VRRD

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Vehicle-Related Road Debris
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Published June 2004 Prepared by Intus Road
Safety Engineering Inc. Report and VRRD photos
available online at www.aaafoundation.org
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What is VRRD?

• Vehicle-related road debris (VRRD) is
• materialvehicle parts or cargo that has
• been unintentionally discharged from a
• vehicle onto the roadway.

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Potential VRRD
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Potential VRRD

• Appliances
• Barrels
• Box, i.e., Cardboard
• Furniture, i.e., Chair/Couch
• Garbage Trash
• Gravel Soil

• Lumber Construction Materials
• Mufflers Exhaust Parts
• Tire Treads
• Tree Limbs
• Vehicle Parts

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Tires and Wheels are a Main Source
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Background

• A few studies have been conducted on the safety
  impact of VRRD
• Past studies have either
• Addressed the safety impact of nonfixed objects
  on the road (of which VRRD is one type)
• Or dealt with only one type of VRRD, such as
  falling cargo or wheel separations
• Industry-sponsored research

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Scope of Study

• Magnitude of the VRRD safety problem (i.e.,
  frequency and severity of VRRD crashes)
• Identified potential countermeasures to prevent
  VRRD, the incidence of crashes, and/or to reduce
  VRRD crash severity.
• Evaluated roads in U.S. Canada

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Methods

• Literature review
• Identification and analysis of existing crash
  data
• Surveys of current state and provincial practices
  for preventing and removing VRRD

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VRRD Crash Statistics Literature Review

• 3 studies determined tire debris was the cause of
  less than 1 of all crashes
• 2 examined wheel separation crashes and reported
  they constitute 0.3 and 1, respectively, of all
  crashes
• Study on highway bridges found debris-related
  crashes constituted 10 of all crashes

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VRRD Crash Statistics Our Study

• Overall Findings
• Less than 1 of total crashes
• over 25,000 crashes per year
• Approximately 80-90 fatalities per year
• Overall, the severity of VRRD crashes is less
  than other crashes, but individual incidents can
  be catastrophic.

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Preventing and Removing VRRD

• 2 different surveys sent to transportation
  agencies in the US and Canada
• Prevention
• What regulations, education, and enforcement
  programs do states and provinces have in place
  for VRRD prevention?
• Maintenance
• What programs do road authorities have in place
  to mitigate the impact of VRRD?

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Prevention Survey

• 68 of jurisdictions have education program
• Commercial vehicle inspection/cargo securement
• Flyers
• PSAs
• Range of enforcement programs
• Unsecured loads, unsafe wheels, littering
• Vehicle inspections
• Frequency of enforcement varies considerably

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Maintenance Survey

• Responsibility for removal generally defined
  time standards vary
• Over 55 of jurisdictions have informative and or
  educational programs
• Over 70 of the organizations reported removing
  VRRD on a daily basis
• In general, road maintenance personnel remove
  debris manually as soon as practical after they
  have been notified of the debris
• Common maintenance program
• Roadside assistance 59
• Video surveillance 49
• Traffic sensors 32
• Tow trucks 32

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Highway Debris Removal
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Overall Conclusions

• Incidence and severity of VRRD crashes are
  relatively low, however VRRD crashes do occur and
  can result in serious injury or death
• Transportation agencies should consider low-cost
  approaches to reducing the problem

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Recommendations

• Targeted education and enforcement programs
• Enacting stricter laws on load securement
• Training enforcement officials in vehicle safety
  and load securement
• Targeting specific groups for enforcement (e.g.,
  waste haulers, landscapers)
• Educating fleet maintenance personnel on
  preventing wheel separations
• Training commercial vehicle drivers to
  periodically inspect their vehicles and cargo
• Educating motorists on defensive driving,
  especially around trucks in the event of wheel
  and tire separations
• Educating motorists on load securement and
  reporting unsafe vehicles, unsecured loads, and
  road debris

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The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a
501(c)(3) public charity located in Washington,
DC that is dedicated to research and education
about the causes of traffic crashes. It is
supported by donations from AAA/CAA Clubs,
AAA/CAA members, and other organizations
associated with AAA/CAA.