Study Details

Study Title: Estimating Safety Effects of Adaptive Signal Control Technology using the Empirical Bayes Method

Authors: Khattak et al.

Publication Date: 2018

Abstract: Adaptive signal control technology (ASCT) has long been investigated for its operational benefits, but the safety impacts of this technology are still unclear. The main purpose of this study was to determine the safety effect of ASCT at urban/suburban intersections by assessing two different systems. Crash data for 41 intersections from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), along with crash frequencies computed through Safety Performance Functions (SPFs), were used to perform the Empirical Bayes (E-B) method to develop crash modification factors (CMF) for ASCT. Moreover, a crash type analysis was conducted to examine the safety impact of ASCT on a regional scale and the variation of safety among type of crashes observed. The results from this study indicated the potential of ASCT to reduce crashes since the Crash Modification Factor (CMF) values for both ASCT systems (SURTRAC and InSync) showed significant reductions in crashes. Average CMF values of 0.87 and 0.64 were observed for total and fatal and injury crash categories at a 95% confidence level, and results were consistent between systems. While a reduction in the proportion of rear end crashes was observed, the change was not determined to be statistically significant. The overall distribution of crash types did not change significantly when ASCT was deployed. Conclusion and practical application: The results indicate that safety benefits of ASCT were generally consistent across systems, which should aid agencies in making future deployment decisions on ASCT.

Study Citation: Khattak, Z.H., M.J. Magalotti, and M.D. Fontaine. "Estimating safety effects of adaptive signal control technology using the Empirical Bayes method." Journal of Safety Research, Vol. 64 (2017) pp. 121-128.

Study Report: Download the Study Report Document


CMFs Associated With This Study

Category: Intersection traffic control

Countermeasure: Install adaptive traffic signal control

CMF CRF(%)QualityCrash TypeCrash SeverityRoadway TypeArea Type
0.87133 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.64363 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.89112 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.6403 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.86143 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.66343 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.77233 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.6403 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.78223 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.45553 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.67333 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.5503 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
1.04-43 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.6403 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.79213 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.82183 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.2803 StarsMultiple vehicleAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.22783 StarsMultiple vehicleK,A,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban