This dissertation provides a comparison of statistical and econometric frameworks, using a previously unused freight data source, to study crash frequency by crash type and heavy-vehicle hard braking in Oregon. Hard braking can serve as a proxy for several factors, one of which is safety. Therefore, with the hard braking...
State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are the primary owners of roadway infrastructure in the United States. Many of the employees of state DOTs work on roadway work sites, putting them at disproportionately higher risks of injury or fatality. A review of the literature determined that a combination of policies, standards,...
The purpose of this study is to provide background information and examples of best practices relating to platform-train-interface (PTI) safety. The research and information obtained for this manuscript has been in association with the A-40 project funded by the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) of the National Academies. The purpose...
At signalized intersections, pedestrians are considered to be amongst the most vulnerable. When in the crosswalk at intersections without protected left-turn phasing, pedestrians are particularly at risk from left-turning vehicles. Until recently, a wide variety of indications were in use across the US to indicate a permissive left-turn condition to...
In the field of construction safety, many researchers have worked to create assessment tools. These tools focus on different aspects of construction safety, such as assessing safety climate, safety culture, etc. Although research indicates that the majority of incidents are caused by unsafe behaviors and acts, there are no comprehensive...
The author of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Part B developed a predictive method for safety management. A software tool for highway safety system analysis called the SafetyAnalyst is developed basing on HSM Part B. The author describes an effort to evaluate the feasibility of SafetyAnalyst in Oregon. Seven sample...
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may have the potential to mitigate a significant proportion of serious crashes which are due to human error or poor decision making behind the wheel. However, there are still many concerns associated with SAE Level 3 AVs that require intervention by a human driver after a take-over...
Highway construction projects require temporary changes in roadway characteristics, such as the number of operational lanes, lane path, lane width, shoulder width, and posted speed limit. These modifications which are often temporary in nature have the potential to impact driving performance. Many research efforts have focused on developing standards to...
Operating speed is one of the best performance measures that can tell transportation agencies how well or how poorly the transportation system is functioning. Fluctuating operating speeds often mean there is a design flaw or something about the physical road design that violates drivers' expectations. A primary example of this...
Over the past two decades, the Lean Construction academic and practicing engineering community has used lean practices and tools to help improve the performance of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Lean practices have led to improved competitiveness of construction companies that have adopted them, by focusing on ways...