Evaluation of Large-Truck Fixed-Object Crashes at Bridge Structures in Kansas

The aim of this study was to investigate any possible relationships between roadway geometry, pavement conditions, and large-truck, fixed object crashes at bridge sites. Data on single-vehicle and multiple-vehicle large-truck crashes were extracted from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s crash and roadway database for a five year study period (2006-2010). This analysis was limited to bridge sites located on state and federal roadways in both rural and urban environments. A total of 77 crashes were extracted, in which 73 were single-vehicle run-off-the-road crashes where a large-truck struck a fixed object at or very close to the bridge site. Due to the limited sample size, a simple odds ratio analysis was used to evaluate the crash data. Because no fatalities were reported, the likelihood of an injury crash or a property damage only crash were tested. The results of the simple odds ratio analysis showed that the odds of an injury resulting from a fixed-object crash were 4.93 times higher on a limited access facility. This finding was statistically significant at the 95% level of confidence, while all other tested variables were found to be non-significant.