The effect of skid resistance and texture on crash risk

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a first attempt to combine detailed information on road geometry (horizontal curvature, gradient and cross-fall), road surface condition (roughness, rut depth, texture depth and skid resistance), carriageway characteristics (region, urban/rural environment, and traffic flow) and crashes. Four subsets of road crashes were investigated: all reported injury and fatal crashes; selected injury and fatal crashes covering loss of control events; reported injury and fatal crashes occurring in wet conditions; and selected injury and fatal crashes occurring in wet conditions. One and two-way tables and Poisson regression modelling were employed to identify critical variables and the form of their relationship with crash risk. Particular emphasis was placed on quantifying the effect of skid resistance and texture depth on crash risk. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E212865.