Citation

Hall JW, Zador P. Transp. Res. Rec. 1981; 819: 1-8.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The results of a study of roadway and roadside characteristics at the sites of 151 fatal overturning crashes in New Mexico are discussed. Comparisons were made with data from nearby locations on the same roads and with data from a similar study of 214 sites in Georgia. The New Mexico crash sites were characterized by sharper curvature and curves to the left, steeper downgrades and embankments, and greater embankment depths than the nearby comparison sites. The Georgia sites exhibited significantly sharper curvature, flatter grades, more spot fixed objects, and steeper but shallower embankments than the New Mexico sites. Guardrail use was significantly higher in Georgia. In New Mexico, the roadsides at a majority of the sites of fatal overturning crashes do not satisfy current guardrail warrants, and it is recommended that these warrants be reexamined. The difference in the values of alignment characteristics between the two states suggests that priority schemes for selecting hazardous locations cannot currently rely on uniform, nationwide criteria.