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The Safety EdgeDownloadable Version
PDF [4.60 MB] The Safety Edge Pavement Edge Treatment
What is the Safety Edge?The Safety Edge is a simple but effective solution that can help save lives by allowing drivers who drift off highways to return to the road safely. Instead of a vertical drop-off, the Safety Edge shapes the edge of the pavement to 30 degrees. Research has shown this is the optimal angle to allow drivers to re-enter the roadway safely. The asphalt Safety Edge provides a strong, durable transition for all vehicles. Even at higher speeds, vehicles can return to the paved road smoothly and easily. The FHWA's goal is to accelerate the use of the Safety Edge technology, working with States to develop specifications and adopt this pavement edge treatment as a standard practice on all new paving and resurfacing projects.
How Does It Work?Drivers leave the paved road for many reasons. When steering the tires back onto the pavement, a vertical edge can make it difficult for a driver to safely re-enter the travel lane. Drivers may oversteer and lose control of the vehicle, leading to severe crashes. The challenge is that a drop-off is created during most paving projects. Even when the unpaved shoulder is regraded to eliminate the dropoff, the edge often becomes exposed within a few months. The edge also may deteriorate. The Safety Edge is an effective solution to reduce pavement edge-related crashes, by shaping the edge of the pavement to 30 degrees using a commercially available device (called a shoe) that can be attached to the paver. The asphalt is extruded under the shoe, resulting in a durable edge that resists edge raveling. Research has shown this 30-degree shape allows drivers to re-enter the roadway safely. After paving with the Safety Edge, the adjacent material should be regraded flush with the top of the pavement. This is considered the best practice, and provides the safest pavement edge. The difference is that when the edge becomes exposed, this shape can be more safely traversed than a vertical edge.
Quick Facts
Case Study: Iowa Adopts Safety Edge Policy
The Iowa FHWA Division and the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) recently began working with counties to install the Safety Edge on projects with a history of roadway departure crashes. The Safety Edge was included at the county level on project plans or incorporated as change orders on alreadylet projects. During one of these county projects, the contractor's safety officer felt positive about the results because the Safety Edge potentially reduced the contractor's liability by providing immediate elimination of the vertical drop-off. After seeing how easily even large vehicles could traverse the pavement edge without loss of control or damaging the edge, the county decided its typical practice of bringing in a gravel wedge before nightfall was not necessary when the Safety Edge was present. The results were so positive that IDOT decided to use the Safety Edge on one of its State paving projects on a narrow road. Since then, IDOT has decided to adopt the Safety Edge as standard practice across the entire State. Pavement Edge Drop-Offs Can Contribute to CrashesRoadway departures account for 53 percent of fatal crashes. State-level studies point to the life-saving potential of the Safety Edge. For example, researchers studying crashes in Missouri during 2002-2004 reported that pavement edges may have been a contributing factor in as many as 24 percent of rural run-off-road crashes on paved roadways with unpaved shoulders. This type of crash was twice as likely to include a fatality than rural crashes overall on similar roads.¹ When a driver drifts off the roadway and tries to steer back onto the pavement, a vertical pavement edge can create a "tire scrubbing" condition that may result in over-steering. If drivers over-steer to return to the roadway without reducing speed, they are prone to lose control of the vehicle. The resulting crashes tend to be more severe than other crash types. The vehicle may veer into the adjacent lane, where it may collide with oncoming cars; overturn; or run off the opposite side of the roadway and strike a fixed object or overturn on a slope.
Inexperienced drivers are not the only victims of tire scrubbing. Smaller, lighter vehicles have a harder time climbing a steep pavement edge. At high speeds, the climb is particularly dangerous. According to in-service evaluations, a vertical or near vertical drop-off of 2.5 inches or greater has been shown to pose a significant risk, while pavements built with the Safety Edge showed reductions of more than 5 percent of total crashes. FAQsWhy should I change my current process to include the Safety Edge?The Safety Edge improves the short- and long-term safety of the roadway. Studies show that severe crashes may occur when a vehicle drops a tire over the edge of a nearly vertical pavement. The research shows that virtually all drivers can recover, even at high speeds, when the pavement edge is a 30-degree wedge. Using the Safety Edge also improves the durability of the pavement edge.
Do I need to modify my paving process to install the Safety Edge on asphalt?Very few changes are needed. The key item is to add a specially designed shoe, per manufacturer’s instructions, to the paver to create the Safety Edge. While paving, the shoe should be monitored and adjusted to keep the bottom edge of the device in contact with the road shoulder surface. Using the Safety Edge should not affect the rate of production. How much will the addition of the Safety Edge cost per mile?It will be almost negligible for hot-mix asphalt. It does depend somewhat on the specific design and construction parameters, but typically the process compacts asphalt that often otherwise would break off because it was loose. When measured, it has been calculated to be less than 1 percent additional asphaltic material.
Contact InformationFor training or more information on this Every Day Counts Initiative, please contact your local FHWA Division Office. To learn more about EDC, visit: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts About Every Day CountsEvery Day Counts is designed to identify and deploy innovation aimed at shortening project delivery, enhancing the safety of our roadways, and protecting the environment.
Publication Number FHWA-SA-10-034 ¹Hallmark et. al: Safety Impacts of Pavement Edge Drop-Offs, AAA Foundation for Highway Safety, Washington, DC, September 2006. |
Program ContactCathy Satterfield HighlightsSafety Edge Brochure Frequently Asked QuestionsGeneral PublicationsSafety Impacts of Pavement Edge Drop-Offs Resources |
