Effectiveness of Alternative Skid Reduction Measures: Volume II: Benefit-Cost Model

St. John, A. D.; Blackburn, R. R.; Harwood, D.W. · 1978 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Offices of Research and Development

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This report, Volume II of the "Effectiveness of Alternative Skid Reduction Measures" series, addresses the need for a systematic method to evaluate accident-reduction countermeasures on highways. Motivated by the rising incidence of skidding accidents due to increased vehicle speeds and traffic volumes, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sought to quantify the economic viability of interventions that either increase pavement friction or reduce frictional demand. The primary objective was to develop a computerized benefit-cost model capable of assisting state highway departments in selecting cost-effective safety measures. The research, conducted by the Midwest Research Institute, involved the design and specification of a comprehensive computer program. The model integrates data from Phase I of the project, which established relationships between skid numbers and wet-pavement accident rates, with standard accident reduction percentages for various countermeasures. The experimental design focused on creating a general-purpose tool that evaluates both wet- and dry-pavement conditions, as well as geometric and traffic control measures. The model incorporates a support system for maintaining cost data files specific to individual states and regions. It accounts for complex variables such as prior decisions on facility abandonment, future resurfacing, right-of-way costs, and changes in annual daily traffic. A novel feature includes the calculation of highway user costs associated with construction zone activities, such as delays and excess fuel consumption. The model operates through a two-step analytical process: economic feasibility and project formulation. In the first step, each specified countermeasure is compared against the existing or planned site conditions. Countermeasures yielding a benefit-to-cost ratio of one or greater are deemed economically feasible. If multiple measures pass this threshold, the second step employs incremental analysis to identify the option with the highest benefit per capital cost dollar. The system outputs detailed cost and benefit data, including accident severities and user costs, formatted for use in budgeting and decision-making. The report details the model’s logic, input requirements, and subroutine hierarchy, demonstrating its ability to handle conventional and unconventional countermeasures with minimal user input. The significance of this work lies in providing state highway departments with a standardized, quantitative tool for prioritizing safety investments. By explicitly handling factors often approximated in traditional engineering judgments, the model offers more accurate evaluations of economic consequences. It enables agencies to compare alternative countermeasures objectively, ensuring that limited funds are allocated to interventions that provide the greatest reduction in accident costs relative to their implementation expenses. The report concludes that the model serves as an effective aid for planning and budgeting, though final decisions remain with highway department management considering broader budget constraints.

Key finding

The computerized benefit-cost model provides a general-purpose tool for state highway departments to evaluate and compare the economic feasibility and safety benefits of various skid reduction and accident countermeasures.

Methodology

modeling

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

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

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• regulatory evaluation

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).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes