Fatal Highway Accidents on Wet Pavement -- The Magnitude, Location, and Characteristics: Fid-Bau Portal

Fatal Highway Accidents on Wet Pavement -- The Magnitude, Location, and Characteristics

In the past, the problem of highway accidents on wet pavement, although not well defined, was considered to be of moderate to major concern by a substantial number of the States. The Safety Board undertook this special study to determine the magnitude of the wet-pavement accident problem nationwide, to determine the significance of the locations of the wet-pavement accidents, and to determine the characteristics of these accidents. Data developed by the Safety Board indicate that during 1976 and 1977, 13.5 percent of all fatal accidents occurred on wet pavement, while precipitation occurred only about 3.0 to 3.5 percent of the time nationwide. This indicates that fatal accidents on wet pavement occur 3.9 to 4.5 times more often than might be expected, and that the wet-pavement accident problem should be of concern to all States. To measure the performance of the activities of States aimed at reducing wet-pavement accidents, the Safety Board developed a Wet Fatal Accident Index (WFAI) for each State. This method indicated an area in the United States with good performance and a belt with poorer than average performance.