Roadway Safety Design Synthesis

Highway safety is an ongoing concern to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). As part of its proactive commitment to improving highway safety, TxDOT is moving toward including quantitative safety analyses earlier in the project development process. The objectives of this research project are: (1) the development of safety design guidelines and evaluation tools to be used by TxDOT designers, and (2) the production of a plan for the incorporation of these guidelines and tools in the planning and design stages of the project development process. This document describes the effect of key design components on street and highway safety. The information presented herein represents the findings from a critical review of the literature and an evaluation of the reported safety trends and relationships. The purpose of this document is to promote the explicit and objective consideration of safety in the design process. It is envisioned to be a reference document that will be useful to engineers and researchers who desire detailed safety information on various highway geometric design elements. The information in this document was used to develop the guidelines presented in the Interim Roadway Safety Design Workbook.