Categorization of Work Zone Intrusion Crashes

Abstract

Vehicle intrusion crashes in highway work zones injure vehicle occupants and workers alike, and such crashes are the concern of both state agencies and highway contractors. This paper describes the results of an effort to develop prototypical scenarios of common work zone intrusion crashes documented in the New York State Department of Transportation work zone accident database. A prototypical scenario can be defined as one that is representative of the crash process because of the typicality of its chain of events and the likely causal relationships throughout the stages of the crash. By considering the chain of events that led to a particular crash, it is possible to group similar crashes and provide a more in-depth assessment, even though some of the facts involved in the individual crashes vary. In the study described here, prototypical scenarios were developed for four intrusion crashes at four types of work zone operations: lane closures, flagging operations, mobile operations, and traffic control setup and removal activities. It was concluded that a significant portion of intrusion crashes resulted from deliberate driver decisions and actions to enter the work space. The frequency of such deliberate events, which ranged from 25% to 64%, depended on the type of work operation in place on a given roadway. The study identified between three and eight prototypical crash sequences that were not the result of deliberate actions by drivers and that led to intrusion crashes.

Common hazards and their mitigating measures in work zones: A qualitative study of worker perceptions

“…Although this hazard was noted rarely by those participants who worked at night, daytime work appears to be safer in many (but not all) situations according to the literature (e.g., Arditi et al, 2007;Ullman et al, 2011). Poor light conditions were also found to influence risky driving behavior in work zones (Weng and Meng, 2012).…”

Diagnosis of Encroachment-Related Work-Zone Crashes by Applying Pattern Recognition

“…In another study by Ullman et al on the New York State Department of Transportation work-zone crash database, four work-zone types, including lane closures, flagging operations, mobile operations, and traffic control setup and removal activities, were investigated ( 9 ). Depending on the type of work zone, 25% to 40% of the encroachments were the result of a deliberate action by the driver.…”

“…Encroachment in a work zone indicates this condition when such a vehicle inadvertently traverses the boundaries of a work zone. A few studies have investigated crashes that involve the encroachment of vehicles into work-zone areas ( 7 – 9 ). The potential path a vehicle might take during an encroachment is affected by numerous factors, such as speed limit, various roadway and roadside characteristics (e.g., horizontal and vertical alignment, lane/shoulder width), weather and lighting conditions, and driver behavior.…”

Factors Associated with Work Zone Crashes

“…Efforts to find effective countermeasures to combat work zone crashes have been ongoing, and many studies have focused on potential solutions for improving work zone safety ( 3 – 5 ). A report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that a combination of a parked police vehicle and speed feedback trailer reduced the average and 85th percentile speeds in a work zone.…”