BACKGROUND

Commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) have been overrepresented in severe-injury and fatal crashes in work zones. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), between 2018 and 2020, CMVs were involved in 13 percent of fatal crashes nationally outside of work zones, and 32 percent of fatal crashes in work zones. The issue is even more significant on rural interstate facilities, where nearly 56 percent of fatal work-zone crashes involve a CMV. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has joined the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and selected state departments of transportation (DOTs) to develop action plans to reduce CMV-related crashes. Advanced technologies, such as intelligent transportation systems and traffic control devices, can be used to reduce severe-injury crashes and fatalities related to CMVs in work zones.

OBJECTIVE

The research objective is to develop a guide for using advanced technologies to help state DOTs, public safety agencies, and the motor carrier industry reduce and mitigate the risk of CMV crashes in work zones.

RESEARCH PLAN 

PHASE I

Task 1. Perform a review of scholarly literature related to the causes of CMV work-zone crashes and identify advanced technologies used to mitigate causes. 

Task 2. Identify and document the state of the practice and prioritize readily implementable and available advanced technologies that may reduce CMV work-zone crashes. 

Task 3. Prepare a technical report describing the findings of Tasks 1 and 2. 

PHASE II 

Task 4. Identify and select advanced technologies and transportation agencies with an overrepresentation of CMV crashes in work zones to be used in case studies. 

Task 5. Based on the findings of Tasks 1 through 4, develop a practitioner’s guide describing the method for selecting and implementing advanced technologies aimed to reduce CMV crashes in work zones. 

Task 6. Develop case studies to assess advanced technologies aimed to reduce CMV crashes in work zones. 

Task 7. Prepare final deliverables, including: 

1. A final report documenting the entire research effort;
2. A practitioner’s guide on selecting and implementing advanced technologies in work zones;
3. Summaries of case study findings related to advanced technologies in work zones;
4. Prioritized recommendations for future research;
5. A logo-free PowerPoint presentation describing the background, objective, research approach, findings, and conclusions;
6. A stand-alone technical memorandum titled "implementation of research findings and products" (see special note j for additional information); and

Consideration shall be given but not limited to the following concepts or factors:

1. CMV in work-zone crash causation;
2. Barriers to the implementation of advanced technologies;
3. Advanced technology prioritization and rationale, including effectiveness and implementability;
4. Performance measures and methods used for field selection and evaluation of use cases;
5. Coordination with industry stakeholders, including state and local transportation agencies that experience overrepresentation of CMV crashes in work zones; and
6. Technological change relative to the evaluated advanced technologies at the end of the study. 

STATUS

Research in progress.