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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

General

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Legacy ID
21

Mitigating Noise

The unusual noise tires make as they cross over rumble strips keeps drivers alive–but it may also keep neighbors awake. To fulfill their purpose, rumble strips must make enough noise inside the vehicle and tires must drop into the rumble to cause enough vibration to get the driver's attention....

Accommodating All Users

Safe accommodation of all road users can be considered when designing and applying rumble strips. Rumble strips are primarily a safety device for passenger vehicles. For other road users, particularly bicyclists, they may cause concerns. A part of the success in accommodating the variety of road...

BICYCLES

RUMBLE STRIPS AND BICYCLE ACCOMMODATION

Center and edge line or shoulder rumble strips are extremely effective in reducing severe roadway departure crashes at a low cost. Rumble strips use both noise and vibration to alert the driver that he or she is leaving the appropriate travel...

General Information

Overview

Rumble strips are an effective countermeasure for reducing roadway departure crashes. The noise and vibration produced by rumble strips alert drivers when they leave the traveled way. Rumble stripes is the term used for rumble strips painted with a retroreflective coating to...

Design & Construction

This section highlights the following items that are important elements of rumble strip design.

  • Crash types to mitigate
  • Facility type (freeway, multi-lane, two-lane)
  • Dimensions of rumble strips
  • Types of rumble strips (shoulder, edge, center line)...

Safety

More than half (57 percent) of U.S. traffic fatalities occur after a driver crosses the edge or center line of a roadway. Two-thirds (65 percent) of these fatal crashes occur in rural areas.

WHAT CAUSES ROADWAY DEPARTURES?

Many factors contribute to drivers leaving the roadway...

Case Studies and Noteworthy Practices

Case Studies

Every Day Counts (EDC) Initiative: City of Bellevue, Washington State
The Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative identified HFST as an innovation that enhances roadway safety and, as such,...