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Develop Methods to Reduce Crashes and Increase Driver Compliance in Work Zones

Each summer the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) has numerous work zones in operation for maintaining and upgrading the highway system. Speed reductions and traffic control measures are put in place to create a safer work zone environment for construction workers and the traveling public. The SDDOT uses the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which defines standards and guidelines for work zones. SDDOT regularly exceeds the minimum guidelines established in the MUTCD yet crashes in work zones still occur. The SDDOT would like to investigate opportunities to increase driver’s compliance with the traffic control signing and devices in the work zone. The study team believes that the lack of driver compliance could be a leading contributing factor to the crashes that occur in SDDOT work zones. The SDDOT would like to examine work zone types and crashes to identify contributing factors with an overrepresentation of crashes using past work zone crash data. The SDDOT wants to find new strategies to increase driver compliance within work zones, reduce work zone crashes, and improve worker safety. The SDDOT wants to examine how work zone ITS devices, temporary speed reduction devices, and other traffic control methods and devices can be used to increase driver compliance. The findings from this work will aid in future work zone design and operations. Research needs to be conducted that is specific to South Dakota work zones to determine strategies the SDDOT can implement to improve driver compliance within work zones, reduce work zone crashes, and improve worker safety.