Analysis of Crash Frequency in Work Zones with Focus on Police Enforcement

Abstract

Highway work zone safety has been a concern nationwide and will likely draw ever increasing attention as more highway funds are invested in the maintenance of existing highways. To improve work zone safety, the Indiana Department of Transportation (DOT) established a special fund for work zone patrolling, and this study was commissioned to help the Indiana DOT achieve the maximum safety benefits within its budget constraint. With help from the Indiana DOT, a survey of project engineers was conducted to collect work zone information. The findings from the survey were linked with other available data. A random-effect negative binomial model was developed to identify the contributing factors and to estimate crash frequency in highway work zones. The results from the model provided insight for better understanding of crashes in work zones. Various factors, including roadway information, traffic volume, work zone–specific features, and police presence, were identified as things that affect crash frequency in work zones. These and other findings will be used to plan police enforcement activities in future Indiana DOT work zones.