Citation

Abdel-Aty MA, Dilmore J, Dhindsa A. Accid. Anal. Prev. 2006; 38(2): 335-345.

Affiliation

Environmental Engineering, Orlando, FL 32816, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.aap.2005.10.010

PMID

16310154

Abstract

Use of various variable speed limit (VSL) strategies as a tool for safety improvement on freeways was evaluated using simulation of a section of Interstate 4 in Orlando, FL. Real-time crash likelihood was calculated based on models developed in previous research by the first author [Abdel-Aty, M., Uddin, N., Pande, A., January 2005. Split models for predicting multi-vehicle crashes during high-speed and low-speed operating conditions on freeways. In: Presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC]. VSL implementation produced safety improvement by simultaneously implementing lower speed limits upstream and higher speed limits downstream of the location where crash likelihood is observed in real-time. This improvement was realized in the case of medium-to-high-speed regimes on the freeway, but no benefit was achieved in low-speed situations (no substantial safety benefit from implementing VSL in congested situation's simulation). The final recommendations for implementing VSL are: In addition to the safety benefit, this final strategy also produced travel time savings.