Multi Institution Projects
Mitigation of Lane Departure Crashes in the Pacific Northwest through Coordinated Outreach
PI: David Hurwitz (OSU), david.hurwitz@oregonstate.edu
Co-PI: Linda Boyle (UW), Leila Hajibabai (WSU), Billy Connor (UAF), Ahmed Abdel-Rahim (UI)
Dates: 01/16/2015 – 06/15/2016
Status: Completed
Project Information
Final Technical Report
Approximately 60 percent of fatalities on our nation’s roadways are the result of lane departure crashes. In some cases, the vehicle crossed the centerline and was involved in a head-on crash or opposite direction sideswipe. In others, the vehicle left the roadway to roll over or impact one or more natural or man-made objects, such as trees, utility poles, bridge walls, embankments, or guardrails. A variety of transportation engineering solutions have been proposed to mitigate the occurrence of lane departure crashes including but not limited to: the safety edge, nighttime visibility, rumble strips, retroreflectivity, and pavement lane markings. While these strategies have shown varying degrees of promise in particular contexts, they do no immediately address all of the causal factors inherent in road users (motor vehicle and all-terrain vehicle operators) such as fatigue, operating under the influence, distraction driving, etc. Read More
Regional Map Based Analytical Platform for State-Wide Highway Safety Performance Assessment
PI: Ali Hajbabaie (WSU), ali.hajbabaie@wsu.edu
Co-Investigators: Yinhai Wang (UW)
Dates: 01/16/2015 – 06/15/2016
Status: Completed
UTC Project Sheet
Final Technical Report
Most traffic crash modeling and safety performance analysis cannot capture impacts of dynamic factors that are often critical for understanding the occurrence mechanism of crashes and are very labor intensive.To address these deficiencies, this proposed research takes advantage of the ongoing DRIVE Net research at the University of Washington to build large-scale safety analysis functions on the data-rich eScience transportation platform. The proposed research has the following objectives: Improve current crash modeling methods; Develop a Safety Performance Index (SPI); Monitor the safety performance of the state highway network on regional map using SPI; Develop a Potential Safety Improvement Index (PSII); Develop safety improvement analysis methods for accident hotspots based on the overlapped SPI and PSII. Read More
Mixed Use Safety on Rural Facilities in the Pacific Northwest
PI: Nathan Belz (UAF), npbelz@alaska.edu
Co-Investigators: Billy Connor (UAF), Byron Bluehorse (UAF), Kevin Chang (UI), Ahmed Abdel-Rahim (UI), Mostafa Hegazi (UI)
Dates: 01/16/2015 – 06/15/2016
Status: Completed
UTC Project Sheet
Final Technical Report
In the United States, formalized facilities and roadway crossings for non-traditional and non-motorized modes do not exist which jeopardizes the safety of these users in many cases. These factors create a pervasive and systemic nationwide safety issue. This research will address the issues associated with providing safe accommodation, limiting the improper use of public rights-of-way, and maintaining mobility, and provide future guidelines for design, education, and enforcement for mixed-use rural facilities. The goal of this project is to: improve safety and minimize the dangers for all transportation mode types while traveling in mixed-use environments on rural facilities through the development and use of engineering and education safety measures. Read More
Unmanned Aircraft System Assessments of Landslide Safety for Transportation Corridors
PI: Keith Cunningham (UAF), kwcunningham@alaska.edu
Co-Investigators: Michael Olsen (OSU), Joseph Wartman (UW)
Dates: 01/16/2015 – 06/15/2016
Status: Completed
UTC Project Sheet
Final Technical Report
The proposed research addresses Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PACTRANS) research priority of using new data-driven technologies to improve the safety of transportation systems in the Northwest United States. Landslides pose significant threats to the safety of motorists throughout the mountainous terrain of the Pacific Northwest The research will advance landslide safety assessment for transportation corridors by capitalizing on recent advances in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and new low-cost Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry techniques. The resulting improved hazard assessment techniques will facilitate cost-effective evaluation of landslide safety across the broadly distributed transportation networks of the Pacific Northwest. Read More
Bicycle Safety Analysis: Crowdsourcing Bicycle Travel Data to Estimate Risk Exposure and Create Safety Performance Functions
PI: Haizhong Wang (OSU), Haizhong.Wang@oregonstate.edu
Co-Investigators: Yinhai Wang (UW), Michael Lowry (UI)
Dates: 01/16/2015 – 06/15/2016
Status: Completed
UTC Project Sheet
Final Technical Report
Engineers and planners face challenges like insufficient data and lacking of proper tools when conducting safety analysis for bicyclists. This project will create tools, guidelines, and repeatable processes that engineers and planners can use to analyze crowdsourced bicycle data, calculate bicycle exposure to dangerous situations, and create and analyze safety performance functions for bicyclists. Read More
