Quantifying the Safe Mobility Benefits of Infrastructure Investment

Introduction

Previous research indicates that investment in infrastructure has the potential of reducing traffic fatalities. Much of this work has focused on the levels and costs of infrastructure investment needed to provide significant reduction in traffic fatalities. Such modifications to road infrastructure can decrease the probability of driver errors; that errors will lead to crashes; and that crashes will result in life-altering injuries or death. As the state of roadway safety and data availability continue to evolve, research on infrastructure investments needs to be updated. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is working with Michigan State University to examine the safety and mobility benefits of roadway infrastructure investment.

Project Goal and Plan

The purpose of this project is to identify cost-effective road infrastructure safety improvements, estimate the prevalence of candidate locations for identified infrastructure improvements, and develop a national estimate of infrastructure safety benefits. First, the project will review existing literature, crash modification factor databases, and agency practice resources to update the evidence base for infrastructure safety treatments. Then, the research will quantify the prevalence and spatial distribution of roadway locations where infrastructure safety countermeasures are most likely to be effective. The research team will then develop scalable estimates of the safety and mobility benefits associated with infrastructure countermeasures at the national level.