Roadside Safety Design for the Micro-Mini Vehicles

by Hayes E. Ross, Jr., Texas A&M Univ, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering 21st Century Highways

Abstract:

This paper summarizes the results of a study to evaluate the impact performance of widely used roadside safety elements for a 1,500 lb vehicle and to identify potential modifications that would enable existing roadside safety elements to accomodate a design vehicle weighing as little as 1,250 lb. A full-scale crash test program coupled with an extensive computer analysis study were used to evaluate impact performance. Elements evaluated included the concrete safety shaped barrier (CSSB), the G4 (IS) roadside barrier, breakaway luminaire and sign supports, a base-bending sign support, the eccentric-loader guardrail terminal, crash cushions, and roadside safety features including slopes, ditches, driveways, and curbs. The objectives of this study were (1) to asses the performance of selected existing highway safety appurtenances and roadside features with passenger vehicles below 1,800 lb and (2) to project the limits of vehicle characteristics that can be safely accommodated through improvements in current hardware and roadside features.

Subject Headings: Highway and road design | Traffic safety | Traffic accidents | Vehicle impacts | Safety | Highway engineering | Highway barriers

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