BACKGROUND

A recurring theme in tests conducted and evaluation procedures formulated over the last 40 years has been the recommendation to conduct in-service performance evaluations (ISPEs) of roadside safety features.

The laboratory performance of roadside safety hardware is tested and evaluated using criteria published in the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). The site location and installation of roadside safety hardware are guided by criteria published in the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide (RDG). ISPE criteria have become available under NCHRP Research Report 1010: In-Service Performance Evaluation: Guidelines for the Assembly and Analysis of Data. 

Research is needed to develop guidelines, at the national level, for defining acceptable field performance of roadside safety hardware.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop ISPE guidelines to define and recommend nationally acceptable field performance criteria for roadside safety hardware based on NCHRP Research Report 1010.

STATUS: Research in progress.