EVALUATION OF THE ADEQUACY OF THE MUTCD MINIMUM PASSING SIGHT DISTANCE REQUIREMENT FOR ABORTING THE PASSING MANEUVER

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) specifies the minimum passing sight distances in connection with the marking patterns delineating passing and no-passing zones. Although it has been discussed that the current MUTCD minimum passing sight distance requirement is inadequate for safe completion of the passing maneuver, the adequacy of the MUTCD requirement for aborting the passing maneuver has not been specifically addressed. The primary objectives of this article are to evaluate the adequacy of the MUTCD sight distance requirement for aborting the passing maneuver by using kinematic models and to establish the desired sight distances for safely aborting the passing maneuver.