Development and Evaluation of Roadside Safety Systems for Motorcyclists
State transportation agencies are faced with unresolved issues regarding motorcycle safety related to roadside safety hardware. Real world crash data shows that impacts against roadside safety systems represent a much higher risk of fatality for motorcycle riders than for vehicle occupants. While roadside safety systems such as guardrail and concrete barrier are designed to redirect errant vehicles and shield motorists from roadside hazards, their design does not take into consideration the potential of being impacted by vulnerable users such as motorcycle riders. A commitment to Vision Zero will require multiple strategies, including understanding the contributing factors to motorcycle collisions with traffic barriers and designing solutions that will mitigate the consequences of such crashes. Barrier systems can be designed to mitigate the severity of impacts of both seated and unseated motorcycle riders with traffic barriers and these barrier systems can be adopted by user agencies as an effective countermeasure at appropriate locations to provide a significant reduction in motorcyclist fatalities. Although other international crash testing standards such as EN 1317 Road Restraint Systems include consideration of motorcyclists in barrier design, the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) lacks protocols for addressing motorcyclist safety relative to roadside barriers. Consequently, roadside safety barriers in the U.S. are not designed, tested, or evaluated with contemplation of impact by vulnerable motorcyclists. Due to the magnitude of this safety issue, several state departments of transportation (DOTs) have taken independent action towards incorporating motorcyclist safety into their barrier systems. This has taken various forms including adoption of European-developed treatments, implementation of improvised solutions, and development of retrofit barrier systems to address specific needs identified on their roadway networks. Because of the lack of national guidance, there is a need to identify, develop, and evaluate motorcyclist-friendly hardware solutions through uniform and scientifically supported methods that can be adopted and implemented by interested state DOTs. This solicitation invites states to partner in the Development and Evaluation of Roadside Safety Systems for Motorcyclists Pooled Fund Study to address the significant safety issues in the roadside environment associated with motorcyclist impacts. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this pooled fund study is to provide a cooperative approach to conducting research to address roadside safety issues specifically related to improving motorcyclist safety. Furthermore, the study is intended to provide participating states collaborative opportunities to stay abreast of best practices, new regulatory issues, risk management strategies, and other research pertaining to roadside safety improvements for motorcyclists. Research activities will include identification, development, and evaluation of strategies and devices for mitigating the frequency and severity of roadway departure motorcyclist crashes.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Programmed
- Funding: $920000
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Contract Numbers:
TPF-5(482)
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Sponsor Organizations:
Colorado Department of Transportation
2829 W. Howard Place
Denver, CO United States 80204Georgia Department of Transportation
600 West Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA United States 30308Illinois Department of Transportation
2300 S. Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL United States 62764Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
P.O. Box 94245
1201 Capitol Access Road
Baton Rouge, LA United States 70804-9245Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX United States 78701-2483Utah Department of Transportation
4501 South 2700 West
Project Development
Salt Lake City, UT United States 84114-8380Massachusetts Department of Transportation
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA United States 02116 -
Managing Organizations:
Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX United States 78701-2483 -
Project Managers:
Dassi, Martin
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Performing Organizations:
Texas Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX United States 77843-3135 - Start Date: 0
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Highway safety; Motorcycle crashes; Motorcycles; Motorcyclists; Risk management; Roadside
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01926719
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
- Contract Numbers: TPF-5(482)
- Files: RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Aug 8 2024 3:18PM