Surveying the Effectiveness of Methods for Enhancing the Visibility of Snowplows in Texas
Publication: International Conference on Transportation and Development 2021
ABSTRACT
Effective visibility methods are crucial for the safe operation of snowplows. Despite modern devices and methods, snowplow crashes cause economic and casualty losses. According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) database, the number of heavy snow events was more than 25% of all winter weather events over the past decade in Texas. The objective of this research is to survey the effectiveness of the current snowplow visibility methods in Texas. Fifteen TxDOT districts (covering nearly all of north Texas) responded to the survey. The survey results brought forward an accurate representation of the effectiveness of warning lights, message signs, retroreflective markings, rear airfoils, and smart snowplow systems—the snowplow visibility methods in Texas. This research led to recommending warning lights and retroreflective markings to be used in specific colors and locations to increase the visibility of snowplows. On the other hand, rear airfoils were not recommended as they had not increased the conspicuity of the vehicles effectively. These recommendations guide TxDOT to implement more effective snowplow visibility methods.
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International Conference on Transportation and Development 2021
Pages: 309 - 320
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: Jun 4, 2021
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- Pooya Darghiasi, Anil Baral, Mohsen Shahandashti, Developing a Cost-Effective Mobile-Based System for Collecting On-Demand Road Condition Images for Snowplow Operations Management, International Conference on Transportation and Development 2023, 10.1061/9780784484883.012, (127-137), (2023).