Lane Departures

1
Lane Departures

• By
• Deborah S. McAvoy, M.S., P.E., PTOE
• Tapan K. Datta, Ph.D., P.E.

2
Lane Departures

• What are Lane Departures?
• Vehicles leaving their designated lane
• Crossing the Centerline
• Leaving the Roadway
• Where do Lane Departures Occur?
• Low Traffic Volumes
• High Travel Speeds
• Rural Highways and Roadways

3
Lane Departures

• Why do Lane Departures Occur?
• Distracted Driving
• Driver Fatigue
• Driver Drowsiness or Falling Asleep
• Driving Under the Influence

4
Distracted Driving

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  (NHTSA) estimates 25 of all crashes involve
  driver distraction
• Distracted Driving
• Drivers concentrate on something other than
  operating their vehicles

5
Distracted Driving

• Physical Distractions
• Searching for music on the radio
• Changing CDs
• Talking on a cell phone
• Drinking/eating
• Reading while driving
• Talking to passengers/children

6
Distracted Driving

• Cognitive Distractions
• Gazing out the window
• Wandering thoughts
• Road Rage
• Aggressive mood
• Boredom
• Fatigue

7
Drowsy/Fatigued Driving

• NHTSA estimates falling asleep is responsible for
  
• 100,000 crashes per year
• 40,000 injuries per year
• 1,550 fatalities per year

8
Drowsy/Fatigued Driving

• Characteristics
• Late night/early morning or mid-afternoon crashes
• Crash is likely to be serious
• Involves a single vehicle leaving the roadway
• Crash occurs on a high-speed roadway
• The driver does not attempt to avoid the crash
• The driver is alone

9
US-2 Road Safety Audit

• Sponsored by OHSP
• Conducted by Wayne State University-Transportation
  Research Group Summer of 2005
• Limited Scope
• Crash Analysis

10
US-2

• One of two main east-west routes in the UP
• Located along the northern shore of Lake Michigan
• Highly Scenic Route
• Passes through several recreational areas
• High percentage of Recreational Vehicles and
  Commercial Trucks

11
US-2 Project
US-2 Study Area, Crystal Falls to St. Ignace
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US-2 Crash Analysis

• Preliminary Crash Analysis
• Detailed Crash Analysis of high-crash segments
• Corridor Crash Analysis
• High Deer Crash Locations
• Speeding Related Crash Locations
• Run-off-the-Road Crash Locations

13
US-2 Speed Studies
14
US-2 Speed Studies Commercial Vehicles
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US-2 Crash Analysis

• Focus Segment Crash Location Map

SV Single Vehicle Crash HO Head-on Crash RE
Rear-end Crash
16
US-2 Crash Trends

• Yearly Crash Trends along US-2 (2001-2003)

17

• Monthly Variation of Crashes along US-2
• (2001-2003)

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• Time of Day Variation of Crashes along US-2
• (2001-2003)

Injury and Fatal Crashes
Property Damage Only Run-off-the-Road Crashes
19

• Light Condition Variation of Crashes along US-2
  (2001-2003)

Injury and Fatal Crashes
Property Damage Only Run-off-the-Road Crashes
20

• Road Condition Variation of Crashes along US-2
  (2001-2003)

Injury and Fatal Crashes
Property Damage Only Run-off-the-Road Crashes
21
Annual Trend of Crashes along US-2 (2001-2003)

• Involving Drivers Under the Influence of Alcohol
  (1999-2003)

Speeding-Related Crashes (1999-2003)
22
Annual Trend of Crashes along US-2 (2001-2003)
Involving Unbelted Drivers (1999-2003)
Deer-Related Crashes (1999-2003)
23

• Type of crashes along US-2 (2001-2003)

24
Crash Causation along US-2

• Detailed analysis of the 848 fatal crashes,
  injury crashes and PDO-ROR crashes (2001-2003)

25
Lost Control Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 191 Crashes
• 71.5
• Wet Road Conditions
• 41 Crashes
• 15.4
• Dry Road Conditions
• 33 Crashes
• 12.4

26
Lost Control Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 163 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes
• 7 Type A Injury
• 12 Type B Injury
• 28 Type C Injury
• 9 Head-On ROR Crashes
• 3 Fatal Crashes
• 1 Type A Injury
• 1 Type B Injury
• 1 Type C Injury

27
Lost Control Crashes

• Wet Road Conditions
• 32 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes
• 3 Type A Injury
• 7 Type C Injury
• 3 Head-On ROR Crashes
• 2 Type A Injury

28
Lost Control Crashes

• Dry Road Conditions
• 25 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes
• 3 Type A Injury
• 3 Type B Injury
• 2 Type C Injury
• 5 Sideswipe Crashes
• 1 Type A Injury
• 1 Type C Injury
• 2 Head-On ROR Crashes
• 1 Fatal Crash
• 1 Type C Injury

29
Failed to Yield Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 7 Crashes
• 4.7
• Wet Road Conditions
• 29 Crashes
• 19.5
• Dry Road Conditions
• 113 Crashes
• 75.8

30
Failed to Yield Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 5 Angle (2 ROR)
• 2 Type A Injury
• 2 Type C Injury
• 1 Rear-End
• 1 Type C Injury

31
Failed to Yield Crashes

• Wet Road Conditions
• 17 Angle Crashes (7 ROR)
• 1 Fatal Crash (ROR)
• 4 Type A Injury
• 5 Type B Injury
• 4 Type C Injury
• 4 Head-On Crashes (1 ROR)
• 2 Type B Injury
• 1 Type C Injury
• 4 Rear-End Crashes (1 ROR)
• 2 Type B Injury
• 1 Type C Injury

32
Failed to Yield Crashes

• Dry Road Conditions
• 72 Angle Crashes (22 ROR)
• 4 Fatal Crashes
• 15 Type A Injury
• 13 Type B Injury
• 33 Type C Injury
• 12 Head-on Crashes (1 ROR)
• 1 Type A Injury (ROR)
• 2 Type B Injury
• 6 Type C Injury
• 9 Single Vehicle Crashes (6 ROR )
• 2 Type B Injury
• 4 Type C Injury

33
Unable to Stop Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 17 Crashes
• 13.3
• Wet Road Conditions
• 40 Crashes
• 31.3
• Dry Road Conditions
• 71 Crashes
• 55.5

34
Unable to Stop Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 7 Rear-End Crashes (3 ROR)
• 5 Type C Injury
• 4 Angle Crashes (3 ROR)
• 1 Type B Injury
• 1 Type C Injury

35
Unable to Stop Crashes

• Wet Road Conditions
• 32 Rear-end Crashes (6 ROR)
• 5 Type B Injury
• 24 Type C Injury
• 5 Angle Crashes (1 ROR)
• 1 Fatal Crash (ROR)
• 1 Type B Injury
• 3 Type C Injury
• 2 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes
• 1 Type A Injury

36
Unable to Stop Crashes

• Dry Road Conditions
• 54 Rear-end Crashes (3 ROR)
• 3 Type A
• 8 Type B
• 43 Type C
• 6 Single Vehicle Crashes (5 ROR)
• 1 Type B
• 3 Type C

37
Driver Fell Asleep Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 3 Crashes
• 4.5
• Wet Road Conditions
• 14 Crashes
• 20.9
• Dry Road Conditions
• 49 Crashes
• 73.1

38
Driver Fell Asleep Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 2 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes
• 2 Type B Injury
• 1 Sideswipe ROR Crash
• 1 Type A Injury

39
Driver Fell Asleep Crashes

• Wet Road Conditions
• 13 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes
• 2 Type A Injury
• 2 Type B Injury
• 2 Type C Injury
• 1 Head-on Crash
• 1 Fatal Crash

40
Driver Fell Asleep Crashes

• Dry Road Conditions
• 42 Single Vehicle Crashes (41 ROR)
• 4 Type A Injury
• 9 Type B Injury
• 7 Type C Injury
• 3 Head-on ROR Crashes
• 2 Fatal Crashes
• 1 Type B Injury
• 1 Sideswipe-Opposite ROR Crash Fatal Crash
• 1 Angle ROR Crash Type B Injury
• 1 Rear-end Crash Type C Injury

41
Driver Fell Asleep Crashes

• Time of Day Crash Occurred
• 6 am 9 am
• 13 Crashes
• 19.4
• 9 am 3 pm
• 23 Crashes
• 34.3

• 3 pm 7 pm
• 8 Crashes
• 11.9
• 7 pm 6 am
• 2 Crashes
• 3.0

42
Distracted Driver Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 6 Crashes
• 10.7
• Wet Road Conditions
• 7 Crashes
• 12.5
• Dry Road Conditions
• 43 Crashes
• 76.8

43
Distracted Driver Crashes

• Icy, Snowy or Slushy Road Conditions
• 2 Sideswipe Crashes (1 ROR)
• 1 Type B Injury (ROR)
• 1 Single Vehicle ROR Crash Type C Injury
• 1 Rear-end Crash Type A Injury

44
Distracted Driver Crashes

• Wet Road Conditions
• 2 Single Vehicle ROR Crashes PDO
• 2 Rear-end Crashes (1 ROR)
• Type C Injury
• 1 Head-on ROR Crash Type A Injury
• 1 Angle ROR Crash Type C Injury

45
Distracted Driver Crashes

• Dry Road Conditions
• 17 Single Vehicle Crashes (15 ROR)
• 4 Type B Injury
• 4 Type C Injury
• 17 Rear-End Crashes (5 ROR)
• 4 Type A Injury
• 3 Type B Injury
• 8 Type C Injury
• 2 Head-on ROR Crashes
• 1 Type A Injury
• 1 Type C Injury
• 1 Sideswipe Opposite ROR Crash Fatal Crash

46
Distracted Driver Crashes

• Time of Day Crash Occurred
• 6 am 9 am
• 3 Crashes
• 5.4
• 9 am 3 pm
• 25 Crashes
• 44.6

• 3 pm 7 pm
• 15 Crashes
• 26.8
• 7 pm 9 pm
• 5 Crashes
• 8.9
• 9 pm 6 am
• 2 Crashes
• 3.6

47
Crashes to Target for Reduction

• Lost Control on Dry Road Conditions
• Unable to Stop on Dry Road Conditions
• Driver Fell Asleep
• Driver was Distracted

48
Potential Crash Reductions

• Total Crashes
• 227 Crashes in three years or 75.67 per year
• Fatal Crashes
• 6 in three years or 2 per year
• Type A Injury Crashes
• 21 in three years or 7 per year
• Type B Injury Crashes
• 35 in three years or 11.67 per year
• Type C Injury Crashes
• 76 in three years or 25.33 per year

49
Combating Distracted Driving

• Driving safety is challenging enough when full
  attention is paid to roadways
• It takes one distracted second for a crash to
  occur
• Recovery on dry road conditions in fair weather
  conditions is possible
• Recovery on icy or wet road conditions in fair
  weather conditions is difficult
• Recovery on icy or wet road conditions in poor
  weather conditions is nearly impossible

50
Combating Distracted Driving

• Shifting drivers focus back to driving
• Improving recovery area for drivers

51
Combating Driver Fatigue

• Drivers receive stimuli from several sources
• Visual Perception
• Most Important during Driving
• Primary source of information
• Hearing
• Secondary to sight
• Tremendous capacity for conveying information
• Ear can process sounds without concentrating
• Touch
• Movement
• Awareness of body and limbs

52
Combating Driver Fatigue

• When drivers fatigue, exposure to measures
  impacting audible or touch senses will send alert
  message
• Driving noise
• Driving maneuvers that are more difficult than a
  straight tangent section