USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                    About FHWAFHWA Organization
                Headquarters Offices
                Field Offices
                Strategic Plan
                Business Opportunities
                Staff Directories
                Careers
                Highway History
                Contact UsProgramsAcquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                Safety
                Browse by TopicsResourcesCore Highway Topics
                Federal Aid Essentials
                Automation
                Complete Streets
                Laws and Regulations
                Policy & Guidance Center
                Section 508
                Publications and Statistics
                Professional Development
                National Highway Institute
                Resource Center
                Accessibility Resource Library
                FHWA Research LibraryNewsroomPress Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Photos
                Videos
                Media ContactsMenu OFFICE OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE TURNER-FAIRBANK HIGHWAY RESEARCH CENTER Home
                        Research


            
            In This Section
        Explore Research and Technology
                HSIS Home
                Program History
                                Background
                Participating States
                Laboratory
                PBCAT App
                                Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool
                Getting Started
                Crash Typing
                Features
                User Guide
                Support Images
                Products
                                Product Overview
                HSIS Summaries
                Research Reports
                Technical Summaries
                Journal Citations
                Safety Analysis Tools
                Other Products
                Data
                                Data Overview
                State Statistics
                Data Elements
                Guidebooks
                Resources
                Ongoing Research
                Contact
                Liaisons
                Site Map
      
   Ana Maria Eigen
      Ana Maria Eigen
      
                    
            Research Highway Safety Specialist
      
                    
            Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development
      
                    
            Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center6300 Georgetown PikeMcLean, VA 22101United States
      
          
    **Email:**ana.eigen@dot.gov**Phone:** (202) 493-3168
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
                
                Ongoing Research
    

    
    
          Top Banner

HSIS project staff manage an ongoing program of research. Research topics are chosen by the FHWA Office of Safety Research and Development and FHWA Office of Safety as critical to their missions. An updated list of current projects is being compiled and will be available soon.

hr

**Development of a Tool for Assessing Statistical Modeling Approaches for Crash Data Analysis**

Car crashThere is currently no accepted method to compare the suitability, efficiency, or effectiveness of different statistical approaches for highway crash data analysis, particularly those involving cross-sectional modeling. Only limited comparisons have been conducted to demonstrate which statistical approaches are the best choices for particular analysis types and, typically, individual researchers must exercise their own judgment when choosing among approaches.

This study will develop a tool which will allow one to assess the performance of multivariate modeling methods in capturing casual relationships between individual roadway attributes and safety. In order to do this, the research team will develop an "Artificial Realistic Dataset" (ARD), a roadway-segment-based dataset that represents realistic roadway characteristics and realistic crash counts. The crash counts will be based on a set of (hidden) "causal rules" which reflect predetermined relationships between crash frequency/severity and specific highway geometric design features or traffic control features chosen by the modeler for testing purposes.

While an ARD could be generated for a number of different roadway types, the initial effort will concentrate on rural two-lane roadway segments because of their high crash frequencies.

hr

**Documenting the Safety Effects of Shoulder Cross Sections and Horizontal Curves**

This research will document the safety effects of open vs. closed cross sections (i.e. shoulders vs. curbs and gutters), shoulders width in open cross sections, and horizontal curvature on urban and suburban arterials. In addition, researchers will develop appropriate safety-based geometric design guidance for these design elements. This project is being conducted as a companion study to NCHRP Project 3-112, which will focus on the effects of lane widths on the same class of roadways.

Key questions that will be addressed by the research include:

How does safety performance differ between urban and suburban arterials with open cross sections with shoulders and urban and suburban arterials with closed cross sections with curbs and gutters? (Also, in speed ranges where both types of cross sections are applicable, is there a safety rational for choosing one over the other? Under what circumstances is it appropriate to change from one cross section to the other in reconstruction projects?)
	For urban and suburban arterials with open cross sections, what is the effect of shoulder width on crash frequency and severity, how does the appropriate shoulder width vary with traffic volume and speed, and how should an appropriate shoulder width be selected for specific roadways?
	How does the safety performance of horizontal curves and tangents differ on urban and suburban arterials for specific traffic volumes and speeds? How does horizontal curve radius affect crash frequency and severity? Since many horizontal curves on lower speed arterials are not superelevated, is there any indication of lane-departure or roadway-departure crash patterns related to driver loss of control that might indicate a need for modified guidance?This research is needed because there is currently an overall lack of Highway Safety Manual and Green Book guidance to assist designers in making key decisions in the design of urban and suburban arterials. In addition, the NCHRP Report 756, Highway Safety Research Agenda: Infrastructure and Operations, identified the investigation of AASHTO Design Criteria and Design Model Research Including the Science of Safety as a top-ranked research priority. A key aspect identified for consideration as part of that priority research need was Cross Section Design Criteria for the Urban Environment.

hr

**FHWA Research and Technology**

Learn more about ongoing research at FHWA.

View Website

hr

**TRB RiP**

The Transportation Research Board's Research in Progress (RiP) website contains the RiP Database and a data-entry system to allow users in State Departments of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and University Transportation Centers to add, modify and delete information on their current research projects.

View Website
              
      
    
          Last updated: Wednesday, July 19, 2023 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FHWA
                Careers
                Org Chart
                Staff Directories
                Work with UsPrograms
  

        
              Acquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                SafetyPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Accessibility
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web StandardsNews & Events
  

        
              Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Media Contacts
                Connect with Us