The Association Of Median Width and Highway Accident Rate

006377711993PDFResearch PaperFHWA-RD-93-046MediansHighway designHighway safetyBenefit cost analysisMathematical modelsHighway factors in accidentsClear zonesMedian widthsOut-of-control vehiclesRecovery areasIllinois;UtahTurner-Fairbank Highway Research CenterUnited States. Highway Safety Information SystemsNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-DesignNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-AccidentsNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Highway SafetyNTL-REFERENCES AND DIRECTORIES-StatisticsFederal Highway AdministrationMedians on divided highways may be used as recovery areas by out-of-control vehicles. In some regions, the median widths of new highways are being minimized to control the amount of right-of-way required, and in others, existing highway medians are being reduced so that additional travel lanes can be built to improve capacity. Such actions tradeoff safety to reduce costs or increase efficiency (as measured by capacity). Correcting a deficiency after a road has been built is more expensive than building without the deficiency. The design of new highways must balance safety, cost, environment, and efficiency considerations. This study examined the effect of median width on the frequency and severity of accidents on homogeneous highway sections with a traversable (nonbarrier) median