Scan tour of safety-related intelligent transportation systems across the United States.

Jensen, Travis · 2015 · ROSA P / Utah. Dept. of Transportation

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Summary

This report documents a scan tour and research study commissioned by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to identify safety-related Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) devices and practices in use across the United States that could be adapted to Utah’s roadway network. Motivated by UDOT’s “Zero Fatalities” initiative, the study aimed to explore non-infrastructure safety elements, specifically electronic systems that convey information to drivers or sense traffic conditions, to reduce crashes and crash severity. The research focused exclusively on safety applications rather than operational benefits. The methodology involved a two-phase survey process followed by on-site visits. An initial survey was distributed to safety and research staff at state DOTs nationwide, yielding 33 responses from 25 states and British Columbia. These responses identified the prevalence of various ITS applications, with flashing yellow arrows, variable speed limit signing, and dynamic speed warning signing being the most frequently cited. Based on these results, a detailed follow-up survey was sent to seven states to assess installation costs, effectiveness data, and maintenance requirements. Iowa and Minnesota were selected as scan tour destinations due to their extensive implementation of relevant ITS devices, geographic proximity, and willingness to host visitors. A UDOT Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) participated in the scan tour, visiting Iowa and Minnesota in May 2015 to observe specific technologies in operation. The scan tour examined a wide range of safety-focused ITS treatments. In Iowa, the team reviewed automated flashing chevrons, dynamic speed warning signs on curves, variable speed limit signing, speed-activated variable message signing in work zones, rural intersection conflict warning systems (RICWS), wrong-way driving infrastructure, and seatbelt usage messaging. In Minnesota, the focus included freeway smart lanes, RICWS, truck rollover warning systems, enhanced speed compliance for work zones, and 360-degree radar detection. The report details the operational characteristics, installation contexts, and observed performance of these devices. Additionally, the study identified several topics, such as wrong-way driving detection and flashing yellow arrow lead-lag operations, as requiring separate, focused research efforts due to their complexity or specific jurisdictional nuances. The significance of this study lies in its provision of actionable recommendations for UDOT to integrate proven ITS technologies into its safety strategy. The report translates observations from Iowa and Minnesota into specific action items for various UDOT divisions, covering infrastructure treatments and non-infrastructure elements. By documenting the costs, maintenance considerations, and effectiveness data of these systems, the study provides UDOT with the necessary information to evaluate the feasibility of deploying similar technologies. This supports UDOT’s broader goal of leveraging ITS to address human factors and roadway characteristics contributing to fatalities, thereby informing future procurement, deployment, and policy decisions regarding safety-related intelligent transportation systems in Utah.

Key finding

The study identified Iowa and Minnesota as key states with extensive deployments of safety-related ITS devices, including rural intersection conflict warning systems and dynamic speed warnings, which were recommended for potential adoption by Utah.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 33

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• perceptual countermeasures
• emergency work zone conspicuity

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence