Highways, Energy and the Environment

How does highways/roads affect the environment?

- building highways leads to:
 Direct destruction and removal of existing ecosystems
Note: Ecosystems are biological community of interacting organisms
Development damage the natural assets of environment/wildlife.
 Reconfiguration of local land forms (urbanization)
 Disruption of natural processes
(includes natural hydrology, animal migration patterns)
 Air pollution
(vehicle emission of atmospheric pollutants)
(negative health impacts to the community)
(vehicles are increasing in numbers)
 Contaminant toxicity

Energy consumption of highways

- the amount of electrical energy, natural gas, oil, propane or other fuel consumed. It
also applies to utility services, which require energy to be consumed to supply the services
to the highway systems.
(highways are provided with electrical systems e.g. streetlights and other needed
equipments)
(energy consumption also pertaining to petroleum use to power up vehicles)

Example:
• In the U.S., highway transportation is responsible for roughly 60 % of all petroleum
consumption (12 million barrels of oil a day).
• In terms of emission impacts, highway transportation is responsible for 25% of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions.

Highway travel is responsible for:

 35% of all nitrous oxide emissions (Nox)
 25% of volatile oganic compound emissions (VOC)
(both NOX and VOC are major contributors to the formation of ozone)
 More than 50% of all carbon dioxide (CO) emissions in the U.S.
 Producing fine particulate matter (2.5 microns or smaller, PM2.5), which is a known
carcinogen.
Note: carcinogen is a substance capable of causing cancer

Supply Chains and Economic Development

What is a Supply Chain?
 - A supply chain is a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute
a specific product to the final buyer. The supply chain also represents the steps it takes to
get the product or service from its original state to the customer. Raw materials
Most manufacturing industries nowadays rely on just-in-time (JIT) system.
What is Just-in-Time (JIT)?
- The just-in-time (JIT) inventory system is a management strategy that aligns raw-material
orders from suppliers directly with production schedules. Precission
The Relevance of Highways in the context of Economic Development
- it has long been recognized that highway construction and improvements to the highway
network can positively influence economic development. Such improvements can increase
accessibility and thus attract new industries and spur local economies.
Highway infrastructures can affect economy in a number of ways:
• It can enable producers to reach markets more cheaply and to increase the size of their
market area.
• It can increase the speed with which producers can reach markets.
• It can enable workers to choose among a wider array of employment opportunities.
• It can enable producers to have a broader choice of suppliers and vice versa. Producers
can get to choose their suppliers and suppliers also can choose which producers they will
supply and/or suppliers can supply multiple producers.
Introduction of Transportation Planning and Engineering
Transportation
 the action of transporting someone or something or the process of being
transported
 plays a big role in the development of humanity
 road networks have been helpful since ancient times for trade and commerce as it does up
until today
 without the ability to transport manufactured goods and raw materials and without technical
know-how, a country is unable to maximize the comparative advantage it may have in the form
of natural or human
resources
 countries that lack an abundance of natural resources rely heavily on transportation in order
to import raw materials and export manufactured products
Transportation Planning
 primary step for all transportation engineering projects that involves establishing the
operating parameters of a project, environmental issues, special disciplines that will be
required and data collection needs for modelling and forecasting.
 is as important for small, neighborhood-level projects as it is for large projects that involve
multiple modes of transport
 transportation planning is the preparation of transportation systems such as highways and
traffic facilities
the main purpose of transportation planning is to improve the safety and comfort of people and
animals on the most efficient transportation systems
 the purpose of transportation planning is to guarantee the safety and efficiency of a person
or animal’s travel from Point A to Point B.
 its purpose also includes identifying multiple options for transportation, identifying outlying
problems to a transportation system, identifying solutions to those identified problems,
recalling the purpose of the construction design, and optimization of existing transportation
systems and structural design
Importance of Transportation Planning
 obsolete road designs, roadside hazards, and substandard road conditions are the cause or
are related to the cause of nearly a third of
highway fatalities
 effective transport in urban areas is essential to the accessibility of land, the productivity
and growth of economics, an effective standard of living, and the overall environment of the
city
Transportation Engineering
 primarily involves planning, design, construction, maintenance,
and
operation of transportation facilities
employed in order to provide for a safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and
environmentally compatible movement of people and goods
  determines the size and capacity for required transportation system, the materials and
thickness of pavement needed, and the design geometry of a roadway or a railway
 determines when new infrastructure is required or when an existing infrastructure needs to
be updated to meet the growing demand of users
 it is under civil engineering sector that focuses on the bigger picture by taking into account
infrastructures such as bridges, roads, and rails
 focuses on safe and efficient movement of people and goods through the use of
infrastructure systems
Traffic Engineering
 falls under transportation engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve safe and
efficient movement of people and goods on roadways
 the phase of engineering that deals with the planning, geometric design and traffic
operations of roads, streets, and highways, their networks, terminals, abutting lands, and
relationships with other modes of
transportation
 traffic engineers are highly trained and experienced in understanding and changing
technical aspects in road design
traffic engineers are also required to have proficient working knowledge of data analysis,
modelling for predicting future traffic growth, simulations, and problem solving for assessing
accident reports and traffic flow reports.
Efficient Transport System
 the speed, cost, and capacity of available transportation have a significant impact on the
economic vitality of an area and the ability to make maximum use of its natural resources
 thus, efficient transportation systems must enable the movement of people and goods while
minimizing time, cost, and energy.
PASSENGER TRANPORTATION MODES AND TRAFFIC CONGESTIONS

 Transportation mode refers to different ways by which goods or people are transported from
one place to the other through land, air or sea.

 THE FOUR MAJOR MODE OF TRANSPORTATION:

a) Road Ways
b) Rail Ways
c) Water Ways
d) Air Ways

 These most common five modes of transport are: railways, roadways, airways,

waterways and pipelines. 

 Of the available urban transportation modes, private vehicles offer an unequaled level of
mobility.

 , Over this same period, the single-occupant private vehicle has been such a dominant
choice that travelers have been willing to pay substantial capital and operating costs.

 In the last 50 years, the percentage of trips taken in private vehicles has risen from slightly
less than 70 percent to over 90 percent.
  the average private-vehicle occupancy has dropped from 1.22 to 1.09 persons per vehicle.

 Traffic congestion that has arisen as a result of extensive private-vehicle use and low-
vehicle occupancy presents a perplexing problem.

 programs aimed at reducing congestion by encouraging travelers to take alternate modes

of transportation or increasing vehicle occupancy can be considered viable options.

 such programs have the adverse effect of directing people toward travel modes that
inherently provide lower levels of mobility because no other mode offers the departure-time
and destination-choice flexibility provided by private, single-occupant vehicles.

 Managing traffic congestion is an extremely complex problem with significant economic,

social, environmental, and political implications.

TRANSPORTATION AS A SYSTEM

What is transportation system?

the term “transportation system” is used to refer to the equipment and logistics of
transporting passengers and goods. transport systems are composed of infrastructures, modes,
and terminals.
Infrastructures

The physical underpinning of a country that support activities and transportation, such as roads,
railways, electrical systems, and so on.
It is the direction that we will use in the transportation system.

Modes
transport modes are designed to either carry passengers or freight, but most modes can carry a
combination of both.

Terminal
Any location where freight and passengers either originate, terminate, or are handled in the
transportation process.
Basically, it is the start and the end of the transportation system.

They enable individuals, institutions, corporations, regions, and nations to interact and assume
economic, social, cultural, or political activities.
Transportation system really help us in our daily life.

The dominant transportation system

 ◦ Highways are the dominant mode of most passenger and freight movements. - highways
account for about 90 percent of all passenger-miles.
- commercial trucks account for about 37 percent of the freight ton-miles and, because
commercial trucks transport higher-valued goods than other modes of transportation, nearly
80 percent of the dollar value of all goods is transported by commercial trucks
There are critical interfaces among the various transportation modes.

For example, many air, rail, water and pipeline freight movements involve highway transportation
at some point for their initial collection and final distribution.

WHAT IS DEMOGRAPHIC TREND?

 DEMOGRAPHIC – The distinct characteristics of a population such as age, sex, education,

ethnicity, or religion.

 Demographics are statistical data that researchers use to study groups of humans. Mostly
large companies conduct demographic research to determine how to market their product
or service and best market to their target audience. It makes a certain generalization of a
group.

 DEMOGRAPHIC TREND - The change in the characteristics of a population over time.

 When we say trend, it is a change or development towards something new or different. As

the saying goes, the only constant thing in this world is change. The age segmentation in a
certain group won’t be forever under the age of young adults as it could change into middle-
aged adults and vice-versa anytime, depending on the circumstances.

HOW DOES IT RELATE TO TRANSPORTATION?

 Travelers’ commuting patterns (which lead to traffic congestion) are tied with such
socioeconomic characteristics as age, income, household size, education, and job type, as
well as the distribution of residential, commercial, and industrial developments within the
region.

 Transportation and demographic go hand in hand. To further elaborate this and show you
how these trends change from time to time and how it correlates with transportation, I will
be discussing three points which are the LOCATION, AGE, and GENDER. These three are
all variables of demographic.

 LOCATION

 Population shift from the central cities to the suburbs has been made possible by the
increased mobility provided by the major highway projects.

This mobility enabled people to improve their quality of life by gaining access to affordable
housing and land, while still being able to get to jobs in the central city with acceptable
travel times.

 However, when the traffic congestion grew in the metro, people realize that it’d be better to
reside on the metro to save time spent on traffic or opt for public transportation. And here
comes the emergence of another trend in which,  Employment centers have developed in
the suburbs.
 So there’s now the suburb-to-suburb only commute, which is way more convenient than
commuting from the suburb-to-city.

 The result is a continuing tendency toward low-density, privatevehicle based development

as people seek to retain the high quality of life associated with such development.

 Ongoing demographic trends also present engineers with an evermoving target that further
complicates the problem of providing mobility and safety.

Of course, people will always opt for what is convenient. Thus, the trend continues until people
are satisfied with their way of living making it also more challenging for engineers to ensure
that both mobility, quality, and safety are met in every shift of trends.

One common example of this, although it’s not yet seen and felt, is the Davao-Samal Bridge
project. Maybe a lot of people are not that interested to reside or buy properties in Samal
before since the mode of transportation is limited, but when the news of this proposed project
broke out, people might have considered buying properties since there are now only few and
very costly lands left. And from then onwards, especially if the project is finished, maybe
there’d be a rapid growth in population in Samal and who knows what kind of trend would
emerge from then.

 AGE

 The rising age of the U.S. population that has resulted from population group (of baby
boomers) and advances in medical technology that prolong life. There are now so many
elderlies that engineers are putting them into consideration by changing highway designs
that would accommodate them and ensure their safety.

 GENDER

 The cities are not designed to be gender-neutral, even so transportation, that is highly
dominated by men. This results to insecurity and fear of physical or sexual violence in
public spaces and when using public transportation that limit the everyday movement of
women.

 Fortunately, in some cities around the globe, women now are being represented and are
taken into account in urban and transportation planning.

 The greatest impact on transport demand arises from population growth, the increase in
number of households and their location and associated levels of economic activity. A key
challenge is to predict likely changes in living and mobility patterns by looking into the
demographic trends.

TOPIC: Highway Transportation and the Human Element

Highway Transportation System
- Where passengers are present to go from point A to point of
destination. Also, where shipping/transporting of goods/materials
happen.
Passenger Options
Single occupant private vehicles
▪ Bicycle
▪ One seater car
Multi-occupant private vehicles
▪ 2 or more-seater car
▪ Motorcycle
Public Transportation Modes
▪ Bus
▪ Jeepney
▪ Taxi
Highway related projects
• Pavement design
• Traffic monitoring system
• Ongoing construction and/or reconstruction of highway roads
• Maintenance
Highway Policies
• Speed Limit
• Overtaking
• Use of seatbelt

Effects of highway related projects and policies on the individual highway modes of travel
• Distribution of travel among modes will strongly influence overall
highwaysystem performance. o Traffic o Safety
Important Considerations
• Demographic Trend
- Relating to the population o Socioeconomic characteristics
▪ Age
▪ Job
▪ Income

• Highway safety o Taking into account the highway design and

operation so that it will not lead to:
▪ Loss of life
▪ Injuries
▪ Property damage
What can we do to avoid/lessen these accidents?
▪ Improve highway design
▪ Vehicle occupant protection
 • safety belts
• padded dashboards
• collapsible steering columns driver
• passenger-side airbags
• improved bumper design

HIGHWAY SAFETY
Highway safety or road traffic safety are the measures and methods used to reduce or prevent
road users from being killed or injured. Highway safety improvement gathers the nearest accurate
data to address crash factors and select counter measures that is cost-effective.

Economic Cost of Road Accidents:

• According to World Health Organization (2021), there is approximately 1.3 million
people die each year due to road traffic crashes.
• Road traffic cost most 3% of the gross domestic product.
 • Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young aged 5-29
years old.
• Indirect costs result in loss of national income due to the loss of productivity and
labour hours of the human capital (Damien, 1994; Jagnoor et al., 2015).
• Connelly and Supangun (2006) measured economic costs of road accidents in
Australia and have shown that the annual costs of road traffic crash were approximately
2.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), whereas the costs range from 0.62 per
cent to 3.63 per cent of gross state products. Elvik (2000) also measured the costs taking
12 countries into the consideration and found that, on average, the total costs of road
accidents, including an economic valuation of loss of quality of life, are estimated to about
2.5 per cent of gross national product.
• Households become vulnerable and likely take the characteristics of poverty when
the breadwinners are affected by this disaster, which could be seen as a leakage in the
stock of human capital because a striking fact emphasized here is that the majority of the
victims fall under the category of the active labour force (Nitin & Adnan, 2006).
• . In addition to the direct and indirect costs, the consequences of road accidents
also have physical and emotional implications (Atubi & Gbadamosi, 2015).
• Emotional effect includes distress, post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, anxiety
etc. (STL legal resources)
• It was discovered that in fatal accidents, 73 % percent of its costs are due to lost
income of fatalities and permanent disabilities. Amounting to PhP 2,532,250 per fatal
accident, this discrepancy produces a ripple effect on the victims’ dependents.
• CEBU CITY—Road crashes in the Philippines not only kill dozens of people but also
cost at least P105.7 billion every year, according to a road safety nongovernment
torganization.

List of Causes Leading to Road Accident: World Health Organization (2018) 1-Unsafe Road
Infrastructure:
The design of roads can have a considerable impact on their safety. Ideally, roads should be
designed keeping in mind the safety of all road users. This would mean making sure that there
are adequate facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Measures such as footpaths,
cycling lanes, safe crossing points, and other traffic calming measures can be critical to reducing
the risk of injury among these road users.
• -Too steep, inadequate road lights, inadequate road signage, pat holes, slick roads,
intersection blindspot, unsafe turning roads

2-Nonuse of motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints

• -Correct helmet use can lead to a 42% reduction in the risk of fatal injuries and a
69% reduction in the risk of head injuries.
• -Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of death among drivers and front seat
occupants by 45 - 50%, and the risk of death and serious injuries among rear seat
occupants by 25%.
• -The use of child restraints can lead to a 60% reduction in deaths.
3- Speeding
An increase in average speed is directly related both to the likelihood of a crash occurring and to
the severity of the consequences of the crash. For example, every 1% increase in mean speed
produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk. The
death risk for pedestrians hit by car fronts rises rapidly (4.5 times from 50 km/h to 65 km/h). In
car-to-car side impacts the fatality risk for car occupants is 85% at 65 km/h.

4- Unsafe vehicles
• Safe vehicles play a critical role in averting crashes and reducing the likelihood of serious
injury.
• Most people buy vehicle based on style and function but now consider the safety feature
guaranteed by vehicle model 5-Under influence of alcohol/ Drugs
• Drinking and driving increases the risk being prone accident as it increases aggressiveness
of drivers.
6-Fatigue
• Over fatigue can lead to loss on focus and become sleepy leading to accident
7-Distracted Driving
• There are many types of distractions that can lead to impaired drivingDrivers using mobile
phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not
using a mobile phone. Using a phone while driving slows reaction times (notably braking
reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), and makes it difficult to keep in the
correct lane, and to keep the correct following distances.

8-Inadequate law enforcement of traffic laws

If traffic laws on drink-driving, seat-belt wearing, speed limits, helmets, and child restraints are not
enforced, they cannot bring about the expected reduction in road traffic fatalities and injuries
related to specific behaviours. Thus, if traffic laws are not enforced or are perceived as not being
enforced it is likely they will not be complied with and therefore will have very little chance of
influencing behaviour. Effective enforcement includes establishing, regularly updating, and
enforcing laws at the national, municipal, and local levels that address the above mentioned risk
factors. It includes also the definition of appropriate penalties.

9-Inadequate post-crash care

Delays in detecting and providing care for those involved in a road traffic crash increase the
severity of injuries. Care of injuries after a crash has occurred is extremely time-sensitive, delays
of minutes can make the difference between life and death. Improving post-crash care requires
ensuring access to timely prehospital care, and improving the quality of both prehospital and
hospital care, such as through specialist training programmes.

Alternative Solutions Technical:

 • Adequate traffic lights,traffic signals, signages, median barriers, visible turning lanes, better
intersection design, roundabouts (rotunda), rumbles, airbags, seatbelts, helmets, vehicle
safety features.
Behavioral:
• Avoid using cellphone, talking to passenger, alcohol influence, fatigue, drugs,
overspeeding, respect traffic, avoid frequent changing lanes, bumper to bumper distance,
proper signaling, be patient.

INFRASTRUCTURE TECHNOLOGIES

• Investments in highway infrastructure have been made continuously throughout the

20th and 21st centuries.
• These investments varied over the years in response to need and priorities.
o Programs and projects related to transportation infrastructures or system and in
general to be proposed and implemented by the government or non-government
agencies consider other fields of aspects that needs to be given attention or
prioritized – political and national priorities.
o As we all know, we are in a pandemic and the government needs to provide budget
for the projects and programs for the required protocols to follow.
o Expenses for the vaccines, facilities to be used, utilities needed in the process,
hazard pay for certain individuals at work especially the frontliners, and other more
need to be prioritize in these times for everyone’s safety.
o The above mentioned does not completely disregard the need to improve our
transportation infrastructures and others as long as the government, agencies,
cooperation, and or institutions have enough budget or fund for such and that the
certain problem needs abrupt solution for the betterness of the society.
• In the U.S., an extraordinary capital investment in highways during the 1960s and
1970s was undertaken by constructing the interstate highway system and upgrading and
constructing many other highways.
o The Interstate Highway System was launched when President Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.
o Its purpose was to provide high-speed, high-capacity system of highways without
stoplights and with exits spaced, whenever possible, at least a mile apart.
o At $459 billion, this American project (Interstate Highway System) connecting more
than 47,000 miles of highway is the most expensive construction project to date.
 o It was seen as critical to national defense, providing more routes for access and
egress under war conditions.
• It is difficult to imagine, in today’s economic and political environment, that a project
of the magnitude of the interstate highway system would ever be seriously considered.
• This is because of the prohibitive costs associated with land acquisition and
construction and the community and environmental impacts that would result.

o The average costs of urban and rural freeways/highways were around $5.4 million
per lane kilometer.

o The average costs of rural arterials were around $3.8 million per lane kilometer.

o In order to build transportation infrastructure, natural land must be converted for

development. This results in a loss of natural land, which animals and plants rely on
for survival. Animals are often forced to move to a different location.

o In addition to removing natural habitats, while building transportation infrastructure,

there is also an increased risk of pollution due to the increased abundance of work
vehicles and machines.

• Highways are long-lasting investments that require maintenance and rehabilitation at

regular intervals
• Although there are sometimes compelling reasons to defer maintenance and
rehabilitation (including the associated construction costs and the impact of the
reconstruction on traffic), such deferral can result in unacceptable losses in mobility and
safety as well as more costly rehabilitation later.
o Maintenance operations of large extent required at intervals of several years,
generally at interval of 6 years in case of black top and 4 years in case of gravel road
depending upon the volume traffic.
• There is a strong emphasis on developing and applying new technologies to more
economically construct and extend the life of new facilities and to effectively combat an
aging highway infrastructure.
o Usage of innovative materials, automation and machine control technologies in the
construction sector is encouraged worldwide in order to improve efficiency and lower
the impact on environment.
o Developed countries are already seeing benefits of this, such as higher productivity,
controlled costs, high rate of predictability, efficiency, quality, safety etc.
o In addition, it is also helping them keep projects on track and complete them in time,
that too at higher quality standards
 o Some of the materials used by scientists around the world in developing the self-
healing asphalt are: Steel fibres, iron oxide nanoparticles, capheal (sunflower oil
microcapsules), self-healing roads withstand heavy rains.
• Technological advances are essential elements in the future of highway
infrastructure.
o Since we are now living in a technological world, we should be able to think of a way
on how to effectively use this advancement in transportation infrastructures and in
other field of construction or professions towards human development.

VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES

evolved slowly and often in response to mild trends in the vehicle market as
opposed to an underlying trend toward technological development.
- as per the word “vehicle technologies” we can already picture out something
from it, like the evolution of our vehicles from the past to the present or even the
future
▪ 3 Factors that began the cycle of unparalleled advances in vehicle technology
1. Government regulations on air quality, fuel efficiency, and vehicleoccupant safety.
2. Energy shortages and fuel-price increases.

3. Intense competition among vehicle manufacturers (foreign and domestic).

o The aggregate effect of these factors has been vehicle consumers that demand new
technology at highly competitive prices.
o Therefore, vehicle manufacturers have found it necessary to reallocate resources and to
restructure manufacturing and inventory control processes to meet this demand.
▪ In recent years, consumer demand and competition among vehicle manufacturers has
resulted in the widespread implementation of new technologies including:
i. supplemental restraint systems - is basically an air-bag system, wherein it offers an
individual protection beyond the seatbelt in the event of a collision. In the event of a
crash, the supplemental restraint system will tell the airbag to go off and open. Airbags
will help to prevent the driver and/or passenger from going through the windshield.
Side-impact airbags are also fitted to protect the upper body and head during a
sideways impact.
ii. anti-lock brake systems - helps prevent wheels from completely locking up, thus,
allowing the driver to steer to safety. The ABS system includes speed sensors
attached to all the wheels. When the sensors detect that a wheel is about to lock up, a
 modulator unit partially releases the brake pad on that wheel. This way, the wheels will
be allowed to spin intermittently during braking.
iii. traction control systems - help accelerate and prevent wheel slippage (or

“over-spinning”) when driving on slippery surfaces. Its basic purpose is to detect when
a tire loses grip, causing the wheel to spin, and then work to stop or slow down the rate of
spin. If the ABS sensors detect that a wheel is spinning, the vehicle’s on-board computer will
momentarily cut the engine’s output to allow the wheel to slow and, ideally, regain traction. iv.
electronic stability control - helps prevent a vehicle from skidding – and the driver from
losing control of his or her vehicle – when turning a corner, braking sharply, or making a
sudden maneuver. ESC technology automatically activates the brakes to help steer the
vehicle in the right direction.
v. a host of other applications of new technologies to improve the safety and comfort in
highway vehicles o So, it is undeniable that the combination of consumer demand and intense
competition in the vehicle industry will continue to spur vehicle technological innovations.
o Evolving vehicle technologies play a critical role in the highway system. Such
technologies directly influence highway design and traffic operations and are
critical considerations in providing high levels of mobility and safety.
o It is essential that highway engineers understand how vehicle design and
technology are interrelated with highway design and operation.

Introduction on Transportation Safety and Its Evolving Technology

What is transportation safety

Transportation safety is concerned with the protection of life and property through regulation,
management, and technology development of all forms of transportation.

Why is Transportation Safety Important?

Understanding the importance of transportation safety is very important. Here are some reasons
for maintaining safety as a priority-

• Traffic accidents are one of the major reasons behind unnatural deaths in all around the
world.
• A Transport vehicle is always at a risk, once it moves out from the office.
• Any misshapen on the road is harmful for driver, vehicle, company and customer all. It
badly affects all of them physically, financially and mentally.

What are the common issues in transportation industry?

Driving without awareness and distracted driving
Distracted driving is caused by multitasking. Basic, attentive driving requires drivers to steer,
monitor speed, brake safely, and watch for other vehicles. Trying to do anything else, such as
talking on the phone or even letting your mind wander, takes your attention away from the road
and its dangers.
Slips and falls
Keep in mind that even though you are a veteran at driving, slippery surfaces don’t discriminate
based on the number of years on the job. Many trucks are equipped with several anti-slip features,
but these typically fail to eliminate the problem.
Failure to conduct proper walkarounds
Bad weather or being in a hurry can tempt many drivers to rush through vehicle inspections.
However, walkarounds are essential, as performing haphazard vehicle inspections can lead to
essential issues going unnoticed.
Other drivers
Many companies with extensive fleets conduct driver safety training. But when people feel rushed
or annoyed by other drivers, they’re more likely to ignore their training, take unnecessary risks, or
forget that driving is an extremely risky activity.
Fatigue
Fatigue slows down reaction times, lowers attention and concentration levels, and increases
errors. When drivers are fatigued they’re much more likely to become distracted or stressed, or
take their eyes off the road.
Changing conditions
Failure to recognize changing environmental and road conditions, accidents, or reduced visibility
can all stem from driver inattention and complacency.

The evolution of transportation safety on roads

Indicators
Mechanical turning signals were developed earlier, and before those, hand signals were used to
indicate your intentions to other drivers.
Lap Seatbelt
The lap seatbelt is also referred to as a “two-point” seatbelt, as it extended across the waist from
one side of a person to the other. The concept is similar to the modern-day aircraft seatbelt. This
design was invented in the early 1900s.
Three-pointed seatbelt
The three-point seatbelt is just that: a belt that is, in appearance, a combination of the lap belt
combined with a diagonal ‘sash’ belt. The three-point seat belt standard is in most vehicles today.
It was introduced in 1959
Road sign
Around 1908, the city realised the sheer volume of people driving around with no experience and
no boundaries.
Traffic lights
Traffic police would control the flow of traffic until 1914 when the first set of red and green traffic
lights were successfully installed in Cleveland, Ohio. The first three-colour traffic light was invented
by police officer William Potts in Detroit, Michigan in 1920.
Air bags
 The idea was first conceived in 1941, and a decade later, American John W Getrick patented the
first airbag use. In the US, all cars produced after 1998 require airbags. Since, then, an average of
2000 lives a year are saved by airbags.
Reverse Cameras
Rear-facing technology is a great tool for those of us who rely on a little more help when reversing
and parking.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth technology lets us answer calls and change the music without looking away from the
road or taking our hands off the wheel.

Traffic Control Technologies

Intersection traffic signals are a familiar traffic-control technology. At signalized intersections, the trade-off between
mobility and safety is brought into sharp focus.

Traffic signal management objectives.

Description

1 Provide facilities at traffic signals to accommodate all road users safely and efficiently
(including transit, pedestrians and bicycles in addition to other vehicles)

2 Keep the signal operation appropriate for the current traffic conditions and consistent with current
operational policies

3 Operate traffic signal system at its maximum efficiency within the context of a balanced, multimodal
operation, as described in current operational policies

4 Undertake maintenance in a cost-effective manner

5 Cooperatively coordinate with neighbor agencies to develop and implement regional solutions to
traffic problems related to regional issues

6 Design traffic signal system elements that are sustainable in a fiscally responsible manner

7 Maintain the traffic signal system so it always operates as intended

8 Maintain a traffic signal infrastructure that is appropriate for accommodating current mobility goals
9 Inform and educate all stakeholders of the challenge to maintain a modal balance and superior
service.

10 Keep the community fully informed about the development and operation of the traffic signal system
so they understand what we do and why we do what we do, so they can judge for themselves how
well we are satisfying their needs.

Design traffic signal system elements that are sustainable in a fiscally responsible manner.

• Preserve the traffic signal system so it always operates as intended.

• Sustain a traffic signal infrastructure that is appropriate for accommodating current mobility goals.
• Inform and educate all stakeholders of the challenge to maintain a modal balance and superior service.
• Keep the community fully informed about the development and operation of the traffic signal system so they
understand what we do and why we do what we do, so they can judge for themselves how well we are
satisfying their needs.
• Increase traffic flows.
• Improve capacity allocation.
• Advance pedestrian service

The benefits of Active Traffic Management systems include:

• Increases in average throughput for congested periods.

• Increases in overall capacity of 3% to 22%.
• Decreases in primary incidents of 3% to 30% – and in secondary incidents of 40% to 50%.
• Overall harmonization of speeds during congested periods.
• Decreased headways and more uniform driver behavior.
• Increase in journey time reliability.
• The ability to delay the onset of flow breakdown with stop-start conditions.

Traffic Control methods include:

Urban Traffic Control (UTC), with:

• Optimal/adaptive signal control (where signal timing is adjusted in realtime to accommodate detected
changes in traffic patterns).
• Public transport (transit) signal priority or emergency vehicle signal preemption.
• Arterial traffic signals.
Motorway control systems, including:
 • Ramp metering (to control the rate of traffic entering a motorway or other high capacity limited-access road)
• Variable speed limits to optimize traffic flow and prevent breakdown.

What is a traffic control device?

Traffic control devices direct, guide, and inform drivers by offering visual or tactile indicators.

Devices fall into four main categories:

• Signs
• Signals
• Road design and marking
• and barriers or channelizers

Types of traffic control devices on public roads

Public roads use a wide selection of traffic control tools which can be adapted to smaller facilities. However, on
public roads,

• Driver focus tends to be on signs and signals.

• In smaller facilities, pavement markings and barriers may take a greater share of the load.

Common control techniques

• Traffic signal controllers are electronic devices located at intersections that control the sequence of the
lights.
• Computers
• Communications equipment, and detectors to count and measure traffic,
• The controllers are frequently grouped together to control large numbers of traffic signals, either at
intersections in a city or on ramps approaching expressways and motorways.