Accidents decrease after inexpensive road fixes

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

Making low-cost changes to busy roadways in cities, such as adding left-turn signals and extending the length of merge lanes, can reduce the number of crashes, according to a study by the insurance industry.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied the changes to a busy thoroughfare in Fairfax County and found that the alterations reduced crashes.

Many of these urban roads "weren't built to accommodate today's heavy traffic. They've evolved as traffic has increased, and they haven't always evolved in the best way to enhance safety and ensure a smooth flow of traffic," said Richard Retting, a senior transportation engineer at the institute.

The majority of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads, but safety experts say urban arteries remain dangerous. About 8,000 traffic fatalities and more than 1 million injuries occur annually on urban roads, said the report, which will be releasedtoday.

The government reported in 2003 that the New York metropolitan area had the largest number of traffic fatalities with nearly 1,200, followed by Los Angeles with 1,021. About 70 percent of the fatalities occurred on urban streets in the two cities.

The insurance industry's findings came on the heels of a government report on Monday that found traffic deaths declined on U.S. highways for a second straight year, with 42,636 fatalities in 2004, a reduction of 248 from the previous year.

Many roads in metropolitan areas have been beset by gridlock that frustrates drivers and increases the potential for crashes. A report in May by the Texas Transportation Institute found that Omaha, Neb.; Colorado Springs; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and New Haven, Conn., were among 51 metropolitan areas where drivers are delayed at least 20 hours a year. The study found only five metropolitan areas in 1982.

Mr. Retting and others studied traffic on Leesburg Pike in Fairfax County, identifying six problem intersections that have been the site of crashes.

In one intersection, many westbound motorists found it difficult to make a left turn across several lanes of heavy traffic driving at a speed limit of 45 mph. The Virginia Department of Transportation installed a left-turn signal for motorists and adjusted the timing of the traffic signal to improve traffic flow.

The intersection had an average of 4.6 left-turn crashes every year before the changes. In the 2 years since the changes, there haven't been any crashes at the intersection, the study found.

Transportation officials extended a merge lane at another section of Leesburg Pike, which helped reduce the line of cars waiting to merge. The study said rear-end crashes were reduced from an average of 8.2 a year to less than one.

Ryan Hall, a Virginia transportation spokesman, said the cost varies for these changes, but implementing a left-turn signal can cost from $30,000 to $50,000.

Extending a merger lane can be completed for about $10,000 without any land acquisition, he said.

Adding a left-turn lane can be costlier, depending on whether the state needs to acquire land. The extra lane can cost from $150,000 to $250,000 with a right-of-way acquisition, he said.

Mr. Retting said every site is different and needs to be evaluated on an individual basis.