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 FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        The Benefits of Pavement Markings: A Renewed Perspective Based on Recent and Ongoing Research


            
            In This Section
        Other Safety Areas
                Road Diets
                Lighting and Visibility
                                Overview
                Sign Retroreflectivity
                Pavement Markings
                Roadway Lighting
                Focused Approach to Safety
                Motorcyclist Safety
                Older Road Users
                                Overview
                Crash Facts
                Engineering and Training
                Federal and State Programs
                Community Resources
                Articles
                Work Zone Safety
                Transportation Safety Planning (TSP)
                
                INTRODUCTION
Pavement markings play one of the most important safety functions on our roads. They are widely accepted as being beneficial to drivers in that they communicate the intended travel path for short-range operations and the roadway alignment for long-range delineation. To ensure consistent application of pavement markings, their characteristics and warranting criteria are described in the *Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices* (MUTCD)(*1*), setting national standards on their application.

Despite the national pavement marking standards described in the MUTCD, according to a recent American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) report, every 21 minutes a highway death occurs as a result of a lane departure. In total, that is over 25,000 fatalities per year, or almost 60 percent of the nation’s highway fatalities. AASHTO has developed a Strategic Highway Safety Plan that is designed to reduce these numbers (*2*). The very first objective of the AASHTO Safety Plan is to keep vehicles in their lanes and on the road.

The AASHTO Safety Plan includes a list of 22 goals to reduce highway fatalities. Various states around the country that have implemented the AASHTO Safety Plan have reported successes. . For instance, for the last three years, the Missouri Department of Transportation has focused on lane departure countermeasures. They have implemented the following countermeasures, which have led to a 25 percent reduction in lane departure fatalities from 2005 to 2007:

edge lines and centerlines on all major highways, as well as minor highways with a history of crashes;
	6-inch pavement marking edge lines and skip lines on all major highways;
	4-foot shoulders on major highways;
	guardrail and median barriers on all major highways; and
	signing improvements.AASHTO's first objective—keeping drivers on the road—appears simple enough. However, the safety potential of the objective is largely unknown. Surprisingly, there is an apparent lack of information concerning the most effective manner for keeping drivers on the road. Obviously, pavement markings are a big part of the equation. Although other safety treatments can also be used to keep drivers on the road, this paper is exclusively dedicated to pavement markings and their potential contribution towards increasing highway safety.
      
  Book traversal links for INTRODUCTION
      ‹ ABSTRACT
                    Up
                    ANNUAL PAVEMENT MARKING EXPENDITURES ›
                
                Book:The Benefits of Pavement Markings: A Renewed Perspective Based on Recent and Ongoing Research
              ABSTRACT
                INTRODUCTION
                ANNUAL PAVEMENT MARKING EXPENDITURES
                BENEFITS OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS
                PAVEMENT MARKING SAFETY STUDIES
                SUBJECTIVE EVALUATIONS
                EFFECT OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS ON VEHICLE OPERATIONS
                MEASURES OF PAVEMENT MARKING VISIBILITY
                OTHER PAVEMENT MARKING STUDIES
                FINDINGS
                DISCUSSION
                REFERENCES 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