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                        Safety
                        Roadway Departure Safety


            
            In This Section
        Roadway Departure Safety
                Strategic Approach
                                Strategic Plan
                Crash Emphasis Brochures
                Focused Approach
                Noteworthy Practices
                Partner Resources
                Keep Vehicles on the Road
                                Pavement Friction
                Horizontal Curve Safety
                Rumble Strips and Rumble Stripes
                Nighttime Visibility
                Provide for a Safe Recovery
                                SafetyEdge
                Clear Zones
                Reduce Crash Severity
                                Overview
                Hardware Eligibility Letters
                Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD)
                                Overview
                All Public Roads
                Proven Countermeasures
                Systemic Approach
                Safety Action Plans
                FoRRRwD Resources
      
   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.
                
                Roadway Departure Safety
    

    
    
          FHWA defines a roadway departure (RwD) crash as a crash which occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line, or otherwise leaves the traveled way. Another term our partners often use is lane departure, which is synonymous with RwD, since both include head-on collisions when a vehicle enters an opposing lane of traffic. From 2016 to 2018 an average of 19,158 fatalities resulted from roadway departures, which is 51 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States.

**What's New:**

Brochures for Rollover, tree, Utility Pole and Head - On Crashes now available.
	South Carolina DOT Tree Removal Noteworthy PracticesUse the links below to learn more about effectively reducing RwD fatalities and serious injuries.

Strategic Approach

RwD Strategic Plan
	Crash Emphasis Areas Brochures
	RwD Focused Approach
	Additional ResourcesCountermeasures

Keep Vehicles on Roadway

Keep Vehicles on Roadway

Pavement Friction
	Rumble Strips
	Horizontal Curve Safety
	Nighttime Visibility

Provide for Safe Recovery

Provide for Safe Recovery

SafetyEdgeSM
	Clear Zones

Reduce Crash Severity

Reduce Crash Severity

Hardware Eligibility Letters
	Guidance & Policies
	Resources

Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures

Every year nearly 12,000 people die when their vehicle leaves its lane on a rural road. This EDC initiative is supported by four pillars:

All Public Roads
	Proven Countermeasures
	Systemic Approach
	Safety Action PlansSynthesis of Practices

NCHRP Synthesis 515: Practices for Preventing Roadway Departures identifies and summarizes countermeasures being used by state departments of transportation to prevent RwD crashes and identifies the data-driven advantages and disadvantages of these countermeasures.
              
      
    
          Last updated: Friday, August 25, 2023 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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