Public Roads
The Influence of Mobile Applications
More and more, travelers are turning to smartphone applications for a wide array of transportation activities. Drivers often use apps for vehicle routing, real-time data on congestion, information regarding roadway incidents and construction, and parking availability. Transit users often rely on apps for real-time predictions of transit arrivals.
Studying Human Behavior to Improve Roadway Safety
In 2015, 6.3 million police-reported crashes occurred in the United States. These crashes resulted in 35,092 fatalities and 2.4 million injuries. Although most incidents are attributed to multiple causes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites human factors as at least one of the contributing causes in approximately 95percent of crash reports.
Communication Product Updates
Below are brief descriptions of communications products recently developed by the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Research, Development, and Technology. All of the reports are or will soon be available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). In some cases, limited copies of the communications products are available from FHWA’s Research and Technology (R&T) Product Distribution Center (PDC).
Encouraging Best Behavior
The results are in from recent FHWA research: Pedestrian hybrid beacons continue to improve safety at unsignalized crossings.
Connected Vehicles: Coming Soon to A Road Near You
Across the Nation, USDOT is pilot testing vehicles that can communicate with each other and with the roads around them. Welcome to the new world of transportation.
After the Celebration
Throughout last year, we joined with our colleagues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which opened its doors on April 1, 1967. On that same date, the Nation’s road agency—born on October 3, 1893, and known by many previous names—officially became the Federal Highway Administration.
Sharing the Innovation Experience
The Federal Highway Administration’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program is more than just a grant program. It provides an opportunity for award recipients to share their experiences applying proven innovations on highway projects in their own words.
Solving the Safety Puzzle
Performance management is evident in all aspects of society, from grade school report cards to workplace reviews. Performance can be measured in subjective and objective ways—and in combination. For example, judges score a gymnast’s performance according to both execution (subjective) and difficulty (objective). When it comes to highway safety, the performance measures that matter most are objective: the number of lives lost and serious injuries sustained.
Did You Hear That?
Mumble strips show promise for fewer roadway departures with reduced road noise near residential and environmentally sensitive areas.