TRAFFIC SAFETY RESEARCH SERIES

  
 
A quarterly compilation of current traffic safety projects, 
e-news, resources and links brought to you by Louisiana Center for Transportation Safety at LTRC



September 15, 2016 // Volume 1, Issue 1

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Dear Safety Research Partner,

The Louisiana Center for Transportation Safety (LCTS), also known as the Safety Center, shares this quarterly compilation of traffic safety research and e-news to keep you updated on current research and driving studies that may enhance your traffic safety practices to help save lives.

In Louisiana
Safety Center's New Projects

16-4SA Pedestrians and Bicyclists Count: Developing a Statewide Multimodal Count Program
The purpose of this study is to research methodologies for counting pedestrians and bicycles and identify best practices for statewide count programs, to evaluate available count technology and identify preferred methods for statewide deployment, and to identify potential funding sources for implementation.  Project Capsule 16-4SA

16-3SA Evaluating Cell Phone Data for AADT Estimation
Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is required to be reported annually by a state's DOT to the FHWA. This study will evaluate the accuracy of Streetlytics' traffic volume information compared to the traditional counts by LA DOTD, and make a recommendation as to whether DOTD can adopt this tool to provide accurate AADT for Louisiana Roadways.  Project Capsule 16-3SA

16-1SA Highway Construction Work Zone Safety Performance and Improvement in Louisiana
The overall goal of this research is to improve work zone safety management. A sample of work zones will be selected and crashes within these work zones and approaches will be reviewed to identify crash patterns. The research team will prepare recommendations for providing better data collection and identifying crash characteristics to reduce work zone crashes. This information can help design a program for use by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and other agencies Project Capsule 16-1SA

Local News Spotlight

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $2 Million for Emergency Repairs to Roads and Bridges in Louisiana 
After the flooding in Louisiana, the Federal Highway Administration is administering Emergency Relief (ER) funds of $2 million to repair roads and bridges, stabilize structures to prevent further damage, and set up detours until permanent repairs are completed.  Read More

The Interstate Highway System Turns 60 
Louisiana's interstates experiencing greatest increase in traffic and are among the most deteriorated in the United States as the nation marks the 60th anniversary of the interstate systemRead More

Expanding the Scope
Recently Published Reports Nationwide

American Driving Survey 2014-2015 
The AAA Foundation commissioned researchers to develop and implement a national-level data collection system on American driving. A representative sample population of the United States including drivers aged 16 and older were interviewed via telephone about their driving from the last 24 hours. The results of the interviews collected each day for two years was used to estimate the average and total amount that Americans drive and to describe the driving that they do.  Read More

The Prevalence of Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Road Debris 
The purpose of this study was to update the 2001 study with new data to indicate the amount of motor vehicle crashes caused by road debris. Data from multiple databases was analyzed to find specifically which crashes involved road debris, and then only sampled the crashes where a car was towed from the scene. Compared with crashes that did not involve debris, debris-related crashes were 4 times more likely to occur on Interstate highways.  Read More
Video and Non-Video Feedback Interventions for Teen Drivers
This study evaluated two technology-based systems, one with and one without video, to determine how effective they are in reducing unsafe driving behavior in newly licensed teen drivers. Teens were randomly assigned one of the technologies or a third control condition. For 20 weeks, the technologies recorded any time the vehicle's acceleration or deceleration exceeded 0.50g. After a 4 week period without feedback, the participants with intervention technology received feedback for 16 more weeks while the control group did not. The unsafe driving event rate decreased 66% for participants receiving feedback while the control group didn't show significant change.  Read More

Prevalence of Self-Reported Aggressive Driving Behavior: United
States, 2014
The purpose of this study was to provide estimates of the prevalence of aggressive driving beh aviors. The data was collected via a nationally-represented  online survey conducted in the Unite d States of 2,705 licensed drivers aged 16 and older. More than 78% o f U.S. drivers reported having e ngaged  in at least one aggressive driving behavior at least once in the past year.  R ead More  
 
2013-2014 National Roadside Study of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers - Methodology
This report describes the methodology for the National Roadside Study (NRS), a national field of study to estimate the prevalence of alcohol-, drug-, and alcohol-plus-drug-involved driving primarily among nighttime weekend drivers, but also daytime Friday drivers. Read More

Using Naturalistic Driving Data to
Examine Teen Driver Behaviors Present in Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2007-2015
This study examined teen driver distractions to determine its true prevalence. Over 400 teen driver rear-end crashes were examined through recordings captured by in-vehicle event recorders . The  data was analyzed for driver behaviors, eyes-off-road  time,  and  response times. Amo ng teens in moderate to severe rear-en d crashes, over 75% of drivers were observed engaging in a potentially distracting behavior.  Read Mor e
 
Road User Behaviors at Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons
This TechBrief, provided by the FHWA, studies the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) - also known as the high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) - a traffic control device used at pedestrian crossings that permits stop-and-go operations if a pedestrian has finished crossing their half of the road. Data was collected from video cameras within 20 sites and was then reviewed in several rounds. Based on the observations, the PHB showed great potential in improving safety, and lessening major roadway delays. Findings showed that 91% of the pedestrians activated the PHB, and 96% of drivers appropriately yielded at the crossings.  Read More

Work Zone Simulator Analysis
The Missouri Department of Transportation has released a report that presents a driving simulator- based study that evaluates a driver's responses to different work zone sign configurations.The test scenarios simulated both right and left lane closures with conventional or alternate signs. The results showed that there was no difference between total travel times of the scenarios observed and that the alternate configurations have no effect on driver's speed. Post questionnaire results indicated that the first sign, "Work Zone Ahead", is critical to alert drivers.  Read More

Safety Evaluation of Intersection Conflict Warning Systems
As part of its strategic highway safety effort, FHWA organized a study to evaluate low-cost safety strategies. This included the strategy of intersection conflict warning systems (ICWSs), which are intended to reduce the frequency of crashes by alerting drivers to conflicting vehicles at unsignalized intersections. Data was obtained for four-legged, rural, two-way-stop controlled intersections with ICWS installations. An analysis was conducted, which indicated statistically significant crash reductions except in nighttime crashes for two-lane at two-lane intersections and in rear-end crashes for four-lane at two-lane intersections.  Read More

Roundabout Practices
Roundabout Practices is a synthesis created by NCHRP to be a useful reference for roundabout policies and practices. First, a comprehensive literature review on roundabouts was conducted; then a questionnaire concerning the selection, cost, performance analysis, and design of roundabouts was administered to 52 AASHTO department members; and finally, state DOT personnel from seven states were interviewed to provide case examples and to elaborate on survey responses. Read More 

National News Spotlight

White House Issues a Call to Action as 2015 Traffic Fatalities Data is Released
In 2015, 35,092 people died on U.S. highways in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 7.2% higher than 2014. The US Department of Transportation has released the data 3 months earlier than last year and is issuing a Call to Action in hopes of soliciting outside help to better understand this information. Read More

Motor Vehicle Fatalities Up 9%, No Sign of a Decrease in 2016
Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council indicate that motor vehicle deaths were 9% higher through the first 6 months of 2016 than in 2015. May be deadliest year since 2007, and deadliest Labor Day since 2008. Read More

Teen Seat Belt Usage Rising Slightly
The 2016 Missouri Teen Safety Belt Survey is complete, showing that safety belt usage for all teen drivers and teen front seat passengers was 70.4% compared to 69% in 2015.  Read More

IIHS red-light-running crash recreation
IIHS red-light-running crash recreation
Credit: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Turning Off Red Light
 C
ameras Costs Lives
Researchers from the Insurance Institute for  Highway Safety (IIHS) have found that there is  a 30 percent increase in red-light running crashes in communities that have suspended the red light camera programs Read More

New Report Spotlights the Dangers of Drowsy Driving 
The new report, funded by State Farm, examines the cause and effect of drowsy driving as well as how states and others can best address it.  Read More



Fastening Seat Belts: the 3 Seconds That Save L ives
A confounding 11.5 percent of Americans  put themselves at risk by not buckling up.   Read More

First Look at 2015 Pedestrians Fatalities by State
Projected pedestrians fatalities for 2015 show a 10% increase from the prior year. Governor Highway Safety Association prepared the 2015 preliminary data for pedestrian traffic fatalities by state. Read More

Stay Updated on Ongoing National Studies 

View some of the projects that the  Safety Center is following:

RESOURCES
 











LOUISIANA CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
LTRC Building, 4101 Gourrier Avenue, Baton Rouge LA 70808