Abstract
Vehicle speeds have a direct relationship with the severity of road crashes and may influence their probability of occurrence. Solar-powered active road studs have been shown to have a positive effect on driver confidence, but their impact on vehicle speed in conjunction with other road features is little understood. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge through a case study of a 20 km section of a strategic major road featuring a variety of highway infrastructure features. Before-and-after surveys were undertaken at 21 locations along the route using manual radar speed measurement. Analysis of nearly 10,000 speed measurements showed no statistically significant change in mean speeds following the implementation of the road studs. Linear regression models are proposed for two different posted speed limits, associating road features with expected vehicle speed. The models suggest that vehicle speeds are chiefly influenced by merges, curves, gradients, and ambient light conditions. The findings of this study should provide confidence that active road studs may be implemented without a negative impact on speed-related safety. The work also provides further expansion of the evidence base describing the effect of highway infrastructure features on vehicle speeds.
Highlights
Road traffic crashes are the eighth leading cause of death globally with an estimated1.35 million killed and 50 million injured each year [1]
Energies 2021, 14, 7209 this basis, the aim of this research was to measure the choice of speed by drivers, using real-world rural junctions and links and to determine whether changes in the speed of vehicles may be associated with the installation of active road studs when compared to other road features
The aim of this research was to measure the choice of speed by drivers, using realworld rural junctions and links and to determine whether changes in the speed of vehicles may be associated with the installation of active road studs
Summary
Road traffic crashes are the eighth leading cause of death globally with an estimated1.35 million killed and 50 million injured each year [1]. Speed management has a long association with road safety and is enshrined within contemporary international road safety strategies such as the safe systems approach [2,3] Such strategies are founded upon the basis that the consequences of crashes at higher speeds are a simple matter of physics: the greater the change in velocity, the greater the energy dissipation and, subsequently, the higher the severity of injury [4]. On this basis, understanding the relationships between drivers, vehicles, road infrastructure, and speed continues to be an important goal of road safety research. From the point of view of the road designer, road features that result in unintended increases in mean speed are unlikely to be desirable
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