Selection of optimal U-turn locations for indirect driveway left-turn treatments on urban streets

The location of U-turn bays is an important consideration in indirect driveway left-turn treatments.In order to improve the performance of right-turns followed by U-turns（RTUTs）,this study evaluates the impacts of the separation distances between driveway exits and downstream U-turn locations on the safety and operational performance of vehicles making RTUTs.Crash data are investigated at 179 selected roadway segments,and travel time data are measured using video cameras at 29 locations in the state of Florida,USA.Crash rate models and travel time models are developed based on data collected in the field.It is found that the separation distance between driveway exits and downstream U-turn locations significantly impacts the safety and operational performance of vehicles making right turns followed by U-turns.Based on the research results,the minimum and optimal separation distances between driveways and U-turn locations under different roadway conditions are determined to facilitate driver use of RTUTs.The results of this study can be used for future intersection improvement projects in China.

Restraint Usage Characteristics and Other Factors Associated with Safety of Children Involved in Motor Vehicle Crashes

Involvement in road traffic crashes as vehicle occupants is a leading cause of death and serious injury among children. The objective of this study was to investigate crash severity factors and child safety restraint use characteristics in order to identify effective countermeasures to increase children＇s highway safety. Characteristics and percentages of restraint use among child passengers aged 4-13 years were examined using highway crash data from Kansas. The association between restraint use, injury severity and characteristics of children involved in crashes were investigated using OR （odds ratios） and a logistic regression model, which was used to identify risk factors. Results showed that children, who were unrestrained, were seated in the front seat, traveling with drunk drivers and on rural roads, and traveling during nighttime was more vulnerable to severe injury in the case of motor vehicle crashes. The most frequent contributing causes related to crashes involving children included driver＇s inattention while driving, failure to yield right-of-way, driving too fast, wet roads and animals in the road. Based on identified critical factors, general countermeasure ideas to improve children＇s traffic safety were suggested, including age-appropriate and size-appropriate seat belt restraints and having children seated in the rear seat. Parents and children must gain better education regarding these safety measures in order to increase child safety on the road.

Modeling traffic barriers crash severity by considering the effect of traffic barrier dimensions

Traffic barriers are in widespread all around the USA as safety countermeasures for reducing the severity of run-off-road crashes. The effect of traffic barriers’ dimension had been ignored in past real-world crash studies due to the considerable cost and time needed for collecting field data. This paper presented two new analytical models to investigate the effect of different variables on the severity of crashes involving traffic barriers, and end treatments. For this reason, a field survey was conducted on over 1.3 million linear feet of traffic barriers (approximately 4,176 miles road) in Wyoming to measure traffic barriers’ geometric features like height, length, offset, and slope rate. The collected data included 55% of all non-interstate roads of Wyoming. Based on results, the crashes involving box beam barriers were less severe than the crashes involved with W-beam or concrete barriers. The traffic barriers with a height between 28 and 31 in. were found safer than the traffic barriers shorter than 28 in., while there was no significant difference between the traffic barriers taller than 31 in. to those shorter than 28 in. in terms of crash severity. The end treatments located nearer to the traffic lane had lower crash severity.