Evaluation of Wet Weather Accident Causation Criteria

Soon Mi MS Oh, David R. PhD Ragland and Ching-Yao PhD Chan

Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings from Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley

Abstract: This report documents findings from analysis of traffic collision data from sites that display high collision rates only under wet pavement conditions. These sites were selected using Caltrans safety engineers’ field reports, Wet Table C “investigation required” locations, and a new approach called Continuous Risk Profile (CRP). The geometric features at the sites were studied via field visits and review of as-built plans. Rapid spatial changes (i.e., vertical and horizontal curve in short distance), narrower lane width, lack of median, and wider total freeway width were some of the notable geometric features observed at these sites. There were also other features found to be responsible for diminishing drivers’ visibility. These features are explained in detail with the aid of photographs taken during the field visits. Findings showed significant differences in wet and dry collision distribution across traveling lanes at some locations. Speeding remained the primary collision causative factor regardless of pavement condition, but was more dominant under wet than dry pavement conditions at all observed locations.

Keywords: Engineering; Freeways; Wet Weather Accident; Continuous Risk Profile; Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways California; Safety; Traffic Accidents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-04-01
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/1ng0f38c.pdf;origin=repeccitec (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt1ng0f38c

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings from Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Lisa Schiff ().