Safety on our nation’s rural roads has long been a significant—and often overlooked—challenge for states. But new research at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS), established by the federal transportation act in 2005, could change all that.
Federal legislation typically has included funding for safety planning and engineering measures, yet the thrust of these efforts has focused primarily on the needs of urban and suburban transportation systems. Not until Congress passed SAFETEA-LU did the federal government fund research and require states to report on rural roads, where crashes annually claim the most lives.
In May, CERS researchers Alec More and Tyler Patterson introduced potentially groundbreaking research into rural road safety at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies’ annual transportation research conference. Each presented preliminary research results examining driver behavior characteristics in rural regions and evaluating the practices of states with established or developing roadway safety programs.
CERS, located within the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, was established under SAFETEA-LU in 2005 and is funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to facilitate citizen-centered research, training and outreach activities related to rural transportation safety. The center’s research activities explore policy, behavior and technology innovations through projects addressing safety-conscious planning, intelligent transportation systems and rural emergency response, integrated policy approaches and related human factors, societal trends and stakeholder needs analysis. The center is led by Lee Munnich of the Humphrey Institute. The Center for Transportation Studies (CTS), with staff leadership from Robert Johns, is collaborating with the Humphrey Institute to provide the center’s outreach and training services.
Practicing states
In one of the first CERS research projects, More has been conducting case-study evaluations of states with existing or developing roadway safety plans and programs to determine the best practices for reducing roadway crashes. At present, the project is considering nine states, four of which have established safety programs similar to Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program. TZD is a multiagency partnership that includes representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the Minnesota State Patrol, the FHWA and the CTS at the University of Minnesota. The goal is to raise awareness of traffic safety issues and to develop tools to reduce the number of deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents in Minnesota. Three other states are making similar efforts: Idaho, also with TZD, Washington with the Target Zero campaign and Utah with the Zero Fatalities initiative.
As part of his research, More identified and contacted offices responsible for roadway safety planning efforts within several states to survey how each state is tackling the issue of rural roadway fatalities and serious injuries. So far, the research has yielded specific themes common across state boundaries. Driver behavior, particularly speed and impaired driving, are most frequently mentioned by state officials as contributing to crashes on rural roads.
“Feeling secure and being secure on rural roads are two separate things,” More said. “Local drivers may feel comfortable on local roads, but that isn’t an excuse to speed or drive impaired.”
Run-off-the-road crashes are the most common type of rural crashes, with state officials indicating that these typically are the result of high speeds or driving while impaired. While these factors are also significant concerns in urban areas, officials have indicated that the dispersion of crashes in rural areas makes it difficult to pinpoint where the next crash will occur or what possible solutions are most appropriate.
A second theme to emerge has been the need for enhanced data collection and analysis.
“Several state officials have suggested that the quality of the data collected varies widely,” More said. “Safety officials have indicated a desire to become more proactive with the data collected in an effort to solve problems before they begin or become worse. But typically crash information is coming from local law enforcement officials and may not always be as complete as possible. Different agencies track data using different methodologies.”
More indicated that several officials have suggested the need to standardize crash-reporting forms and the need for more explicit direction to law enforcement professionals to ensure accuracy in their reports. Perhaps most important, however, is the need for communicating the results of the collected information to police or emergency-response professionals in real time, not only to provide access to accurate information but also to demonstrate the value of their efforts.
Following form
“Increasingly, I hear the comment that police feel they are filling out crash reports for insurance purposes. This is a philosophy that needs to be changed,” More said, adding that he believes the “data can tell a story” in moving toward fewer crashes.
A third theme, which builds on the previous two, is the need for innovative, cost-effective approaches to safety.
“State funds are stretched,” More added, “but there are simple, cost-effective solutions to the problem, which can give states a real ‘bang for the buck.’”
More believes this is one area where data can be used most effectively to prioritize funding needs. One such example is the application of rumble strips, cited at the conference as an effective tool at a relatively low cost. According to officials in Washington state, the installation of centerline rumble strips on rural roads has dramatically reduced collisions. In a separate presentation at the CTS conference, it was suggested that rumble strips along the shoulders of roads could be painted with a single reflective stripe running down the center of the strip to visually and physically alert drivers to the edge of the road.
Some early issues associated with More’s project have presented ongoing challenges. Several states, he said, have struggled with the reporting requirements associated with the new SAFETEA-LU, and more guidance from the federal government is needed. “Many states are unsure about reporting requirements,” he said.
To work around limited information available about rural roads, More, in consultation with CERS Research Director Thomas Horan and other staff members, developed a questionnaire for state officials to gain an understanding of how the state safety programs were developed. A second round of interviews and research is currently under way.
In a more localized study, CERS Research Assistant Tyler Patterson presented his findings for rural road safety in Minnesota.
View from Minnesota
More than 70% of all crashes occur in urban areas, yet 70% of fatalities occur on rural roadways, highlighting the need to develop a more complete understanding of rural roadway safety. Patterson explained that young male drivers, among others, are of particular concern. His case-study research in east-central Minnesota found that 25% of fatal crashes involve males between the ages of 15 and 29. Those young males, however, comprise less than 10% of the population. “While lower design standards on rural roads contribute to the severity of the crashes,” Patterson said, “behavior issues exist as well.”
Another problem, according to Patterson, is impaired driving. In response, one program, developed by Judge James Dehn in Isanti County, Minn., is helping to address the problem. Dehn implemented a staggered sentencing program for individuals repeatedly arrested for drinking and driving. Staggered sentencing works by dividing jail sentences into three terms, where the first term is served in jail. Next, the offender is released on a three-month probation and required to utilize a home alcohol monitoring system. Should the offender fail to comply with the monitoring system—or be arrested again for drunken driving—the remaining jail term is commenced immediately. But with a successful conclusion to the three-month probation, an offender is given the opportunity to request that the second jail term be forgiven. If the judge finds that the offender has made significant positive changes in his or her life, the jail term is forgiven and another probationary period is granted. The process repeats until the third jail term is forgiven.
“Judge Dehn’s innovative approach empowers the offender, allowing them to take control of their drinking problems,” Patterson said. “Preliminary results yield a 50% reduction in recidivism.”
Moreover, Dehn’s passion extends beyond the courtroom. He sponsors a slogan contest for middle school students to devise powerful messages against teenage drinking. In addition, he notifies area bars of individuals arrested after drinking at their establishment.
Though their quest to understand the unique issues facing rural roadways has only just begun, More and Patterson hope to achieve a new standard in communication both between states and within public agencies.
For additional information about the CERS, including activities, research efforts and statistical information by state, or to share your comments or questions, please visit the center’s website at www .ruralsafety.umn.edu.
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