OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY EFFECTS OF DRIVING ON PAVED SHOULDERS IN TEXAS

Paved shoulders in Texas are used by many drivers for making a large variety of traffic maneuvers and for satisfying numerous driving task demands. Unfortunately, there is little information as to the types and frequencies of this usage and the impacts and conditions under which they occur. This report documents research that was directed at providing answers to these questions. A combination questionnaire and personal interview technique was used to gain additional insight into this issue. The study also investigated driver preferences for and experiences with shoulder usage. Accident histories were determined for three different types of rural Texas highways - two-lane without paved shoulder roadways, two-lane with paved shoulder roadways and undivided four-lane without paved shoulder roadways. Data were collected on 21,000 vehicles at 18 different sites. Recommendations for more efficiently utilizing and controlling paved shoulder usage are presented.