Rumble Strips

Fatigue-related accidents, especially when the driver has actually dozed off are a serious safety problem. Among 205 drivers surveyed in Maine, 31% had dozed off at least once while driving during the preceding twelve months. Fifteen of these drivers had had a collision as a result of dozing off. The survey also shows that younger drivers are especially prone to doze off, and that men are twice as likely as women to doze off. The average incident rate for our random drivers is around once every 45,000 km (28,000 miles). Almost 50% of the most serious incidents took place on 2-lane roads.

A literature search and a survey of the 50 states' DOTs revealed that experiments with continuous shoulder rumble strips (CSRS) have been ongoing since 1955. Currently, 34 states use CSRS along at least parts of their freeway systems, with a few states using them along other roads. Studies indicate that CSRS can reduce run-off-road accidents by 20% to 50%. Installing CSRS on the entire rural Interstate system would result in a conservatively estimated benefit/cost ratio of 5 to 20 probably a higher ratio than for any other investment not yet universally implemented. System-wide use should not be delayed

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