Citation

Wright PH, Robertson LS. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1976; 20: 114-127.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1976, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Surveys of road curvature, superelevation, gradient, and number and distance from the roadway of roadside hazards were conducted at 300 sites in Georgia of fatal crashes into fixed objects and 300 comparison sites 1 mile away on the road that the vehicle likely had traveled. More than 26 percent of fatal crash sites had curvature greater than 6 degrees combined with downhill gradient of 2 percent or steeper in the roadway at or approaching the sites. Only 8 percent of comparison sites had such roadway characteristics. Half the fatal crashes occurred at or near curves greater than 6 degrees irrespective of gradient. Only 23 percent of comparison sites had such curvature and state study found only 22 percent of roadway with curvature more than 5.5 degrees throughout the state. Non-local roads accounted for 83 percent of the fatal crashes into fixed objects but comprised only 33 percent of the roads in the state. Ninety-eight percent of the objects struck were within 50 feet of the pavement edge. Top priority should be given to roadside hazard modification on and near curves greater than 6 degrees, particularly those accompanied by downhill grades of 2 percent or steeper, on non-local roads.