Georgia intersection safety improvement program

Abstract

Intersection crashes accounted for 47 percent of the total number of crashes in the State of Georgia from 2000-2005, and as a location where crashes occur, represent the largest number of crash locations in the state. Federal legislation requires states to implement statewide safety plans to reduce fatalities, crashes, and improve safety. Intersections vary in different ways and there are individual factors that can cause an intersection to be safer or more dangerous than another. Acquiring better, uniform, and more updated information with regard to intersection crashes will enable transportation officials to prescribe policies for improving safety in an easier and more expedited manner. This thesis recommends a five-part program for intersection safety that will enable Georgia transportation officials to better analyze, identify, and implement countermeasures at intersections that are determined to be the most hazardous. The plan consists of: 1. Standardized Hazardous Intersection Identification Method 2. Statewide Public Involvement task force 3. Automated Police Crash Reporting Through Improved Technologies 4. Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Intersection Safety Strategies (8 State Comparison) 5. Statewide Minimal Intersection Safety Equipment The five parts of this plan lead to a statewide standard method of analyzing intersections based on uniform collection methods and uniform equipment statewide.