Road Statistical Crash Features and Adopting Optimal Rumble Strips to Save Lives and Prevent Injuries

The vast majority of road departure (RD) crash fatalities occur on undivided roads. Although rumble strips (RS) have been proposed as a way to reduce these crashes, there currently is no comprehensive, reliable and unified guidance for implementation. This paper seeks to: provide an overview with technical analysis on previous research and practice concerning RD crashes and RS; verify RD crash features on roads; clarify optimal RS patterns; examine RS safety and economic effectiveness; identify noise impacts; and provide comprehensive guidance for implementation of RS on various road systems. The findings indicate that RS implementation priority should be systematic and determined based on existing road conditions and previous crash experiences. The most critical road type appears to be multilane roads rather than two-lane roads. Based on research findings and best practices worldwide, the authors conclude with recommended crash reduction factors on various RS patterns for RD crashes.