Recent advancements in highway and roadway engineering have been making measurable progress in increasing the safety of our roads. Take for example, the state of Wisconsin, which is on track to accomplish an incredible feat. If it continues at the current rate for the short remainder of the year, the state will record the lowest number of traffic fatalities for any year since 1943.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation contributes this steady decline in traffic fatalities to advancements in highway and roadway engineering, increased seat-belt usage, enhanced safety features in vehicles, and efforts to discourage intoxicated driving.
As for advancements in engineering, they are referring to things like rumble-strips and roundabouts.
Rumble-strips are effective because they serve as a physical indication that a driver is drifting outside of their designated lane of travel, whether that be into opposing traffic or off of the roadway. Unlike signs and pavement markings, rumble-strips are not dependent on a driver’s attentiveness. They are a backup measure that even the most distracted of drivers is likely to notice.
Roundabouts increase roadway safety primarily because of the absence of left turns. This design incorporates right-turn entrances with right-turn exits, eliminating the need for drivers to cross traffic. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, left turns, in comparison to right turns, are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash and three times more likely to kill a pedestrian. With the left-turn factor eliminated, roundabouts result in 90% fewer fatal accidents and 76% fewer injury accidents than traditional intersections. Another reason for this statistic is that roundabouts slow the speed of traffic, so when accidents do occur, they are not as serious.
We would like to see every state be able to report record-low traffic fatalities in the near future. Let’s hope these advancements in roadway engineering are just the first steps in a continuous effort to make road travel safer.
