Evaluation of Innovative Safety Treatments. Volume 3: A Study of the Effectiveness of Tyregrip High Friction Surface Treatment

摘要

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 4 Traffic Operations office in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has installed the Tyregrip high friction surfacing system to help reduce the potential for run-off-road crashes along the on-ramp to northbound I-75 from eastbound Royal Palm Boulevard located in the City of Weston, Broward County, Florida. The Tyregrip system was installed on a 300-foot section of the ramp, just upstream of the gore area between I-75 and the ramp, where the majority of the crashes occurred. This particular ramp was chosen as a candidate for this field test based on its crash history with 12 run-off-road crashes in the three-year period from 2002 to 2004. Eighty-three percent of these crashes occurred under wet road surface conditions. The effectiveness of the Tyregrip surface was evaluated from a materials perspective and from a safety perspective. Crash data were obtained from the Florida Department of Transportation Crash Analysis Reporting System (CARS). It appears that the use of Tyregrip may be a practical countermeasure for improving safety at locations that are prone to run-off-road crashes, particularly sharp curves and entry/exit ramps.