USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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

General

Legacy ID
21

Safety

Roadway departures account for over half of all fatal crashes, some of which could have been prevented if a vertical pavement edge drop-off had not been present. Drop-offs occur when there are height differences between a paved road and the adjacent graded material. Conventional paving...

Horizontal Curve Safety

Horizontal curves are those that change the alignment or direction of the road (as opposed to vertical curves, which change the slope). More than 25 percent of fatal crashes are associated with a horizontal curve, and the vast majority of these crashes are roadway departures. The average crash...

Roadway Departure Focused Approach to Safety

Roadway departure (RwD) is one of three safety focus areas (along with intersection and pedestrian/bicyclist crashes) with the greatest potential to reduce highway fatalities when using infrastructure-oriented improvements. FHWA’s ...

Roadway Departure Safety

FHWA defines a roadway departure (RwD) crash as a crash which occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line, or otherwise leaves the traveled way. Another term our partners often use is lane departure, which is synonymous with RwD, since both include head-on collisions when a...

SHSP Noteworthy Practices

Many States are approaching the SHSP process with unique and innovative solutions. Learn more about these practices at our Roadway Safety Noteworthy Practices Database at ...