Investigating the Human Factors Involved in Severe Crashes in Highway Work Zones

Highway work zones create an inevitable disruption in regular traffic flows and result in traffic crashes with injuries or fatalities. In many of these crashes, driver errors have been reported as the most significant causal factors. Understanding the role of human factors in these work zone crashes and then lowering the probability that they will cause crashes is critical for improving safety in highway work zones. In this study, the role of human factors in severe work zone crashes involving fatalities or injuries was investigated. The objectives of the research were as follows: (1) to explore the influence of human factors on the occurrences and characteristics of fatal and injury work zone crashes and (2) to investigate the effectiveness of work zone temporary traffic control (TTC) devices in preventing human errors from causing severe crashes in work zones. The severe crashes that occurred in Kansas highway work zones during 1992 and 2004 were studied in detail. Statistical techniques such as Pearson chi-square, likelihood ratio chi-square, and logistic regression were utilized in the investigation. Through the systematic study, the researchers discovered the major impacts of several common driver errors on severe work zone crashes; the researchers also evaluated the effectiveness of some TTC methods in reducing these driver errors in highway work zones. The results of this study can provide knowledge that can facilitate the development of effective countermeasures for eliminating risky driver errors, ultimately in order to improve safety level in work zones.