High-speed Roadways Research Articles

Investigating older driver crashes on high-speed roadway segments: a hybrid approach with extreme gradient boosting and random parameter model

Older drivers are often more susceptible to crashes due to age-related physical and cognitive limitations, particularly in complex driving environments. Considering the limited research in this area, this study focuses on investigating crashes involving older drivers on high-speed roadways (≥ 45 mph). The analysis is based on data collected from Louisiana State, encompassing 18,300 older driver-involved crashes (2017-2021). For analysis, a two-step hybrid modelling approach is employed: a) Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) is used to classify top variable features and b) Correlated Random Parameter Ordered Probit with Heterogeneity in Means (CRPOP-HM) is used to predict the likelihood of crash injury severity. . Some of the critical factors increasing the likelihood of fatal-severe or injury crashes involving older drivers on high-speed segments include the manner of collision (rear-end, right-angle, single-vehicle), primary contributing factor (violation, pedestrian action), presence of passenger (s), location type (open country, residential, business with mixed residential), and weekend.

Severity Analysis of Secondary Crashes on High-Speed Roadways: Pattern Recognition Using Association Rule Mining

Secondary crashes (SCs) are a major concern, posing additional safety threats to both non-involved vehicles and incident responders. The objective of this study was to identify the affiliated factors contributing to SCs on roadways with a speed limit of 55 mph or above. Traditional police-investigated crash dataset was analyzed, spanning more than four years (January 2016–February 2020) for the entire state of Alabama. As the crash database did not directly include information on SCs and did not allow for linking a primary crash with a subsequent SC, a data extraction process was developed to identify SCs and understand their characteristics. Association rule mining (ARM) was applied to identify crash patterns based on maximum injury severity levels. The generated rules were filtered based on support, confidence, and lift, and then validated by the lift increase criterion. The results revealed complex relationships between risk factors and severity of SCs. In relation to SCs with injuries, single-vehicle crashes were frequently observed during peak hours and when drivers swerved to avoid objects/persons/vehicles. In contrast, concerning SCs with possible/no injuries, single-vehicle collisions were more likely to occur when drivers failed to notice objects/persons/vehicles and were involved in speeding. On urban interstates, single-vehicle SCs were frequently associated with injuries, while rear-end SCs were often linked to possible/no injuries. The findings of this study can be helpful in enhancing existing traffic incident management programs to mitigate the occurrence of SCs.

Analysis of the correlation between the pavement structure combinations and pavement performance using experimental sections

The new generation of pavement technology with the goal of longevity is an important supporting technology that can promote the achievement of sustainable development of high-speed roadways. To further investigate the evolution trend of long-life pavement performance, this paper paved experimental sections to explore the correlations between pavement structure combinations and pavement performances. This paper presented four experimental sections with different pavement structures, asphalt concrete layer thicknesses, and pavement materials. Then, this paper analyzed the effects of the seasonal factors, pavement structure, and lanes on the deflection value and rut depth from three dimensions by the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). Finally, this paper used the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze the relationships between the layer thickness of various materials in the pavement structure and the pavement performances, including the deflection value, international roughness index (IRI), texture depth (TD), British Pendulum Number (BPN), sideway force coefficient (SFC), rut depth, and disease area. The results showed that the seasonal factors significantly affected the deflection values of pavement structures with PCCs of 0.61, 0.72, 0.53, and 0.78. The high temperatures increased the average deflection values by 22.85%, 72.88%, 77.61%, and 88.13%, respectively. Under the influence of high temperature in summer and traffic loads, the increased ranges of average rut depth were −0.2%, 4.89%, 9.56%, and 7.31%, respectively. The results of ANOVA showed that the pavement structure type and thickness of each structural layer significantly affected the deflection value, and there also was a strong correlation between the pavement structure type, thickness, BPN, and SFC with p-values less than 0.05. Increasing the thickness of the asphalt surface was beneficial for reducing the area of defects, while laying the semi-rigid base layer was beneficial for maintaining the deflection value and rut depth at a lower level.

Crank shaft road electromagnetic road energy harvester for smart city applications

This paper addresses the issue of providing cheap and on-demand electricity to low-power devices and sensors of smart cities and infrastructures. A new design for an electromagnetic road energy harvester is proposed, and its performance is evaluated through numerical simulations and experiments. The new method can generate sufficient electricity to run the low-power facilities of the smart cities in real-time and provide enough power for further applications using energy storage devices. Unlike the current road energy harvesters, the new harvester has a compact design, negligible mismatch risk between the components, and is more compatible with high-speed roadways. It can be used as road rumbles, transverse rumbles, or smooth speed bumps with a minimal vertical displacement of a maximum of 25 mm. It is shown that the harvester can illuminate LED light bulbs of 2 W at a displacement of 18 mm, which is compatible with the required depth of road rumbles. This power generation level satisfies sensors and IoT requirements and can also be stored for large-scale applications.

Automated Pedestrian Detection

Using artificial intelligence to improve pedestrian safety in high risk road environments, such as multilane, high-speed roadways

Exploring nighttime pedestrian crash patterns at intersection and segments: Findings from the machine learning algorithm

Introduction: Pedestrian safety at nighttime is an ongoing critical traffic safety concern. Although poor visibility is primarily associated with nighttime pedestrian crashes, other contributing factors such as humans, vehicles, roadways, and environmental factors interact with each other to cause a crash. Additionally, the pattern of nighttime pedestrian crashes differs significantly according to the intersection and segment location, which requires further exploration. Data: This study applied Association Rules Mining (ARM), a rule-based machine learning method, to reveal the association of nighttime pedestrian crash risk factors according to the intersection and segment locations using 2,505 nighttime pedestrian fatal and injury crashes in Louisiana (2015–2019). Results and conclusions: Based on the generated rules, the results show that nighttime pedestrian crashes at the intersection are associated with right-turn vehicle movement, older drivers (>64 years) at the high-speed intersection, senior pedestrians (>64 years) in rainy weather conditions, violation by pedestrian age group ‘<15 years’, and alcohol-intoxicated pedestrian violation in business/industrial areas. Additionally, ‘careless operation’ at the intersection is associated with alcohol-involved drivers. Most of the nighttime pedestrian crashes at segments are associated with roadways with no physical separation and the absence of streetlights. Driver alcohol involvement and their physical condition (inattentive/distracted) are also associated with pedestrian crashes associated at the segment location at night. Other segment pedestrian crashes are linked to the interstate in dark conditions, open country locations, and high-speed roadways. Additionally, the crash site investigation identified several critical pedestrian safety concerns including the lack of crosswalk facilities, high driveway density, and pedestrian behavioral patterns (e.g., crossing at roadway segments close to the intersection location). Practical Applications: The findings of this study can be used for selecting the appropriate countermeasures based on a case-by-case basis. The exposure patterns can be used in educational campaigns to strategically reduce nighttime pedestrian crashes.

A comprehensive study of child pedestrian crash outcomes in Ghana

Pedestrians are considered as one of the vulnerable road user groups. Among pedestrians of all ages, children are the most at risk. Previous studies have shown that children have inadequate knowledge of road safety and are unable to identify risks on road. Despite these limitations associated with children, society places the burden on them to protect themselves. However, to be able to adequately address child pedestrian safety issues there is the need to understand the factors that influence their crash involvement and severity of injury they sustain. To address this gap, this study performed a comprehensive analysis of historical crash data in Ghana to find holistic countermeasures for these crashes. The study used five years of child pedestrian (below 10 years) crash records obtained from the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) in Ghana. A temporal analysis of the data revealed that the highest number of the crashes coincide with when school-going children go to and close from school. A random parameter multinomial logit model was developed to identify crash variables that are significantly associated with child pedestrian crash outcomes. The estimation results revealed that children are likely to be killed in crashes when the driver is speeding and inattentive. Also, it was found that children walking along the road, crossing the road, and those in urban areas are more susceptible to incapacitating injury crashes. Male drivers accounted for 95.8% of child pedestrian crashes, and crashes involving male drivers are 7.8% more likely to be fatal.The findings from this study provide a deeper, data-driven understanding of child pedestrian crashes and how temporal characteristics, vehicle type, location of pedestrian, traffic operation, and environmental and human factors affect crash outcomes. These findings will help in developing countermeasures like providing conspicuous pedestrian crossings, footbridges on multi-lane high-speed roadways, and the use of school buses to convey students to help mitigate the number and severity of child pedestrian crashes in Ghana, and by extension other countries in the sub-region.

Exploring association of contributing factors to pedestrian fatal and severe injury crashes under dark-no-streetlight condition

The pedestrian crash pattern in the dark-no-streetlight condition is a noteworthy ongoing traffic safety concern. The persistently high percentage of pedestrian fatalities at night in the U.S., as well as in the state of Louisiana, necessitates new research to supplement existing studies. This study utilized 10 years (2010–2019) of pedestrian fatal and severe injury crashes in Louisiana that occurred in the dark without streetlights to identify the associated crash patterns. The methodology is based on Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), an exploratory approach used to discover the association of multiple categorical variables from a crash dataset. The findings suggest that driver characteristics (age, gender, and physical condition), pedestrian action, pedestrian alcohol impairment, and physical settings (posted speed limit, location, and roadway type) have a substantial impact on pedestrian collisions at night without streetlights. Moreover, the obtained combination clouds of MCA reveal associations such as elderly pedestrian (>64 years) alcohol impairment resulting in fatalities, crashes in an open country location with a high posted speed limit, crashes involving pedestrians in dark clothing on high-speed (50–55 mph) roadways, alcohol-impaired driver involvement in crashes on two-way roads without physical separation, severe injury crashes at intersections, male pedestrian crashes on midblock locations during weekends, and young (15–24 years) female driver's involvement in crashes while pedestrians were walking against the traffic. Based on the findings, this research also suggests safety recommendations that can assist highway safety practitioners in determining appropriate countermeasures to reduce pedestrian crashes in the dark-no-streetlight condition.

An exploratory analysis of the effects of speed limits on pedestrian injury severities in vehicle-pedestrian crashes

IntroductionPedestrian safety is gaining nationwide attention in the recent years with increasing fatalities and serious injuries relative to other modes of transportation. The percentage of pedestrian fatalities in all traffic fatalities in Florida clearly highlights the importance of the vulnerability. Considering the importance of ‘Safe System’ approach, this study aims to investigate the contributing factors for different speed limits in vehicle-pedestrian crashes and resulting injury severities. MethodThis study explored the pedestrian crashes over three speed limit zones, namely, low- (≤25 mph), medium- (30–40 mph) and high-speed (45–70 mph) roadways in Florida. Utilizing 2017 (inclusive) crash data in Florida, random parameters multinomial logit models with unobserved heterogeneity in means and variances were estimated. The crash data include a wide variety of factors related to the spatial, temporal, vehicle and traffic characteristics, environmental characteristics, roadway attributes, and human factors. ResultsThe model estimates indicated that there were significant differences in pedestrian-injury severities in these speed limit zones. It is noteworthy that crashes involving pedestrian had many explanatory variables that produced marginal effects varying across low-, medium-, and high-speed limit zones. More importantly, the likelihood of pedestrian injury severity at high-speed limit zones is about 3.1 times higher for roadways with 40,000 vehicles per day, 3.2 times higher for two-way roads with positive median barrier, and 1.7 times higher for urban principal roadways relative than those at medium speed limit zones. The model results also indicate that the likelihood of severe pedestrian injury is higher for District 1, afternoon peak (4–6 p.m.), turn-lane, and dark condition on high-speed limit zones. ConclusionFormulation of countermeasures to mitigate pedestrian injury severity should be considered separately for three distinct speed limit zones. These countermeasures include the vehicle technology, roadway-infrastructure design, drivers' awareness, and pedestrians’ education interventions to minimize the system kinematic energy.

Driver Response to a Dynamic Speed Feedback Sign at Speed Transition Zones Along High-Speed Rural Highways

Research was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a dynamic speed feedback sign (DSFS) as a speed reduction strategy at speed transition zones along five high-speed rural highways in northern Michigan. The DSFS was positioned on the shoulder in advance of the reduced speed limit at each community and was programmed to display speeds of approaching vehicles alternating with the upcoming reduced speed limit. Using handheld LIDAR guns, vehicle speeds were tracked through each speed transition area before and after installation of the DSFS. The DSFS was found to have a significant speed reduction effect throughout each of the five speed transition zones. The speed reductions generally began when the DSFS came into the motorists’ view, and the speed reduction effect increased as motorists approached DSFS. The greatest speed reduction effects were observed at the DSFS location itself, where speeds were 3.2 to 7.8 mph lower with the DSFS present, and these reductions were sustained on entry to the community. Similarly, drivers were 78.8 to 92.4% less likely to exceed the reduced speed limit with the DSFS present. Positioning the DSFS further upstream typically resulted in earlier speed reductions, although this effect became negligible once vehicles reached the reduced speed zone entering the community. Based on the study findings, continued use of DSFS for speed management at speed transition zones entering communities on high-speed rural roadways is recommended. When used in this context, the DSFS should be positioned 250 to 650 ft upstream of the reduced speed limit.

Effects of Flashing Blue Lights Mounted on Paving Equipment on Vehicle Speed Behavior in Work Zones

Vehicle speed in work zones is a significant concern to state transportation agencies and their construction partners. Prior research indicates that law enforcement vehicles within a work zone with active flashing lights result in reduced vehicle speeds. Placement of flashing blue lights on construction equipment during nighttime construction work has also been identified as a potential control measure to reduce speeds. The goal of this research study is to determine the impact of flashing blue lights on construction equipment on the speed of passing vehicles in mobile work zones. The research design consisted of a controlled experiment involving flashing blue lights mounted on the rear of a paver during mainline paving operations on three case study projects on high speed roadways at night in Oregon. Vehicle speed data were collected during multiple work shifts for each case study, both with and without the flashing blue lights on. The experimental results reveal that vehicle speed is affected by the presence of flashing blue lights during nighttime work. With the blue lights flashing and at distances upstream of the paver where the driver can see and react to the blue lights, mean vehicle speeds tended to be 4.3–25.7 km/h slower than when the blue lights were off. Closer to, immediately adjacent to, and downstream of the paver, the difference in the mean speed with the blue lights on was typically less or not significant; in some cases and mostly downstream of the paver location, the mean speeds were higher with the blue lights on than with the blue lights off. The speed differential (i.e., the speed prior to the work zone minus the speed in the work zone) was measured as 4.8–11.3 km/h greater with the blue lights turned on than with the blue lights off. The results support construction contractors and state departments of transportation for decision making about the use of flashing blue lights on equipment in work zones. The researchers recommend using flashing blue lights on paving equipment during nighttime operations if allowed by local laws to reduce the speed in the work zone and increase worker and driver safety. This research contributes to the construction industry by providing quantitative evidence of the extent to which flashing blue lights mounted on paving equipment impact vehicle speeds in work zones. Recently, all stakeholders, including the Oregon Department of Transportation, law enforcement, and contractors, have agreed to use the flashing blue lights on paving equipment in Oregon during the 2021 construction season.

Co-occurrence of bobcats, coyotes, and ocelots in Texas.

Interspecific competition among carnivores has been linked to differences in behavior, morphology, and resource use. Insights into these interactions can enhance understanding of local ecological processes that can have impacts on the recovery of endangered species, such as the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). Ocelots, bobcats (Lynx rufus), and coyotes (Canis latrans) share a small geographic range overlap from South Texas to south‐central Mexico but relationships among the three are poorly understood. From May 2011 to March 2018, we conducted a camera trap study to examine co‐occurrence patterns among ocelots, bobcats, and coyotes on the East Foundation's El Sauz Ranch in South Texas. We used a novel multiseason extension to multispecies occupancy models with ≥2 interacting species to conduct an exploratory analysis to examine interspecific interactions and examine the potential effects of patch‐level and landscape‐level metrics relative to the occurrence of these carnivores. We found strong evidence of seasonal mutual coexistence among all three species and observed a species‐specific seasonal trend in detection. Seasonal coexistence patterns were also explained by increasing distance from a high‐speed roadway. However, these results have important ecological implications for planning ocelot recovery in the rangelands of South Texas. This study suggests a coexistence among ocelots, bobcats, and coyotes under the environmental conditions on the El Sauz Ranch. Further research would provide a better understanding of the ecological mechanisms that facilitate coexistence within this community. As road networks in the region expand over the next few decades, large private working ranches will be needed to provide important habitat for ocelots and other carnivore species.

A comparative injury severity analysis of motorcycle at-fault crashes on rural and urban roadways in Alabama

The research described in this paper explored the factors contributing to the injury severity resulting from the motorcycle at-fault accidents in rural and urban areas in Alabama. Given the occurrence of a motorcycle at-fault crash, random parameter logit models of injury severity (with possible outcomes of fatal, major, minor, and possible or no injury) were estimated. The estimated models identified a variety of statistically significant factors influencing the injury severities resulting from motorcycle at-fault crashes. According to these models, some variables were found to be significant only in one model (rural or urban) but not in the other one. For example, variables such as clear weather, young motorcyclists, and roadway without light were found significant only in the rural model. On the other hand, variables such as older female motorcyclists, horizontal curve and at intersection were found significant only in the urban model. In addition, some variables (such as, motorcyclists under influence of alcohol, non-usage of helmet, high speed roadways, etc.) were found significant in both models. Also, estimation findings showed that two parameters (clear weather and roadway without light) in the rural model and one parameter (on weekend) in the urban model could be modeled as random parameters indicating their varying influences on the injury severity due to unobserved effects. Based on the results obtained, this paper discusses the effects of different variables on injury severities resulting from rural and urban motorcycle at-fault crashes and their possible explanations.

Determining the Required Minimum Spacing between Freeway Interchange for High-speed Roadway

Determining the Required Minimum Spacing between Freeway Interchange for High-speed Roadway

Crash analysis and evaluation of vehicular impacts on W-beam guardrails placed behind curbs using finite element simulations

Roadway design, including the use of traffic barriers, is a critical aspect in transportation safety and is used to reduce the severity and frequency of automotive accidents. All barriers used on U.S. highways are designed according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Roadside Design Guide and are tested to ensure they satisfy the safety criteria specified by Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). While curbs main functions are to separate the road from roadside, control vehicle rights-of-way, and channel water runoff; their use is discouraged by AASHTO from being installed on high-speed roadways due to the disruptive behavior caused when vehicles strike them. The destructive nature of vehicular crashes imposes significant challenges to barrier design using full-scale physical testing; numerical simulations thus become a viable option to support guardrail design improvements and performance evaluation. In this study, validated vehicle and W-beam guardrail models installed behind AASHTO Type B curbs were used to perform full-scale simulations of vehicle-curb-guardrail impacts. Seven single-faced W-beam guardrails, with placement heights of 27, 29, and 31 inches (0.69, 0.74, and 0.79 m), placed behind curbs at zero, six, and twelve foot offsets were impacted at 44 mph (70km/h) and two impact angles (25° and 15°) by a 1996 Dodge Neon and a 2006 Ford F250. The guardrail's performance was evaluated by analyzing the maximum guardrail deflection and vehicular responses based on post-impact exit trajectory utilizing the MASH exit box criterion, rotational angles, and transverse and longitudinal displacements and velocities.

Standard Midwest Guardrail System Placed at 1V:2H Slope Break Point or with Omitted Post

State departments of transportation (DOTs) throughout the United States commonly use W-beam guardrail systems to keep errant vehicles from leaving high-speed roadways and encountering safety hazards adjacent to the roadway edge, such as steep roadside slopes. Additionally, although W-beam guardrail is used to protect errant vehicles from safety hazards along the roadways, obstructions at post locations within a run of guardrail are a common occurrence. State DOTs wanted to evaluate the standard Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) for use in these instances. First, the standard MGS with 6-ft (1,829-mm) W6 × 8.5 (W152 × 12.6) steel posts spaced at 75 in. (1,905 mm) placed at the slope break point of a 1V:2H slope was successfully crash tested and evaluated according to the Test Level 3 (TL-3) safety performance criteria presented in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). Subsequently, the standard MGS with one omitted post, which created an unsupported span of 12.5 ft (3.8 m), was full-scale crash tested, and it satisfied the MASH TL-3 safety performance criteria. Because multiple variations of the MGS system have been developed for special applications, recommendations for the omission of a post or installation on a steep slope will vary depending on the nature and behavior of the application. The safety performance of various MGS configurations and special applications was compared. Implementation guidance was then given about the use of the MGS placed at the slope break point and omitting a post in the MGS with MGS special applications. These special applications included terminals and anchorages, MGS stiffness transition to thrie beam approach guardrail transitions, MGS long-span system, MGS adjacent to 1V:2H fill slopes, MGS on 1V:8H approach slopes, MGS in combination with curbs, wood post MGS, and MGS without blockouts.

Evaluating the rollover propensity of trucks—A roundabout example

The rollover propensity of SUVs and trucks has long been recognized as a potential safety issue. The propensity may increase with the growing number of roundabouts that are being built on high-speed roadways designed for 50mi/h or higher. This paper presents a research methodology developed to evaluate the rollover propensity of trucks on existing roundabouts and other roads with tight curves and high-speed traffic. The research objective was accomplished by developing an advanced 3D model of rollover that is applicable to field observations of the undisturbed behavior of multiple vehicles. This model was supplemented with a nonintrusive method of data collection based on recording video from a remote location and a novel method of extracting the data from the video material and processing it to generate the input required by the rollover model. The method is demonstrated in this paper on an example roundabout by evaluating the rollover propensity of semi-trailers in daytime and nighttime conditions. The results indicate that the drivers observed in nighttime conditions compensated well for the challenging conditions by driving more cautiously, which led to their rollover propensity at night being lower than during the day. The method was found useful for timely detection of the potential rollover problem without waiting for crashes.

Impact of Advisory Signs on Vehicle Speeds in Highway Nighttime Paving Project Work Zones

Pavement preservation projects typically require construction workers to conduct their work in close proximity to ongoing traffic. During paving operations, workers are located within a protected work zone. Some are situated nearby or engaged with the equipment, while others may be a long distance from the equipment and on foot. The study reported here was conducted to investigate how temporary advisory speed signs located periodically in a work zone affected vehicle speeds within highway paving project work zones. The study used an experimental approach that involved a multilane paving project on a high-speed roadway in Oregon. The posted regulatory speed on the roadway was 65 mph, which was reduced temporarily to 50 mph in the work zone. During construction, 35 mph advisory signs were posted along with other traffic control devices (e.g., “Speed 50” signs with radar speed display and portable changeable message signs on rollers), and the impact they had on vehicle speed and speed variability was evaluated. The research findings indicated that use of the 35 mph signs led to lower vehicle speeds within the work zone. The reduction in speed was greater by passenger cars than by trucks. The use of 35 mph advisory signs in work zones is recommended to help reduce vehicle speeds through the entire work zone and to minimize safety risks, especially to workers on foot and situated away from major equipment.

Rollover Propensity of Heavy Vehicles at Roundabouts: Case Study on High- and Low-Speed Roads

In Indiana, roundabout construction recently commenced on high-speed roadways (i.e., with posted speed limits of 50 mph or higher), many carrying significant truck traffic. Studies show that heavy vehicle rollovers may be an issue at roundabouts. A case study compared the safety-related behavior of truck drivers at roundabouts on low- and high-speed roads. The rollover model is more suitable for truck trailers than previous models used for design considerations because it accounts for the complex paths and vehicle tilt of semitrailers and other heavy vehicles. The model was used to determine the difference between the critical rollover speed determined from the model and the observed vehicle speed. The proximity to rollover in the roundabout circulating lane was found to be different on low- and high-speed roads. However, this difference could not be explained by actual driver approach speeds. Drivers on the high-speed approach began decelerating earlier than those on the low-speed approach, and their deceleration rates were similar. In addition, vehicle speeds on the high-speed approach were only 1 mph faster than those on the low-speed approach close to the roundabout. The average minimum proximity to rollover on the circulatory roadway was about 3 mph slower on the low-speed, one-lane roundabout than on the high-speed, two-lane roundabout, and this difference might have been the main reason for higher risk of circulatory rollover in the one-lane roundabout.

On the Design of Energy Absorbing Crash Buffers for High Speed Roadways

The aim of this paper is to design and analyze cost-effective and high energy absorbing buffer systems for high speed roadways. Unlike conventional crash cushions, the proposed buffer design is based on the assembly of a series of cylindrical hollow tubes (cells) with thorough slots around the cells. The idea is that during the collisions, the kinetic energy of the errant vehicles will be absorbed by the progressive deformation of the cells, hence minimizing damage to the vehicle and allowing a comfortable ride down deceleration of the vehicle’s occupants. As the cell was the fundamental unit of the buffer design, three cells with different geometry were studied to understand the underlying deformation of the individual cells. Nonlinear quasi-static tests using three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) simulation and experimental techniques were performed to evaluate the deformation and energy absorption capacity of the cells. Simulation results matched closely with experimental ones with relatively small errors. Based on the experimental results of single cells, a number of potential buffer systems were designed for 80 and 100 km/h speed roadways. Results indicate that the buffers with larger diameter cells are favorable to be used in high speed zones as they reduce the overall size of buffers and contain less number of cells, while being able to absorb the required amount of impact energy. Consequently, they are found to result in a reduced cost associated with materials and fabrication. All the buffer designs were relatively shorter than commercially available buffers used in roadways. In addition, due to their reduced and compact size, the designed buffers can potentially be used in a space limited and hazardous road environment to reduce the vehicle crash with the fixed objects.