A reliability-based weather-responsive variable speed limit system to improve the safety of rural highways
Author | Rillagoda G.N., Yasanthi |
Author | Mehran, Babak |
Author | Alhajyaseen, Wael K.M. |
Available date | 2022-10-10T05:57:31Z |
Publication Date | 2022-11-30 |
Publication Name | Accident Analysis & Prevention |
Identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2022.106831 |
Citation | Yasanthi, R. G., Mehran, B., & Alhajyaseen, W. K. (2022). A reliability-based weather-responsive variable speed limit system to improve the safety of rural highways. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 177, 106831. |
ISSN | 00014575 |
Abstract | Weather-responsive Variable Speed Limit (WRVSL) systems treat speed limits as weather-dependent random variables, as opposed to the conventional static speed limits. This study (i) evaluates drivers’ response to a fixed speed limit in different road-weather conditions, and (ii) proposes an effective approach to set WRVSLs, for rural divided highways located in extremely cold regions. Study data: road-weather, and speed data, collected from a rural highway (fixed speed limit = 110 km/h), are used to (i) estimate the 85th percentile speeds of population-level speed distributions, and (ii) develop WRVSLs based on the reliability theory. More specifically, the WRVSLs are set based on reliability: the probability of a speed being (i) likely complied by drivers, and (ii) adequate to avoid a rear-end collision. The study results reveal that merely 73 % of the drivers at the study site comply with the existing posted speed limit under normal road-weather conditions i.e., no precipitation and dry pavements. The reliability of the current speed limit is revealed to be approximately-one under normal road-weather conditions; thus, the current speed limit is perceived credible under such road-weather conditions. Yet, reliability of the current speed limit is substantially reduced in the presence of slight snow, and ice warning pavement conditions. A set of reliability-based WRVSLs ranging from 80 to 110 km/h is proposed. Jurisdictions experiencing extreme road-weather conditions may adapt the proposed methodology to effectively manage speed, particularly in rural highways under adverse road-weather conditions to enhance the probability of speed limits being safe and complied by drivers and as a result reduce crash propensity. |
Sponsor | The authors gratefully thank Alberta Transportation for providing the study data and NSERC (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) for funding the study. |
Language | en |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Subject | Variable speed limit Adverse road-weather Weather-responsive traffic management Rear-end collision Rural highway |
Type | Article |
Volume Number | 177 |
Check access options
Files in this item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
-
Civil & Architectural Engineering [778 items ]
-
Traffic Safety [163 items ]