Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Sealing of road shoulders and installation of audible edge lines (also known as rumble strips or audio tactile profiled edges) are common engineering road treatments, often implemented to prevent run-off-road crashes. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of installing sealed shoulders and/or audible edge lines on the Albany Highway in Western Australia during 2000-2004 relative to matched control sites.
METHODS: Reduction in crash frequency post-2004 and the economic benefits of applying these treatments to 13 sites were assessed.
RESULTS: The treatments were highly effective overall, significantly reducing all-severity crash rate by 58 percent and casualty crashes by 80 percent. The reduction in crash cost was estimated to be $51.9 million Australian dollars over the lifetime of the treated sites, with $51.4 million attributable to the decrease in casualty crashes. After accounting for treatment costs, the net cost savings to the community were estimated at $50.6 million. The benefit-cost ratio across all treatment sites was 40.3.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings justified the implementation of these treatments on rural roads in terms of benefits for reduction in both crash rate and crash cost.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 201-205 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Traffic Injury Prevention |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2011 |