DESIGN IN RURAL ROAD SAFETY...BUT BALANCE ACCIDENT REDUCTION WITH THE COST

Ways of incorporating road safety measures into reconstruction of rural roads, while cost-effectively minimizing accidents, are addressed. Vehicle-to-vehicle collisions on rural roads are far less likely than single-vehicle accidents. Appropriate measures for reducing the number of single-vehicle accidents are wide roadways and shoulders, clear and flat roadsides, gradual alignment, and high-quality traffic signs and signals, the cost of which is generally prohibitive for the mileage on low-volume roads. Local officials are faced with two undesirable options: to spend available funds on improving as many miles of low-volume roads as possible to primary roadway standards; or to avoid unjustified expenditures by making no improvements on low-volume roads. An objective set of guidelines is needed for built-in safety attributes and for traffic control features on low-volume roads which balance maximum safety and minimum cost. Least expensive options for improved rural road safety concern speed limit signs, shoulders, total road width, horizontal curves, centerline markings, no passing stripes, and roadside design. The safety record of rural roads is discussed, and data on recommended roadway widths are provided.