Printing Instructions

SafetyEdgeSM

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE

Center Line Rumbles

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE

Source: Thurston County, Washington

Edge and Center 

Line Markings

COUNTERMEASURE

Curve Signing

COUNTERMEASURE

Source: FHWA Source: Thurston County, Washington

Edge Line and 

Shoulder Rumbles

COUNTERMEASURE

Systemic Analysis

How healthy is your road system?

Diagnosis

11% of all curves have 

3 or more risk factors. 

Lab Results:

Curve A

Curve B

Curve C

Curve D

Curve E

Systemic vs. 

Systemwide

Systemic does not 

mean treating all 

locations. It allows 

agencies to treat the 

highest-risk sites 

within limited 

budgets. 

Symptoms

Severe roadway departure 

crashes on curves.

Possible Risk Factors:

Avg. Daily Traffic > 1,000 

vehicles

Curve Radius < 1,000 feet 

Intersection within Curve

Visual Trap within Curve

Severe Crash within Curve

Treatment

Prioritize highest risk sites and 

treat with low-cost 

countermeasures such as 

chevron signs or rumble strips.

Follow-Up

Track and evaluate safety 

improvements. Further 

remediation can be 

implemented as needed.

TOOL

Desktop Print

Send the file called RRRwD_TradingCards_

Desktop.pdf to your desktop printer. It is 

recommended to use manual feed and send 

odd pages first. Flip printed pages on the 

short side. Place back in manual feed tray and 

then send even pages. If you choose to print 

automatic duplex, select flip page on short 

edge. The short lines at the edge of the cards 

should be used as a cutting guide. 

Note: Pages seven and eight are the cover card 

front and back. 
Systemic Analysis

How healthy is your road system?

Diagnosis

11% of all curves have 

3 or more risk factors. 

Lab Results:

Curve A

Curve B

Curve C

Curve D

Curve E

Systemic vs. 

Systemwide

Systemic does not 

mean treating all 

locations. It allows 

agencies to treat the 

highest-risk sites 

within limited 

budgets. 

Symptoms

Severe roadway departure 

crashes on curves.

Possible Risk Factors:

Avg. Daily Traffic > 1,000 

vehicles

Curve Radius < 1,000 feet 

Intersection within Curve

Visual Trap within Curve

Severe Crash within Curve

Treatment

Prioritize highest risk sites and 

treat with low-cost 

countermeasures such as 

chevron signs or rumble strips.

Follow-Up

Track and evaluate safety 

improvements. Further 

remediation can be 

implemented as needed.

TOOL

Source: FHWA

Edge Line and 

Shoulder Rumbles

COUNTERMEASURE

Curve Signing

COUNTERMEASURE

Source: Thurston County, Washington

Source: Thurston County, Washington

Edge and Center 

Line Markings

COUNTERMEASURE

Center Line Rumbles

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE

SafetyEdgeSM

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE
Crash Reductions for 

Installing Chevrons

Nighttime Crashes 

on curves 25%

Non-intersection 

Fatal and Injury 

crashes

16%

Source: CMF Clearinghouse IDs 2438 and 2439

Advance curve warning signs alert 

a driver to changes in the road 

alignment and chevrons delineate 

the curve. These countermeasures 

are effective to reduce:

• Curve crashes

• Nighttime crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/

provencountermeasures/enhanced_delineation/

Fatal and Injury 

Reductions

Run-Off-Road 

(two-lane rural) 36%

Run-Off-Road 

(rural freeways) 17%

Source: CMF Clearinghouse IDs 3454 and 3447

Edge rumble strips are milled 

corrugations in pavement to alert 

inattentive drivers that they are 

leaving the roadway to reduce:

• Run-off-road crashes

• Fixed object crashes

• Rollovers

• Distracted/drowsy driver crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/

pavement/rumble_strips

Systemic improvements:

• Supplements traditional 

analysis

• Used for crash types that are not 

concentrated such as rural roadway 

departures

You don’t have to wait for a crash to 

happen to save lives!

A “systemic safety improvement” 

means a proven countermeasure(s) 

that is widely implemented based 

on high-risk roadway features 

that are correlated with particular 

severe crash types, rather than 

crash frequency. 

(23 CFR Part 924.3 )

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/

Crash Reductions on 

Two-Lane Rural Roads

Drop-Off 35%

Run-Off-Road 21%

Head-On RwD 19%

Fatal & Injury 11%

Source: CMF Clearinghouse IDs 9221, 9211, 9217, and 9205

SafetyEdgeSM is a paving technique 

producing a durable 30-degree 

edge to prevent tire-scrubbing, 

which often results in:

• Head-on crashes

• Rollovers

• Run-off-road crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/safetyEdge

Fatal and Injury 

Reductions

Head-On RwD 

(two-lane rural) 45%

Source: CMF Clearinghouse ID 3360

Center rumble strips are milled 

corrugations in pavement to alert 

inattentive drivers that they are 

crossing the center line to reduce:

• Head-on crashes

• Run-off-road left crashes

• Distracted/drowsy driver crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/

pavement/rumble_strips

Crash Reductions

Adding edge and 

center line marking 24%

Wider edge lines 22%

Source: AASHTO Highway Safety manual, 

CMF Clearinghouse IDs 101 and 4792

Retroreflective pavement markings 

improve nighttime highway 

visibility. Wider lines (6”–8”) have 

an increased safety effect, reducing: 

• Curve crashes

• Nighttime crashes

• Head-on crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/

night_visib/pavement-markings.cfm
Source: FHWA

High Friction 

Surface Treatment

COUNTERMEASURE

Slope Flattening

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE

Clear Zone

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE

Source: Thurston County, Washington

Center Line 

Buffer Area

COUNTERMEASURE

Barriers

Source: FHWA

COUNTERMEASURE

Source: FHWA

Shoulder Widening

COUNTERMEASURE

Source: FHWA

Source: FHWA
Increase 

Distance to 

Trees By

Crash 

Reduction

3 feet 22%

5 feet 34%

8 feet 49%

10 feet 57%

13 feet 66%

Establishing and maintaining a clear 

zone provides an unobstructed, 

traversable area where an errant 

driver can recover to reduce:

• Fixed Object 

Crashes

• Rollover Crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/

countermeasures/safe_recovery/clear_zones/

Source: NCHRP 

Report 440

Flattening steep slopes provides 

a better opportunity for vehicles 

to traverse the slope, reducing the 

likelihood of: 

• Rollovers • Fixed object crashes

Crash Reductions (%) for Single 

Vehicle Crashes

Before 

Sideslope

After Sideslopes

1V:4H 1V:5H 1V:6H

1V:2H 10 15 21

1V:3H 8 14 19

1V:4H — 6 12

1V:5H — — 6

Source: AASHTO Highway Safety Manual

HFST is a pavement surface treatment 

using calcined bauxite that provides 

exceptional skid-resistant properties 

at high friction demand locations 

such as curves, ramps, or intersections 

where problems with wet conditions, 

speed, or geometrics contribute to: 

• Run-off-road crashes

• Head-on crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/

pavement_friction

Crash Reductions 

on Curves

Total 24%

Wet Crashes 52%

Source: CMF Clearinghouse (CMF ID’s 7900 and 7901)

Adding a paved shoulder provides an errant 

driver an opportunity to regain control. 

Shoulders have been shown to be effective at 

reducing all roadway departure crashes. Adding 

shoulders may also allow for installation of 

rumble strips and the SafetyEdgeSM.

AADT (veh/day)

Crash Reductions for Adding a Shoulder

on a 2-Lane Rural Road

Crash Reduction 10%

3%

7%

9%

11%

42%

33%

23%

13%

20%

30%

40%

50%

400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,800

Adding 8’ Shoulder

Adding 6’ Shoulder

Adding 4’ Shoulder

Adding 2’ Shoulder

0 2,400

Adapted from the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual (HSM) 

for 2 lane rural roads with no existing shoulder. For existing 

shoulders to be widened, see the HSM.

The crashworthiness 

of barriers is evaluated 

through crash testing. 

The current crash test 

criteria is contained in the 

AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety 

Hardware (MASH) 2016.

Roadside and median barriers 

are designed to redirect and slow 

vehicles while shielding them from 

obstacles likely to result in a more 

severe crash, such as:

• Rigid fixed objects

• Steep slopes

• Bodies of water

• Opposing traffic

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/

countermeasures/reduce_crash_severity/

A center line buffer area provides 

extra space between the two 

solid center line markings, further 

separating opposing directions of 

traffic to reduce:

• Head-on Crashes

Facility 

Type

Buffer 

Width

*Head-on 

RwD Crash 

Reduction

2-lane 2 feet 35%

2-lane 4 feet 64%

2-lane 10 feet 90%

4-lane Not significant

*Preliminary results from NCHRP Project 17-66
Source: Oregon State Police

Tree Crashes

CRASH TYPE

Source: Oregon State Police

Head-On Crashes

CRASH TYPE

Source: FHWA

Rollover Crashes

CRASH TYPE

Source: FHWA

Curve Crashes

CRASH TYPE

Source: Oregon State Police

Rural Roadway 

Departure Crashes

CRASH TYPE

Use Safety

Data

Identify

Stakeholders

Choose

Proven Solutions

Implement

Solutions Safer Roads

Ahead

Risks

Ahead

LRSPs

START HERE!

Café

Store

TOOL
Rollover crashes result in over 3,600 

fatalities each year on rural roads, 

which is 30% of Rural RwD fatalities.

• 44% of these rural fatalities are on curves

• 78% of these rural fatalities are where 

speed limits are 50 mph or higher

Credit: Bigmouse/iStock/Thinkstock

Countermeasures

• Flatten Slopes

• SafetyEdgeSM

• Rumbles

• Friction

• Barrier

Head-on RwD crashes (which 

include opposing direction 

sideswipes) result in over 3,300 

fatalities each year on rural roads, 

which is 28% of Rural RwD fatalities.

• 32% of these rural fatalities are on curves

• 84% of these rural fatalities are where 

speed limits are 50 mph or higher

Credit: skalapendra/iStock/Thinkstock

Countermeasures

• Center Line Markings

• Rumbles

• SafetyEdgeSM

• Center Buffer Area

• Median Barrier 

Tree crashes result in over 2,300 fatalities each year on rural roads, which is 19% of Rural RwD fatalities.• 50% of these rural fatalities are 

on curves

• 63% of these rural 

fatalities are where speed limits are 50 mph or higher

Credit: skalapendra/iStock/Thinkstock

Countermeasures• Removal• Maintain Clear 

Zone

• Rumbles• Friction• Barrier

LRSP Benefits• Defines and prioritizes achievable 

safety investments

• Serves as a communication tool• Supports funding applications• Creates a sustainable safety effort 

and greater awareness of road safety

• Supports development of lasting 

partnerships

• Supports reduction in severe crashes

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/

provencountermeasures/local_road/

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”-Theodore Roosevelt

Rural Roadway Departures 

account for 34% of all fatalities.

Urban

49%

Rural

RwD

34%

Rural

Other

17%

Objectives to Reduce RwD Crashes

1st - Keep vehicles on the roadway.

2nd - Reduce the potential for crashes.

3rd - Minimize the severity of crashes.

Curve crashes account for 42% of 

rural RwD fatalities.

Countermeasures

• Warning Signs

• Pavement Markings

• Friction

• Clear Zone

• Barrier

0% 20% 40% 60%

Tree

Head-On

Rollover

Curve-Related Rural

RwD Fatalities

Reduce the potential for serious 

injury and fatal roadway 

departure crashes on all public 

rural roads by increasing the 

systemic deployment of proven 

countermeasures.

Reduce the potential for serious 

injury and fatal roadway 

departure crashes on all public 

rural roads by increasing the 

systemic deployment of proven 

countermeasures.

Reduce the potential for serious 

injury and fatal roadway 

departure crashes on all public 

rural roads by increasing the 

systemic deployment of proven 

countermeasures.

Reduce the potential for serious 

injury and fatal roadway 

departure crashes on all public 

rural roads by increasing the 

systemic deployment of proven 

countermeasures.

Reduce the potential for serious 

injury and fatal roadway 

departure crashes on all public 

rural roads by increasing the 

systemic deployment of proven 

countermeasures.

Reduce the potential for serious 

injury and fatal roadway 

departure crashes on all public 

rural roads by increasing the 

systemic deployment of proven 

countermeasures.