WASHINGTON, DC (November 6, 2103) — At an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill, the Roadway Safety Foundation and the Federal Highway Administration today recognized Interstate Road Management Inc., a wholly-owned company of DBi Services, for its efforts to decrease fatalities at high-crash locations with dangerous curves on Kentucky roads.
Working with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, IRM installed high-friction surfacing treatment to reduce fatalities on horizontal curves due to road departures in a pilot program with 26 locations. Witnessing an impressive decrease in crashes at these locations, KYTC later broadened the project throughout the state to more than 100 locations.
“By studying crash data and targeting some of the most dangerous roadway curves in their state, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet made a wise, strategic investment in their roads to improve safety for all Kentuckians,” said Gregory M. Cohen, P.E., executive director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. “Their plan to install high friction surfacing treatment at dangerous curves led to a dramatic 87.4 percent reduction in crashes at those locations. This program should serve as a model to transportation agencies nationwide.”
“Without the innovation of the highway safety team with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the reduction of crashes would not have been possible,” said Richard J. Baker, market development manager, DBi Services in Richmond, Va.
“Reducing fatalities and injuries from highway crashes is a top priority of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet,” Kentucky State Highway Engineer Steve Waddle said. “High-friction surface treatment has proved to be an effective and efficient solution for a host of trouble spots on our roadways. Low cost and high return.”
National Roadway Safety Award recipients were evaluated on three criteria – innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Program categories included infrastructure improvements, operational improvements, and program planning, development, and evaluation.
Blue Ribbon Panel Judges included: Philip J. Caruso, Deputy Executive Director for Technical Programs, Institute of Transportation Engineers; Gregory M. Cohen, P.E., Executive Director, Roadway Safety Foundation; William A. Crank, Senior Community Relations Manager, Michelin North America; Anthony Giancola, P.E., Consultant, formerly of the National Association of County Engineers; Michael Griffith, Director, FHWA Office of Safety Technologies; Tony Kane, Consultant, formerly of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and Richard Pain, Transportation Safety Coordinator, Transportation Research Board.
Roadway safety programs are a critical part of the nation’s solutions to saving lives and preventing injuries on our nation’s highways. There were 32,367 people killed in traffic crashes on U.S. roads in 2011.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation present the biennial National Roadway Safety Awards to programs and projects across the nation exhibiting excellence in roadway design, operations and planning. The RSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable and educational organization solely dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the safety of America’s roadways.
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