National Academies Press: OpenBook
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26586.
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2022 N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 995 Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes Karen Dixon Eun Sug Park Marcus Brewer Lingtao Wu Texas A&M Transportation Institute College Station, TX Srinivas Geedipally Texas A&M Transportation Institute Arlington, TX Raghavan Srinivasan Bo Lan Charles Zegeer Highway Safety Research Center at UNC Raleigh, NC Subasish Das Texas A&M Transportation Institute San Antonio, TX Emira Rista AEM Corporation Plymouth, MI Subscriber Categories Highways • Design • Safety and Human Factors Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

Published research reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet by going to https://www.mytrb.org/MyTRB/Store/default.aspx Printed in the United States of America NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 995 Project 17-66 ISSN 2572-3766 (Print) ISSN 2572-3774 (Online) ISBN 978-0-309-68689-1 Library of Congress Control Number 2022936132 © 2022 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, NHTSA, or TDC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifi- cations. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which pro- vide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications. The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transporta- tion results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to high- way authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 ini- tiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agree- ment No. 693JJ31950003. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive com- mittee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, univer- sities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of special- ists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs iden- tified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Direc- tors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB. The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non- governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president. The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org. The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 995 Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Lori L. Sundstrom, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Waseem Dekelbab, Associate Program Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Christopher McKenney, Senior Program Officer Robert Turner II, Senior Program Assistant Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications Margaret B. Hagood, Senior Editor NCHRP PROJECT 17-66 PANEL Field of Traffic—Area of Safety Rick Collins, Austin, TX (Chair) Kimberly M. Ault, Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing, MI Angela J. Kargel, Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, OR Robert W. Peterson, California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), Sacramento, CA Cristiana I. Rojas-Appleton, California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), Sacramento, CA Hadi H. Shirazi, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge, LA Teri Lynn Soos, Maryland State Highway Administration, Frederick, MD J. Richard Young, Jr., Atkins, Jackson, MS Jiguang Zhao, Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, OR Catherine M. Satterfield, FHWA Liaison Kelly K. Hardy, AASHTO Liaison Bernardo B. Kleiner, TRB Liaison

This research report provides state departments of transportation (DOTs) practitioners and other transportation professionals with comprehensive guidelines for the selection of cost effective countermeasures to address opposite direction crashes. These guidelines should be of immediate use to experienced practitioners working to reduce crashes and improve safety on the surface transportation system. According to the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), from 2016 through 2018, there were more than 19,200 vehicles involved in opposite direction crashes that resulted in a fatality. Approximately 68 percent of these crashes occurred on two-lane road- ways. Countermeasures, such as rumble strips or stripes, delineators, and barriers have proven to reduce total crashes and serious injuries; however, there is limited guidance on the specific performance for many of these treatments as they directly relate to opposite direction crashes. Improved guidance was needed on when and what type of counter- measure is appropriate, and what roadway factors may lead to higher opposite direction crash frequency rates. For purposes of this study, an opposite direction crash occurs between two or more vehicles traveling in opposing directions before the crash and not attempting to execute a turning maneuver at the time of the crash. Under NCHRP Project 17-66, “Selection of Appropriate Countermeasures for Opposite Direction Crashes,” Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) was asked to develop guide- lines for the identification, prioritization, and selection of effective countermeasures to reduce or eliminate opposite direction crashes. TTI accomplished this objective by identify- ing existing databases that could be subjected to additional analysis. The analysis is therefore bounded by the available data compiled by other researchers. The research identified the rare and random nature of opposite direction crashes creates challenges when statistically assessing the influence of a safety treatment on the reduction in opposite direction crashes. The results will be considered by the AASHTO Technical Committee on Roadside Safety for inclusion in the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide. In addition to the published guidelines, the research agency’s report that documents the entire research effort can be found on www.nap.edu by searching for NCHRP Research Report 995: Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes. F O R E W O R D By Christopher T. McKenney Senior Program Officer Transportation Research Board

Note: Photographs, figures, and tables in this report may have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the web at www.nap.edu) retains the color versions. 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Definition of Opposite Direction Crash 1 Purpose of Guidelines 2 Guideline Target Audience 2 How to Navigate This Guideline Document 4 Chapter 2 Crash Conditions and Selecting Countermeasures 4 Target Crash Characteristics 5 Identifying List of Candidate Countermeasures for the Crash Type 7 Chapter 3 Keeping Vehicles in Their Lanes 7 Install Centerline Rumble Strips 9 Install Shoulder Rumble Strips 11 Widen Edge Lines 13 Enhance Horizontal Curve Delineation 15 Improve Pavement Friction 18 Install Roadway Lighting 20 Chapter 4 Reduce Likelihood of Head-On Crashes 20 Install Centerline Buffer Area 22 Widen Median 24 Install Alternating/Periodic Passing Lanes 26 Install SafetyEdgeSM Treatment 27 Pave or Widen Shoulders 30 Chapter 5 Reducing Severity of Crash 30 Install Cable Median Barrier 33 References 35 Abbreviations and Acronyms C O N T E N T S

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From 2016 through 2018, there were more than 19,200 vehicles in the United States involved in opposite direction crashes that resulted in a fatality. Approximately 68 percent of these crashes occurred on two-lane roadways.

The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Research Report 995: Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes provides state departments of transportation (DOTs) practitioners and other transportation professionals with comprehensive guidelines for the selection of cost effective countermeasures to address opposite direction crashes.

Supplemental to the report is a guidance document for selecting countermeasures.

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