Evaluation of the In-Service Safety Performance of Safety Shape and Vertical Concrete Barriers




1.1 Problem Statement
Motor vehicle crashes are a major cause of fatalities and serious injuries along U.S

highways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there

were 33,808 fatalities and 2,217,000 injuries in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in

2009 only. Approximately one-third of all these fatalities occurred on the roadside. In other

words, approximately 11,000 fatalities resulted from a vehicle run-off-the-road crash into a

roadside safety structure or some other hazardous feature, such as trees or shrubs, embankments,

fences, and other fixed objects [1]. Some of these fatalities are caused by the lack of or improper

use of roadside safety hardware. As a consequence, intensive efforts have been devoted to the

development of improved roadside safety practices, such as the implementation of efficient clear

zones, breakaway devices, roadside and median barriers, etc.


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