Work zone safety : physical and behavioral barriers in accident prevention.

PDFTech Reportcmr 14-013TRyy1312Work zone safetyWork zone traffic controlBarriers (Roads)SurveysPublic opinionWarning signalsAccident dataMissouriMissouri. Dept. of Transportation. Division of Construction and MaterialsLong, SuzannaSmith, Brian K.Ng, Ean H.Sun, CarlosMissouri University of Science and Technology. Dept. of Engineering Management and Systems EngineeringUniversity of Missouri--Columbia. Dept. of Civil EngineeringUS Transportation CollectionThis report discusses the usefulness of creating a work zone traffic safety culture as a methodology to improve the overallsafety of both work zone personnel and the traveling public in Missouri. As part of this research, the existing MoDOTWork Zone Rating Survey was analyzed and augmented to collect public perception of work zone safety, historical dataon work zone crashes were evaluated to identify trends that are particular to, and attributes that are associated withsevere crashes were identified.Results from the existing Work Zone Rating survey show a difference in stakeholder perceptions regarding the adequacyof work zone warning signs and the safety level in traveling through work zones. Based on survey responses from currentMoDOT employees, existing work zone warning signage and guidance (barrels, cones, and striping) are adequate toprotect the driving public and are in accordance with the MoDOT Temporary Traffic Control Elements. However,responses from the general public reveal that a plurality of respondents perceived that the warning signs wereinsufficient in terms of information provided, provided inaccurate information, or were wrongly placed.An evaluation of crash data shows that there is not an elevated risk in work zones when compared to non-work zones.Fatal and severe crashes occur more frequently when roadway conditions were dark or involved multiple vehicleinteractions. Contributing circumstances in work zone crashes involving vehicle interactions suggest that human factorsare key risk elements. Solutions to mitigate fatal or severe crashes should include stakeholder education, higherenforcement and legislation designed to minimize distracted driving, and engineering solutions designed to increasedriver awareness