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- [Announcer] Roadway departure crashes

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resulting from a vehicle
crossing an edge or center line,

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accounted for over 45% of
all fatal crashes in Texas

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from 2010 to 2016.

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The Texas A&M Transportation Institute

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and the Texas Department of Transportation

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evaluated ways to improve
roadway safety devices

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to help make travel safer

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for the ever-changing types of vehicles

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and conditions experienced by drivers.

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- So roadside safety is really an aspect

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that many motorists or general citizens

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don't really think about too much.

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So we're trying to design those guardrails

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and those bridge rails

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and those devices on the side of the road

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so that they're there if
you happen to need them.

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So if a motorist for whatever
reason leaves the roadway,

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we're going to hopefully help prevent

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a serious injury crash from occurring

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by shielding them from those
obstacles on the roadside.

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- A couple of things that
were tested under this project

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were luminaire poles, we
tested luminaire poles.

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They hadn't been tested

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to the current crash
testing standards yet,

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so we took the initiative
and tested those.

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Some of the news was good.

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We got some passing and some failing,

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but we got good information

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and we know that we can
move forward from here.

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- This project was a little bit unusual

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in that it was kind of a
task order driven project.

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So it was the TxDOT Bridge Design

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Maintenance and Traffic Safety Divisions

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that helped identify
the high priority needs

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in the roadside safety area

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that we addressed under this project.

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So there were a variety
of different aspects

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that were studied.

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- We did find a safe taper
rate for the concrete barriers.

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We found a way to taper the barrier

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a rate which was safe and
that we wouldn't endanger

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the traveling public and we
won't endanger the workers.

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So we can keep the workers safe

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and we don't increase risk for
the traveling public either.

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- The research process largely involved

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engineering analysis, finite
element computer modeling

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and simulation, and full
scale crash testing.

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And the full scale crash
testing was conducted

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at the TTI Proving Grounds

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on the Texas A&M University
System RELLIS Campus.

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- I think there were several
things that were tested

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that will be implemented soon.

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probably within the next year.

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We'll have standard sheets for some,

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we'll have policies
implemented for others,

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and we'll have further
research for others.

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The luminaire light poles
will have further research

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that we will probably
implement within the next year.

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And the concrete barrier tapering,

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we'll probably issue a standard,

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or we might issue policy changes

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through the Roadway Design Manual.

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- The key benefit of this project

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is trying to reduce those serious injuries

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and fatalities that are resulting

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from those roadway departure crashes.

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And so through the
implementation of these devices,

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you know, we hope to have a
positive influence on that,

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towards that road to zero fatalities.

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Some of the devices that we develop though

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also help reduce cost
or improve operations,

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so there's different aspects

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depending on the particular
device being studied.

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TxDOT continues to be a
leader in roadside safety.

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They're very proactive in that area.

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It was a pleasure being able
to collaborate with them

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and the different
divisions on this project

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and addressing those high
priority roadside safety needs.

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- TxDOT has been able to
prioritize those things

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that we have identified

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and we've been able to test those things.

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Hopefully these things will be of use

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to many departments of
transportation across the nation.

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We're the first to test
many of these things

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that have been tested under this project,

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and historically, once we
release the the research,

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they will be used by

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many, many different
transportation agencies.

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- [Announcer] For more information

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and to find the publication
for this project,

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please visit the TxDOT research library

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at the link shown below.