety Corridors– Seward Highway Traffic Safety Corridor established
May, 2006. Extended to MP 87 in 2007.
• Bureau of Highway Patrol– DOT has provided financial support as well as crash
data analysis to identify high crash corridors and crash characteristics including crash severity, highest crash months, days and times, human factors, driver impairment, number of vehicles, etc.
• Alaska Highway Safety Office (AHSO)– AHSO has provided funding for many enforcement and
education activities.
What are we doing to increase Highway Safety?
• Highway Safety Projects– Central Region Rumble Strips, Phase II
•Continuous Centerline rumble strips in the Seward Highway Traffic Safety Corridor and at other high head-on crash locations on the Seward Highway between the Sterling Highway Junction and Ingram Creek.
•Replacement of shoulder rumble strips lost to pavement overlays.
•Project currently bidding. Expect contract award in September with work beginning in the Spring of 2010.
Central Region Rumble Strips, Phase II – Centerline Locations
What are we doing to increase Highway Safety?
• Highway Safety Projects– Seward Highway MP 88 Safety Improvements
• Elimination of the guardrail on the inside of the curve and creating additional recovery are by installing a retaining wall or concrete barrier against the railroad embankment
•Possible use of new MUTCD warning signs and/or oversize signs with additional emphasis for this curve.
• Installation of transverse rumble strips in advance of the curve or a similar queue to get drivers attention.
Seward Highway MP 88 Safety Improvements
What are we doing to increase Highway Safety?
• Highway Safety Projects– National Highway System Warning and Delineation
Project
• Install chevron alignment signs on the sharpest horizontal curves with a run-off-the-road crash pattern.
• Install rigid roadside delineators on other horizontal curves where chevron alignment signs have not been designated.
• Install new or improved advance curve warning signs on all horizontal curves where the safe speed is at or below the posted speed limit.
To Summarize
Ron Martindale
HSIP Coordinator
Central Region
