MDOT receives award for rumble strip initiative

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) was awarded the 2015 National Roadway Award Monday for its rumble strip initiative that is designed to reduce the number of fatal run-off-the-road crashes.

After MDOT analyzed crash data between 2004 and 2007, it found that lane departure was part of approximately half of the state’s fatal crashes. Solving this problem meant launching a statewide initiative to add rumble strips on all of the rural, freeway and high-speed roads under the supervision of MDOT between 2008 and 2010.

“More than 32,000 people died in traffic crashes in 2013 and millions of individuals suffered injuries," Gregory Nadeau, Federal Highway administrator, said. "Innovative roadway safety programs are a critical part of saving lives and preventing injuries on our nation’s highways."

The result was a 47 percent decrease in crashes and a 51 percent decrease in fatal crashes. 

“The innovative highway safety projects honored today are vital because deficiencies in the roadway environment contribute to nearly one-third of all traffic deaths,” Greg Cohen, Roadway Safety Foundation executive director, said. “The National Roadway Safety Awards are an opportunity to recognize the unsung heroes who plan, engineer and implement creative measures to help save lives on a daily basis and rarely receive credit for doing so.”

The awards ceremony was held on Capitol Hill by the Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation. At the ceremony, MDOT was among 10 others honored with a 2015 National Roadway Safety Award.