Economic Analysis of Collecting Roadway and Traffic Data Elements Fundamental for Safety

摘要

Quality data are the foundation for making important decisions regarding the design, operation,and safety of roadways. Deciding to invest in data is often a challenge for transportationagencies, particularly for safety. Data investments often compete for funding with infrastructuresafety improvements which are visible to the driving public and can have immediate safetyimpacts. The cost and benefits of competing priorities are considered when making investmentdecisions.The objective of this effort was to develop a methodology for estimating the cost andbenefits of collecting roadway data elements fundamental to safety, and conduct an analysisusing the established methodology. The cost estimates were developed using informationobtained from data collection vendors. There were no established methodologies to estimate thebenefit of collecting roadway data elements for safety. Therefore an alternate approach wasdeveloped. The number of fatalities and injuries that would need to be reduced in order to exceedthe costs were estimated.The results of this analysis can be used by transportation agencies to estimate the costs ofdata collection, and determine if the needed reduction in fatalities and injuries would bereasonable to expect for their State. Additional research is needed to develop guidance on themethodologies that can be applied to determine the direct benefits of investing in data systems.This is the next crucial step in providing decision makers the tools they need to determine thevalue of safety data and make informed decisions through an evidenced-based approach toinvesting in safety data.