Safety Evaluation of Statewide Off-Highway Vehicle Use in Alaska: Crash Review, On- and Off-road System Use, and Conflict Evaluation

US Transportation Collection2019PDFTech Reporthttps://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/78000/78400/78490/4000-180_Rem.pdfBelz, Nathan P.Pacific Northwest Transportation ConsortiumUnited States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationPacific Northwest Transportation ConsortiumAlaska. Department of Transportation and Public FacilitiesAlaska University Transportation CenterUnited StatesAlaskaAll terrain vehiclesCrash dataCrash injuriesData analysisEvaluation and assessmentGeographic information systemsPolicySpatial analysisState of the practiceTraffic conflictsTraffic countsall-terrain vehicleoff-highway vehiclesafety data4000180UAFFinal Project ReportThe research presented here had four primary objectives. First, to document existing state of practice and policies in the State of Alaska regarding OHV use on roads and in public rights of way. Second, to characterize and identify the spatial distribution of OHV crashes and injuries using DMV crash records and the AKTR. Third, conduct a media discourse analysis using online media with OHV content to construct themes related to OHV issues. Lastly, develop a GIS framework for identifying locations of possible conflict and interest where OHV use is likely and to conduct in-field counts of frequency and use. Based on the analysis of state-, borough- and town-based policies on OHV use on roads, it is clear that there are significant variations in policies across the state. The results of the spatial analysis of crash and injury data indicate that, in general, the trauma registry is a more reliable and comprehensive source of OHV \u201cconflicts\u201d than the DMV crash records. Over 1300 articles were retrieve during the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. From these articles, the four most prevalent content themes included injuries, fatalities, policy, and education. Of these 1300 articles, only 18 were from Alaska. Of those, 55% and 39% of those were on the subjects of fatalities and policies, respectively. Counts were then conducted at twelve locations selected from the GIS analysis. The counts showed a range of usage rates, some locations with no observations (Nome-Teller Highway) and others as high as 141 in a five day period (Hilltop Road). Additionally, rates of helmet use, passengers, and on-road use also varied widely. These results presented here further illustrate the unique transportation environment present in Alaska. It is important that we holistically consider the transportation needs of residents and how they may vary for those living in villages and towns than those in larger cities.100