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                Media ContactsMenu FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        Safety
                        Roadway Departure Safety
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                        SafetyEdge


            
            In This Section
        SafetyEdge
                General Information
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                Pavement and Maintenance
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   Program Contact
      Paul LaFleur
      
                    
            Roadway Departure Program Manager
      
                    
            FHWA Office of Safety
      
                
    **Email:**paul.lafleur@dot.gov**Phone:** 515-233-7308
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
                
                Safety
    

    
    
          Roadway departures account for over half of all fatal crashes, some of which could have been prevented if a vertical pavement edge drop-off had not been present. Drop-offs occur when there are height differences between a paved road and the adjacent graded material. Conventional paving techniques result in vertical or nearly vertical pavement edges, which can cause safety concerns when they are exposed.

A cutting-edge technology known as the SafetyEdgeSM is a treatment that minimizes drop-off-related crashes. With this treatment, the pavement edge is sloped at an angle of 30 degrees to reduce the resistance of the tire remounting the drop-off. The reduced resistance is intended to allow a more controlled reentry onto the traveled way.

**Safety Effects of the SafetyEdgeSM: Technical Summary of Crash Modification Factor** – FHWA-SA-17-044 is useful for practitioners and decision-makers. It summarizes the findings of a multi-state analysis with statistically significant CMFs for a number of crash types.
	SafetyEdgeSM Crash Modification Factors Tech Brief. This Iowa State University Tech Brief documents a safety analysis of Iowa use of the SafetyEdgeSM installed during 2010 and 2011.
	**Safety Evaluation of the SafetyEdgeSM Treatment** – [HTML, PDF]. FHWA-HRT-11-024 examines early findings on the safety effects, costs, and benefits based on limited number of installations and crash data available at the time.
	**Safety Evaluation of the SafetyEdgeSM Treatment, Summary Report** – [HTML, PDF]. FHWA-HRT-11-025 provides a brief synopsis of the study and findings in Publication FHWA-HRT-11-024.
	State of the Art Report 10: Influence of Roadway Surface Discontinuities on Safety. TRC Number E-C134 is designed to help highway engineers evaluate roadway maintenance guidelines and priorities. The report addresses safety issues related to several roadway features including a chapter on pavement edges which begins on page 38 of 88.
	Safety Impacts of Pavement Edge Drop-offs. This joint FHWA/AAA report quantifies the scope of the pavement edge drop-off problem.
	State of the Art Report 1: Interaction of Vehicles and Pavements. TRR 946 features "Pavement Edges and Vehicle Stability: A Basis for Maintenance Guidelines" study that set the foundation for the development of SafetyEdgeSM technology.
	Pavement Edges And Vehicle Stability – A Basis For Maintenance Guidelines. This Texas study developed a comprehensive treatment for of pavement edge geometry.
              
      
    
          Last updated: Saturday, December 30, 2023 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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