Research Helps Local Agencies Predict Accidents to Make Rural Highways Safer

New data collection methods and computing techniques are powerful tools for improving the safety of the nation’s roads. Researchers and road agencies use those tools to predict accidents so they can focus efforts on designing highways and making improvements that minimize crashes.

Researchers at the University of Wyoming, a member of the Region 8 Mountain-Plains Consortium led by North Dakota State University, have developed procedures that allow those general tools to be calibrated so that their predictions are more accurate for roadways with unique properties and conditions like those found in the Great Plains and Intermountain West.