Analysis and Optimum Design of Nondeterministic Structures under Random Loads
The importance of analyzing and designing structural systems by using a reliability-based approach is emphasized, including system safety requirements with regard to both serviceability...
Tort Liability in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
During the past decade many have questioned the propriety of the doctrine of sovereign immunity; numerous legal challenges and legislative changes have eroded the doctrine in most states....
Risk Management to Reduce Highway Tort Liability
This paper identifies common risk management techniques and processes. A brief review of tort law is presented along with the specific characteristics of a highway related negligence suit....
Effective Pedestrian Safety Programs
Pedestrian fatalities account for 16 percent of all highway-related deaths and about 129,000 pedestrians are involved in accidents each year. Analyses of pedestrian accident data and determining...
Safety Impacts of Installing Pedestrian Crosswalks
At-grade pedestrian crossovers (PXO's) have been installed at about 700 locations in Metropolitan Toronto to assist pedestrians in crossing busy streets at minimal delay to...
Economic Analysis of Highway Safety Projects
The most commonly used economic analysis for highway safety projects is the cost-benefit ratio. While this is a valid analytical tool, it must be used correctly to produce valid results....
Evaluation of Safety Alternatives by Benefit/Cost Analysis
There is an increasing awareness of the need to use limited highway safety funds on projects that offer the greatest benefits. This paper describes the development and application of a...
Some Questions on the Accuracy of Safety Effectiveness Evaluations
The generally positive benefits of safety improvements, and, in particular, upgraded traffic control devices, are well-established. More difficult is the explicit rank-ordering of traffic...
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Highway Safety Improvements
The need exists for better information relative to the effectiveness of various safety treatments and actions. Reliable measures of effectiveness are required for determining the most...
Roadside Design in the Future
Since the first roadways were built, highway designers have constantly been striving to ensure that motorists can travel to their destinations on safe highways. However, their efforts...
Effects of Shoulder Reductions on Highway Safety
In order to accomodate existing traffic and projected growth, it is essential that the most effective use be made of the limited right-of-way available for freeways. It is important to...
Effects of Lane Width Reduction on Safety and Flow
This research dealt with the issue of lane narrowing as an alternative to pavement widening in providing safety improvements on urban freeways. This study dealt with I-95 in Miami Florida...
Selection of Performance Levels for Longitudinal Barriers
There is a demand within the highway community for multi-service level safety features, including traffic barriers. The need has become more acute in recent years as revenues decline and...
Transitioning End Terminal A TRENDtm for the Future
The highway engineer frequently starts from a position where an identified highway element is causing serious injuries or fatalities to motorists on the nation's highways....
End Treatments for Deep Beam Highway Guardrail
End treatments on highway guardrail serve two functions: (1) to make the end safe in case of an impact there, and (2) to provide anchorage in case of an impact adjacent to the end. Two...
Hazardous Events After Redirectional Collisions
The potential for hazardous events occurring to vehicle occupants after a redirection from a longitudinal barrier has not been adequately addressed. Very few studies are available which...
Occupant Risk in Longitudinal Barrier Collisions
The following paper presents data derived from sled test experiments, full-scale vehicle crash tests as well as an in-depth analysis of accident data which suggest that occupants are not...
Arbitration: A Risky Method for Resolving Disputes
Arbitration has been widely praised as a speedy, 'inexpensive' alternative to litigation for resolving a wide range of disputes, including disputes arising from...
Seismic Resistance of an Elevated Water Tank?A Case Study
Current knowledge of earthquake risk and structural response has raised concern about the safety of elevated water storage tanks which were constructed several decades ago. This paper...
Seismic Risk Assessment for a Utility System
Presented is a procedure by which a utility could develop the probabilities for different levels of capital loss exposure for its system. The procedure relies on experience data obtained...
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