Which Factors Determine Effective Highway Design?
November 16th 2021
In 2019, 37,595 Americans died due to being in motor vehicle accidents [1]. In the same year, motor vehicle accidents claimed the lives of 1,762 Canadians [2].
Highway Design and Control are an integral part of transportation safety. Improper highway design and control may have been a factor in some of the above-mentioned fatalities.
The American Association of State Highway Traffic Officials (AASHTO), “A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets” outlines the following mandatory components that must be considered in successful highway design [3]:
- Traffic volume, including the average daily traffic (ADT) volume, and the volume of traffic during peak hours.
- Directional distribution, for example, how much traffic goes in each direction, in order to determine whether to design a multi-lane highway and how many lanes should go in each direction.
- Speed.
- Composition of traffic, such as whether the highway is mainly used by drivers of passenger cars, or does it also include a high number of trucks and buses. Larger vehicles, such as trucks or buses, take up more roadway space, which needs to be considered when creating the highway design.
- Traffic flow relationships.
- Projection of future traffic demands; consideration of future traffic volume.
Why LISKE?
LISKE is an established leader in the field of accident and injury reconstruction with thirty years of experience investigating and reconstructing transportation, product liability and premises liability accidents. We are dedicated to providing a principled and unparalleled customer experience and continue to strive for excellence, acting with integrity, thoroughness and accountability. The high-level approach we take to each assignment ensures that no element of causation is overlooked, and no stone is left unturned. Our multi-disciplined team of scientists, engineers and ACTAR accredited reconstruction experts prepare a comprehensive, objective, science-based analysis of each accident, powered by next-generation technology. A LISKE accident and injury reconstruction provides a foundational pillar you can count on; whether as a building block to causation, or in rebuttal to an unacceptable misinformed and overreached opposition conclusion.
Contact Us For:
- AASHTO Assessment
- Advisory Curve Speed [Ball Bank] Testing
- Analysis of Roadway Signage
- Analysis of Traffic Signal Timing and Phasing
- Biomechanics of Injury
- Critical Design Assessment
- Documentation with Accident Site Photo logs
- Highway Design & Traffic Control Analysis
- Highway Work-Area Analysis
- Human Factors Engineering Assessment
- Intersection Sight-Triangle Assessment
- Line-of-Sight Measurements
- MUTCD Assessment
- Safety Assessment
- Speed Analysis
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm
[3] AASHTO. A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C.: 2011.