FHWA-SA-21-036

Longitudinal Rumble 

Strips and Stripes 

Longitudinal rumble strips are milled or raised elements on the pavement 

intended to alert drivers through vibration and sound that their vehicle has 

left the travel lane. They can be installed on the shoulder, edge line, or at or 

near the center line of an undivided roadway.

Rumble stripes are edge line or center line rumble strips where the 

pavement marking is placed over the rumble strip. This can increase the 

visibility and durability of the pavement marking during wet, nighttime 

conditions, and can improve the durability of the marking on roads with 

snowplowing operations.

1 Himes, S., and McGee, H. Decision Support Guide for the Installation of Shoulder and Center Line Rumble Strips 

on Non-Freeways. Federal Highway Administration Report No. FHWA-SA-16-115. (August 2016).

2 Bedsole et al. Did You Hear That? Public Roads Magazine, Volume 80, No. 4. FHWA Publication 

No. FHWA-HRT-17-002, (2017). 

3 NCHRP Synthesis 339: Centerline Rumble Strips – A Synthesis of Highway Practices, (2005

4 (CMF ID: 3358, 3356, 3425, 3648) NCHRP Report 641: Guidance for the Design 

and Application of Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips, (2009).

With roadway departure crashes 

accounting for more than half of 

the fatal roadway crashes annually 

in the United States, rumble strips 

and stripes are designed to address 

these crashes by alerting distracted, 

drowsy, or otherwise inattentive 

drivers who drift from their lane. They 

are most effective when deployed 

systemically.

Transportation agencies should 

consider milled center line rumble 

strips (including in passing zone 

areas) and milled edge line 

or shoulder rumble strips with 

bicycle gaps for systemic safety 

projects, location-specific corridor 

safety improvements, as well as 

reconstruction or resurfacing 

projects.

Considerations

• Rumble strips are relatively lowcost, and economic analyses have

indicated benefit/cost ratios that

exceed 100.1

• Where rumble strips cannot be

placed due to noise concerns,

agencies may consider a design

using an oscillating sine wave

pattern (also known as “mumble

strips”) that reduces noise outside

of the vehicle. However, the safety

benefits of this design need more

study.2

• Maintenance concerns:

• Where rumble strips are placed

along a pavement joint, there

are typically no issues with

joint stability if the pavement

structure and joint was already

in good condition.

• Studies have shown no

evidence of issues related to

snow, ice, or rain build-up in the

rumble strip.3

Shoulder rumble strips and center line rumble 

stripes are installed on this roadway. 

Source: FHWA 

Safety Benefits:

Center Line Rumble Strips

reduction in head-on fatal 

and injury crashes on 

two-lane rural roads.4

44-64%

Shoulder Rumble Strips

reduction in single vehicle, 

run-off-road fatal and 

injury crashes on two-lane 

rural roads.4

13-51%

Example of an edge line rumble stripe. 

Source: Missouri DOT

OFFICE OF SAFETY

Proven Safety 

Countermeasures

For more information on this 

and other FHWA Proven Safety 

Countermeasures, please visit 

https://highways.dot.gov/

safety/proven-safety-counter 

measures and https:// 

highways.dot.gov/safety/

rwd/keep-vehicles-road/ 

rumble-strips.