HOW TO PREVENT RUN-OFF-THE-ROAD CRASHES

According to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, in 1998, 15,305, or 37% of the nation's 41,471 fatalities, occurred when single vehicles left the roadway unintentionally. On rural roads, approximately two-thirds of fatalities are the result of run-off-the-road crashes. Thus, it is not surprising that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which has set a goal of reducing the total number of highway-related fatalities and injuries by 20% in the next 10 years, has made run-off-the-road crashes its top priority. One of the most effective ways to reduce run-off-the-road crashes is the rumble strip. Guardrails, another good deterrent, are slightly more complicated. FHWA estimates that virtually all signs and light poles on the national highway system today are of the breakaway type. Minnesota-based 3M is testing magnetic lateral warning and guidance tape as a guide for plows operating in heavy snowstorms. Even in poor visibility conditions, drivers can tell where the edge of the road is because of signals from the tape that are picked up by an onboard display in the vehicle's cab. 3M plans to test the tape as a sort of electronic rumble strip to help prevent run-off-the-road crashes.