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Volume 5, Fall 2005
Also available in PDF, safetyupdate_fall05.pdf (117 KB)
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The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) received a 2005 National Safety Award for their Local Road Safety Audit Program. The SJTPO developed its safety audit program to reduce the number of crashes occurring on two-lane rural roads. The selection of roads for audits is both data-driven and proactive. An interdisciplinary team conducts the audits and considers crash histories and significant crash potential when identifying low cost, quick turnaround safety improvements that are expected to yield immediate safety benefits.
Please join us in congratulating SJTPO for their important contribution to highway safety in New Jersey. For more information on this, as well as the other award winning safety initiatives, visit http://www.roadwaysafetyawards.org/
One of the newest innovations tohelp drivers conform to postedspeeds and increase safety on roadsis the automated speed enforcement camera.
In August 2004, Charlotte, NCconducted a pilot study to determineif automated speed enforcementcameras provide significant safetybenefits to the driving public. The study results indicate that speedenforcement cameras appear to havea positive effect on collisionreduction and speed conformity.More specifically, the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limitby 10 MPH or more decreased significantly by an average of 55%, while a 11-12% reduction in total collisions was attributed to automated speed enforcement cameras.
For the entire report, visit http://itre.ncsu.edu/ITREmain1/NewsReleases/download/05AutoEnforcement.pdf
A new program called Driving Skills for Lifehasbeen unveiled by Ford Motor Company, inconjunction with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and an advisory panel of the nation's top highway safety experts. The campaign works to build strong national recognition and interest in the growing problem of teen drivers.
The Driving Skills for Life campaign focuses on four important skills that experts feel have the most promise of preventing crashes and subsequent injuries and fatalities. The four emphasis areas are:
Visit http://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/, which provides an on-line learning experience where students are given instruction on the four main skills, take a quiz and become eligible to win a prize.
Please share this with educators and parents throughout your community!
Since the first edition of the MUTCD in 1935, themanual has required signs to be visible at night byusing reflective elements in the sign face. The 2003 Edition of the MUTCD continues to address the visibility of signs. Sign retroreflectivity is specifically addressed in Section 2A.08, Retroreflectivity and Illumination, which states,regulatory, warning, and guide signs shall be retroreflective or illuminated to show the same shape and similar color by day and night, unless specifically stated otherwise.
However, not until July 2004, when the Notice of Proposed Amendment to the MUTCD was published in the Federal Register, have the methods to assess retroreflectivity levels been established. These assessment methods are necessary to address the degradation of sign retroreflectivity over time. The comment period closed in February 2005. FHWA reviewed all the comments to the docket and has made a decision to pursue a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Amendment (SNPA). The rulemaking is now being reviewed by offices in the US Department of Transportation. The SNPA is targeted to be published in Spring 2006. When published, another comment period will be provided to allow review and comment on the new proposal. After those comments are reviewed and any appropriate changes are made, it is anticipated that a Final Rule would follow. No target time has been established for the Final Rule, as it will depend on the comments received on the SNPA.
FHWA has developed a new Retroreflective Sheeting Identification Guide. For a printed, laminated copy email nj.safety@fhwa.dot.gov.
Additional information on Retroreflectivity can be found at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/retro/index.htm. The new Sheeting ID Guide is also available here.
FHWA, NJDOT, and Rutgers recently hosted a Traffic Engineering & Safety Forum. We would like to continue this and other training opportunities in the future. Please let us know about your training needs by emailing nj.safety@fhwa.dot.gov.
The guide is a basic reference to assist you in selecting effective science based traffic safety countermeasures for major highway safety problem areas.
The guide:
The guide contains a chapter foreach problem area.
Available online at www.nhtsa.dot.gov
To be added to the distribution list for future editions of this newsletter, please email nj.safety@fhwa.dot.gov.
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