Development of Safety Performance-Based Guidelines for the Roadside Design Guide
In 1960, it was observed that approximately 30% to 35% of highway fatalities occur in
runoff-road collisions, a statistic that has remained remarkably constant through the present day.
The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's
NCHRP Research Report 972: Development of Safety Performance-Based Guidelines for the Roadside Design Guide
provides quantitative safety performance guidance, rather than implicit guidance, which will more
effectively communicate design objectives and performance goals, and quantify improvements to safety.
This change is complementary to the performance-based practical design approach being promoted by
the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, as well as the ongoing efforts to add performance-based
design measures to the geometric design process as documented in
NCHRP Report 785:Performance-Based Analysis of Geometric Design of Highways and Streets.
Supplemental to the report are
four appendices: Appendix A: Roadside Risk Workbook, Appendix B: Derivations, Appendix C: Serious and Fatal Injury Crash Tables, and Appendix D: Research Needs and Knowledge Gaps.
This Summary Last Modified On: 10/11/2022