Reducing Adverse Driving Behaviors in Work Zones

In 2020, 857 fatalities and 44,000 injuries occurred in work zones across the country. Many studies have shown that crash risks increase in work zones and that most crashes (including those in work zones) are attributable to driver error. The presence of enforcement is known to reduce adverse driving behaviors (excessive speeding, tailgating, aggressive driving, distracted driving, etc.), but its effect is limited temporally and spatially.  In addition, staffing and funding constraints limit the availability of enforcement in some locations. Technologies are available to help supplement enforcement efforts and provide real-time warnings of changing conditions to motorists, but their effect on adverse driving behaviors has not been fully investigated to date.   Multiple education and outreach programs designed to discourage adverse behaviors and encourage better driving behavior have been developed, but it is not clear how best to tailor them to the specific situations typically encountered in work zones. Research is needed to aid state departments of transportation and other transportation agencies in mitigating crashes that occur in work zones due to adverse behaviors. The objectives of this research are to: (1) Identify traditional and innovative strategies/technologies that can counter adverse driving behaviors unique to work zones, (2) Evaluate the effectiveness of those strategies/technologies, and (3) Develop guidelines and tools to support their effective implementation by transportation professionals.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5529
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $600000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 17-128

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Zhao, Yi

• Start Date: 20230725
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Countermeasures; Drivers; Work zone safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01888634
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 17-128
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 25 2023 7:58AM