• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Join Listserv
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Transportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Flagger
    • Online Courses
    • Toolboxes
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
    • COVID-19 Guidance
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Listserv
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Dousing a Burn: Evidence Shows Steady Warning Light is Ineffective

Author/Presenter: Gates, Timothy J.; Savolainen, Peter T.; Datta, Tapan K.; Nannapaneni, Prasad
Abstract:

Work zone channelization devices provide invaluable information to motorists on what to expect ahead. Even though the majority of construction work is done during the day, the work zone channelization devices are often still in place and can prove hazardous to motorists who are unaware. This article describes a research that was undertaken to explore the safety-related impacts associated with the use of steady-burn warning lights on channelizing drums considering a variety of work-zone scenarios utilized in Michigan. The research shows that steady-burn warning lights demonstrate no substantive value to nighttime driver behavior or nighttime brightness when used on channelizing drums in work zones. It is recommended that the use of steady-burn warning lights on work-zone drums be discontinued. If additional nighttime brightness of the channelizing devices is desired, the use of high-intensity sheeting on the drums is recommended because it provides far greater increases in brightness than the addition of a steady-burn warning light.

Source: Safety Today
Publication Date: June 2011
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: News and Other Non-research Articles
Topics: Channelizing Devices; Delineators; Drums; Sign Sheeting; Warning Lights; Work Zone Safety

Copyright © 2023 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute