What Makes A Road More Safe Than Others?
What makes a road safe? What do the best roads have that the worst do not?
An engineer with the Department of Transportation recently discussed these facts and revealed some very important information. So, here are some things that help to make roads safer:
1. Rumble strips and stripes- these sections will make a loud noise when tires travel onto the shoulder.
These can be attributed to preventing 20% of freeway accidents.
2. Turning lanes at stop-controlled intersections-major intersections that have these lanes reserved only for those turning right or left can reduce crashes as much as 48%.
3. Safety edge-this paved, gradual 30-35 degree slope helps to prevent rollovers as well as helping to prevent crashes from a tire straying over a steep edge.
4. Roundabouts- These intersections help reduce crashes by 60 to even 87%.
5. Different Lane Markings- These signs can warn drivers if they need to turn, merge, or change lanes.
6. More Time in the Cross-Walk-This ensures that pedestrians do not get caught in the middle of the road when the light turns green.
7. Longer Yellow Lights-By just adding one second to a yellow light, you can reduce red-light violations by nearly 50%.
