The Effects of Road Engineering on Driving Safety

The design of our roads and highways is critical when it comes to safety. City planners and roadway engineers have come up with many ideas to combat the increasing rate of traffic accidents. These solutions involve the development of new technologies and ideas to prevent the thousands of car accident fatalities that plague the US. Despite the various solutions engineers are producing, it is obvious that there are still issues with the functionality of our road infrastructure today.

After having my drivers license for a few months, I had my first experience of dealing with inadequate road design. On the intersection of Tyler St and North 48th Ave, there is a popular bar called Ricky’s. Despite the large parking lot behind the restaurant, hungry patrons would often park on the side of the road near the door. Although this must have been very convenient for these customers, these parked cars were a major obstruction if you were traveling west on Tyler St. After multiple near accidents, I decided to reach out to my local commissioner to ask about putting up no parking signs to improve visibility. She directed me to the engineering division of my city to whom I explained my situation. After about a month, I called them back to ask about the progress. They explained that due to issues with zoning there had been delays but that they were continuing to work on it. More months passed and still no progress. I sent that first email in March of 2022 and today on July 15, 2023, nothing has been done. I believe this shows the first of multiple issues we have with road infrastructure in the US. It is difficult for members of the public to contact the appropriate city officials and once they have there is no communication or progress. Improving public communication and updates on progress should be a priority especially on local projects.

One device that the City of Key West has implemented shows the efficacy of creative road design. The HAWK (High Intensity Activated Crosswalk Beacon) is a safer and more effective alternative to the regular stop light or pedestrian crossing. One study by the Federal Highway Administration stated that “There was a 69 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes” at HAWK intersections relative to the traditional crossing. It was made specifically for areas with many pedestrians but prevents the long delays for cars that other systems create. When a pedestrian activates the beacon by pushing the pedestrian call button, the HAWK beacon sequence begins with flashing yellow, then steady yellow, and finally steady red over a period of several seconds. This brings oncoming traffic to a stop and lets the pedestrian safely cross. Next, the red lights begin to blink which allows drivers to treat the signal as a stop sign. Finally, the red flashing lights turn off and drivers continue at their normal pace. This new form of traffic light is an example of something that road designers are doing right. Our traffic lights in the US have changed very little over the past 5 decades so creating new technology is absolutely critical in improving our roadways and reducing accidents.

The diverging diamond interchange (DDI) is another relatively new and promising design. It is a subset of diamond interchange in which the opposing directions of travel on the non-freeway road cross each other on either side of the interchange. This creates an unconventional path for vehicles but is more efficient, less expensive and safer then a traditional diamond interchange. According to the US Dept of Transportation, the Springfield DDI in Missouri reduced crashes by 46%. This is another great example of engineers making unique designs to improve road safety as well as efficiently in this case.

Another strategy to improve the safety of our road is traffic calming. This is the use of different techniques to slow down drivers and cause them to focus more on their surroundings. The idea behind this method is to remove curbs, traffic lights and physical barriers to remove the sense of security that they provide drivers which in turn results in more careful driving. This idea has been criticized by other groups because it does not assist those with physical disabilities like conventional roadways do and can reduce traffic flow. Despite these concerns it is important that more research be conducted to truly determine the benefits and drawbacks of traffic calming.

In summary, the following issues need to be resolved to improve road safety and save lives. All levels of government should be more connected with the public so that members can reach out and provide personal insight. Increased innovation needs to be a larger priority so that road designers can create safer and more efficient roadways and installations. Further research should be funded to look into what the future neighborhoods of America should look like. If we continue to focus on road safety, we can slowly prevent further unnecessary car related deaths in our communities.

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Sources

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/10045/

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/crossover/fhwasa14039.pdf