Accident Reduction Factors for Use in Calculating Benefit/Cost. Volume 3. Florida Accident Reduction Evaluation System (FLARES) User Manual

摘要

Accident reduction factors are a necessary element needed for the determination of benefit/cost (B/C) ratios. These ratios are crucial for the assessment for fund allocations for safety improvement projects. The Florida Department of Transportation sponsored a program at the University of Florida in order to develop accident reduction factors relating specifically to Florida's accident experience. Current methodologies used in the determination of accident reduction factors were reviewed, and a simple before and after study was selected. Accident data taken from three years before and three years after the implementation of a safety countermeasure were analyzed, and the results were compared to other states' accident reduction factors. Data was available for only 58 of the 103 countermeasure types selected for analysis. From the implemented improvement sites that were analyzed, it was found that 24 (41%) were statistically significant based on the assumption of a Poisson distribution at a 95% confidence level. A computer program for the annual reevaluation of accident reduction factors has been produced, and represents significant development towards a state-of-the-art Highway Safety Improvement Program for Florida.