Comparison of two intelligent transportation systems Wrong-Way driving countermeasures currently deployed on Florida toll roads

摘要

Wrong way driving (WWD) crashes on high-speed limited access facilities often cause severe injuries and deaths. Conventional "Wrong Way" signs can reduce WWD events but can be insufficient in some cases. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) WWD countermeasures can more effectively notify wrong-way drivers of their mistake. This paper compares the safety performance of two types of ITS WWD countermeasures implemented in Florida: Light-Emitting Diode (LED) signs in South Florida (which include one set of signs and one camera) and Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RFB) signs in Central Florida (which include two sets of signs and three cameras). The reduction in WWD events (911 calls and citations) and the percentage of wrong-way drivers who self-corrected their WWD behavior were used as surrogate safety performance measures instead of crashes, since WWD crashes are rare. Chi-squared tests revealed a significant reduction in WWD events at the LED and RFB treated sites compared to control sites without these countermeasures. Comparison group analyses indicated that the LED and RFB countermeasures reduced WWD events by 48.1% and 69.4%, respectively. Additionally, photographs taken by cameras on the countermeasures and/or closed-circuit television cameras monitored by the traffic management centers showed that over 16% of the 72 detected wrong-way vehicles self-corrected at the LED sites and 81% of the 353 detected wrong-way vehicles self-corrected at the RFB sites. The methods and results in this paper can help transportation agencies throughout the United States identify the most suitable WWD countermeasures and evaluate their performance.