Exhibits

125

Speed Management.

Regular frame, end-caps, fabric panels. 10'x10'

Speeding is a complex issue involving engineering, driving behavior, education, and enforcement. That's why the U.S. DOT has set up a multi-modal, multi-disciplinary Speed Management Team to attack the problem. The DOT Team has a work plan and formal charter. Roadway design and use should be part of every speed setting discussion, and debate about speed limits should distinguish between speed causing a crash, and speed influencing injury severity once a crash occurs. Safety statistics vary greatly according to roadway class. Ironically, local roads, which normally have the lowest posted speed limits, have the highest fatality rate of any roadways.

For more information contact Timothy Barkley at 202.366.6836.

In the public sector, the most obvious MUTCD users are the State and local transportation planning and traffic engineers who design our roads and locate the traffic control devices that help drivers navigate them safely. Public works department employees who must understand how to install and maintain the Traffic Control Devices. The engineers and planners work closely with the FHWA Division Office personnel who help interpret and clarify MUTCD standards for their State and local partners. The FHWA also conducts extensive materials research, often in cooperation with the private sector designers and developers, to improve the effectiveness and visibility of Traffic Control Devices.

For more information contact Ernie Huckaby at 202.366.9064.

113

Pedestrian Safety

Regular frame, dedicated panels, end-caps. 10'x10'

Every year approximately 5,300 pedestrian are killed and about 80,000 injured in accidents with automobiles. Recognizing this, the FHWA has helped develop new pedestrian information programs like the Pedestrian Safety Roadshow (PSRS). The purpose of the Roadshow is to assist communities in developing their own approach to identifying and solving the problems that affect pedestrian safety and walkability. PSRS is a 4-hour workshop for community officials, concerned citizens and local business leaders. The main objective is to increase the awareness of pedestrian safety and walkability concerns, provide participants with information about the elements that make a community safe and walkable, and help channel this into a plan of action for addressing pedestrian concerns.

For more technical information on pedestrian safety, contact Harry Taylor at 202.366.2175.

The safe and efficient flow of traffic through work zones is a major concern to transportation officials, industry, the public, businesses, and commercial motor carriers. The FHWA has developed the National Highway Work Zone Safety Program (NHWZSP) to reduce the fatalities and injurious crashes in work zones, and to enhance traffic operation and safety within work zones. You can read about the best practices/policies for minimizing delay and enhancing safety during construction and maintenance operations at the FHWA's Work Zone Safety Best Practices web site. The study's recommendations will be the foundation for future FHWA actions and programs with its partners to improve the safety and efficiency of work zones.

For more information, contact Timothy Barkley at 202.366.6836.

Rumble strips are raised or grooved patterns constructed on, or in travel lane and shoulder pavements. The texture of rumble strips is different from the road surface. Vehicle tires passing over them produce a sudden rumbling sound and cause the vehicle to vibrate. Road agencies use rumble strips to warn motorists of an upcoming change that may require them to act. For example, the need slow down for a toll plaza ahead, change lanes for a work zone around the curve, stop for a traffic signal, or steer back onto the roadway. Rumble strips in travel lanes often precede intersections, especially dangerous ones. They are used primarily on expressways, interstate highways, and parkways, although some States install them on 2-lane rural roads that have high numbers of single-vehicle crashes.

For more information, contact Nicholas Artimovich at 202.366.1331.

The 6 million motor vehicle crashes that occur every year cause 5.4 million injuries and 41,000 fatalities. Ninety percent of those crashes are attributed to driver error. This exhibit emphasizes how intelligent vehicles, which use advanced vehicle-based systems to maximize safety and minimize risk, can prevent many crashes and thus improve highway safety.

For more information, contact Larry Brown at 202.366.2214.

Focus group research revealed that many drivers don't pay attention to the warning signs in work zones, aren't concerned about worker safety, and still drive too fast in these areas. 'Get the Picture. Listen to the Signs' - featuring a new 'Flagger Superhero' - is a multimedia public outreach and education campaign which was ready for use by State Departments of Transportation in 1998, to promote safety in work zones. The campaign was developed under a pool fund project with 21 State DOTs. The goal is to educate the public on the meaning of the signs in the orange and black world of road work zones. The campaign features 3D animation in two 30 second television ads. The flagger symbol morphs out of the sign into an orange and black world of work zones. The multimedia campaign contains three entertaining and educational 60 second radio ads, a brochure, poster, bumper sticker, a media kit, and tips on how to use the media kit.

For more information  contac: Timothy Barkley at 202.366.2249.

When you learn to read the subtle messages of the road, you will be more skilled - and safer - while exploring the great American highway system. Understanding the language of the road will serve you far from home on trips and on the streets of your own home town.  Signs, signals, and pavement markings are the language of the road. They communicate with color, shape, and placement. You may already know the basic language, but there is more to learn.

For more information, contact Timothy Barkley at 202.366.6836.

The safe and efficient flow of traffic through work zones is a major concern to transportation officials, industry, the public, businesses, and commercial motor carriers. The FHWA has developed the National Highway Work Zone Safety Program (NHWZSP) to reduce the fatalities and injurious crashes in work zones, and to enhance traffic operation and safety within work zones.

For more information, contact Timothy Barkley at 202.366.6836.

Retroreflectivity, or nighttime visibility of signs and pavement markings, is recognized as essential for efficient traffic flow, driving comfort, and highway safety. To help State highway agencies improve the in-service performance of traffic signs and pavement markings, the FHWA initiated Test and Evaluation Project 29. The project uses newly-developed retroreflection technology to efficiently measure the nighttime visibility of signs and pavement markings. The two-part project addresses the evaluation of retroreflectometer equipment for measuring the nighttime visibility of signs and pavement markings and the feasibility of establishing guidelines and their impact on the maintenance operation of State and local highway agencies. Results of this project should establish appropriate retroreflection guidelines for signs and pavement markings. The guidelines will help State and local highway agencies identify and determine when signs and pavement markings have reached the end of their useful life and need to be refurbished.

For more information contact: Harry Taylor at 202.366.2175.