TRAFFIC & SAFETY

Researchers in KTC’s Traffic & Safety group focus on mitigating crash frequency and severity. The group collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies, including the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, researchers investigate topics ranging from commercial vehicle safety and seatbelt usage rates to improving traffic signage and understanding how climate change and severe weather events impact critical infrastructure. Each year, Traffic & Safety compiles annual crash data reports for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and they have been a key player in collecting data and performing analysis for the FHWA’s Highway Safety Improvement Program. Researchers draw on fieldwork and advanced geospatial analysis to devise strategies that will reduce crash frequencies and severities and lead to the construction and operation of safer roads. Traffic & Safety researchers have been pioneers in applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to traffic safety issues, and have provided guidance to the FHWA on best practices for using GIS to advance highway safety. Leveraging its multidisciplinary expertise, group members investigate a wide range of topics, from commercial vehicle safety and seatbelt usage rates, to improving traffic signage and studying the effects of climate change and severe meteorological hazards on critical infrastructure. More recently, the section has been a national leader in the implementation of the Highway Safety Manual — a science-based approach to highway safety.

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Announcing the 2024 RSS Conference! 

Featured Project: Snow and Ice Removal Route Optimization in Kentucky

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spends $40-80 million per year on snow and ice removal and road treatment. KTC researchers used GIS-based tools to identify routing for trucks and show where more or fewer trucks were needed. While high traffic routes will always receive the highest priority, optimizing the routing system can improve efficiency, increase safety, and reduce the amount of time and funding needed to treat roadways during winter storms. The analysis was based on a typical winter storm of one inch of snowfall. KTC’s route tree concept structured each removal route around a central high priority road, allowing truck drivers to become familiar with the roads on their route. As a result, drivers will react better to a non-typical winter storm and they understand the safest and most effective way to treat the roads, treat all routes on schedule, and use fewer trucks in the process. This project was selected by the AASHTO Region 2 states as one of four High Value Research projects for that region, and was included in the Sweet 16 projects highlighted at the summer meeting of the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee and at the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting. Click here to read the full report.

Traffic & Safety Developed Tools

Crash Data Analysis (CDAT) Tool

CDAT tool logo

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) worked with KTC to develop an advanced crash and roadway analysis tool known as the Crash Data Analysis Tool (CDAT). CDAT is a compliment to KYTC’s “KYOPS” tool which is KYTC and the Kentucky State Police’s repository for traffic collision, crime, and citation reports. KYOPS is updated regularly, where CDAT’s data is updated with a snapshot of crash data annually making it static and reducing variability. This allows for more reliable analysis as crash data as analysis may be replicated with a static snapshot of data.

This tool was developed primarily to advance the state of art of safety analysis. The tool also integrates crash and roadway data. In addition, it includes post-processed corrections to crash locations to better match to the roadway geometrics. CDAT includes advanced crash flags, HSM-based analysis, allows users to compare similar roads and regions, and has basic and advanced mapping functionality.

Click on the crashtool website to watch a short introductory video, or access the query tool, import tool, or QC tool.

Safety Performance Function (SPF-R) Tool

Transportation agencies use safety performance functions (SPFs) to develop crash predictions. Several resources are available to facilitate SPF development, including the Highway Safety Manual and the FHWA’s Safety Toolbox. The latter now contains a free and customizable tool — SPF-R — which KTC developed in RStudio. SPF-R is more flexible and provides better analysis than similar tools, but the user interface can be challenging to navigate for those without a background in programming. To solve this problem, KTC is developing a graphical user interface (GUI) to interact with RStudio’s code so that users can interact with the program through controls such as dropdown lists and radio button controls. State transportation agencies in Kentucky, Iowa, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington state have expressed interest in the GUI as they are beginning to develop SPF for their roadways and intersections. The GUI will open up SPF development to agency staff without traditional programming knowledge. Click here to visit the web version of SPF-R, where you can develop safety performance functions (SPFs).

SignProx

SignProx is an inventory and management system for highway signs created by transportation engineers for agencies that maintain traffic control devices. SignProx will provide insight into current sign needs and utilization, as well as drive optimizations in sign maintenance and safety.

SignProx provides easy methods to collect sign data, including GPS integration.   All data is stored and maintained in a database that can be accessed by popular GIS tools.  SignProx also provides reporting capabilities to allow quick determination of what signs are in compliance with policies, what signs need to be repaired or replaced.

Best of all? SignProx is now being freely offered through the Traffic and Safety Program at the Kentucky Transportation Center. Click here to learn more or download SignProx.

Research In Progress

Recently Completed Projects

Traffic & Safety Faculty & Staff

Eric Green

Program Manager

(859) 257-2680

eric.green@uky.edu

Chris Blackden

Research Associate

859-257-7389

chris.blackden@uky.edu

Benjamin Blandford

Senior Research Scientist

859-257-7504

benjamin.blandford@uky.edu

Tony Fields

Research Scientist

tony.fields@uky.edu

Emma Gregory

Research Scientist

emma.gregory@uky.edu

Erin Lammers-Staats

Research Engineer

(859) 218-0379

erin.lammers@uky.edu

Len O'Connell

Research Associate

llocon0@uky.edu

Paul Ross

Senior Research Scientist

(859) 257-9077

paulross@uky.edu

Reg Souleyrette

Associated Faculty

CE Professor

(859) 257-5309

souleyrette@uky.edu

William Staats

Research Engineer

(859) 257-7254

william.staats@uky.edu

Nick Stamatiadis

Associated Faculty

CE Professor

(859) 257-8012

nick.stamatiadis@uky.edu

Nathaniel Swallom

Research Scientist

nathaniel.swallom@uky.edu

Teng (Alex) Wang

Research Engineer

twa232@uky.edu

Xu Zhang

Research Scientist

xuzhang_uk@uky.edu