Visibility of Winter Operations Vehicles: The State of Practice in the United States
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 2
Abstract
Despite precautions taken by the operators of maintenance vehicles, insufficient visibility of winter operations vehicles causes many collisions in the United States. Numerous methods have been developed to enhance the visibility of winter operations vehicles. Although these methods have improved the visibility of winter operations vehicles, information regarding the current state of practice of these methods is crucial for the safety of winter operations vehicles, and commuters. For safer winter operations, it is critical to investigate the differences, similarities, and challenges associated with the existing methods for enhancing the visibility of winter operations. This research examines the differences, similarities, and challenges associated with these methods using a survey to collect information from state transportation agencies. Questionnaire distribution included all 50 states to investigate patterns among the states and 25 Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT) districts to gather the state of practice of the operations vehicles’ visibility methods. Results of the survey brought forward the inefficiencies of some current visibility methods. For example, rear airfoils were reported to be ineffective, while many state DOTs use and maintain the airfoils despite the inefficiencies. Although a wide range of dissimilarities was found in the use of message signs and retroreflective markings, they are reported to be inexpensive and effective. It is expected that the findings of this study help transportation agencies implement more effective methods for enhancing the visibility of winter operations vehicles.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This research was conducted under a grant from the Research and Technology Implementation Division of the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT) under Project number 0-6996. In particular, the authors are grateful for the support and guidance provided by Joanne Steele, Glenn Allbritton, Aaron Bloom, Andrew Holick, Matthew Evans, Jeremy King, David Morren, Michaelle Anthony, Michaelle Stroope, Shawn Elliott, and Bobbly Pulliam. The contents of this paper reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policies of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT).
References
Caltrans (California Dept. of Transportation). 2017. “Winter storm warning in effect for the mountains: Here’s what we know about the roads and weather.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://kymkemp.com/2017/03/04/winter-storm-waming-in-effect-for-the-mountains-heres-what-we-know-about-the-roads-and-weather.
Daily American. 2017. “New plow in PennDOT fleet has an automatic ejector.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://www.dailyamerican.com/entertainment/photos/new-plow-in-penndot-fleet-has-an-automatic-ejector/collection_37796c3a-e3d7-11e6-9b8b-57a5c3e5482f.html.
Dow, T., and M. Pearsall. 2014. “Using value analysis to improve the safety of highway maintenance.” In Canadian Value Symp. Ottawa: Canadian Society of Value Analysis (CSVA).
Dur, O. 2007. “An aerodynamic approach to improve visibility during high speed snow plowing.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://login.ezproxy.uta.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.uta.edu/docview/.
Eklund, N. H., M. S. Rea, and J. Bullough. 1997. “Survey of snowplow operators about forward lighting and visibility during nighttime operations.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1585 (1): 25–29. https://doi.org/10.3141/1585-04.
FHWA (Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology). 2018. “Roadway weather management program.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/weather_events/snow_ice.htm.
Green, M. 2000. “‘How long does it take to stop?’ Methodological analysis of driver perception-brake times.” Transp. Hum. Factors 2 (3): 195–216. https://doi.org/10.1207/STHF0203_1.
Henderson, O. K. 2018. “DOT’s lighting experiment reduced snowplow accidents.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://www.radioiowa.com/2018/01/24/dots-lighting-experiment-reduced-collisions-with-snow-plows.
Jin, H., S. Jin, L. Chen, S. Cen, and K. Yuan. 2015. “Research on the lighting performance of LED street lights with different color temperatures.” IEEE Photonics J. 7 (6): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOT.2015.2497578.
KDOT (Kansas Dept. of Transportation). 2017. “Managing snow and ice.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.ksdot.org/PDF_Files/SnowandIceEfforts.pdf.
Kurniawan, B. A., Y. Nakashima, M. Takamatsu, and Y. Kidoh. 2007. “Visual perception of color LED light in dense fog.” J. Light Visual Environ. 31 (3): 152–154. https://doi.org/10.2150/jlve.31.152.
Lake News. 2012. “Crews begin pre-treating roads in anticipation of winter weather.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.thelakenews.com/articles/crews-begin-pre-treating-roads-in-anticipation-of-winter-weather.
McCullouch, B., and B. Stevens. 2008. “Investigation of the effective use of warning lights on Indiana Department of Transportation (InDOT) vehicles and equipment.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2650&context=jtrp.
MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario). 2015. “Re-establishing a brand: A new Ontario Standard for snow removal equipment visibility.” Accessed February 14, 2022. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/publications/pdfs/road-talk-newsletter-winter-2015.pdf.
MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario). 2018. “Winter Highway maintenance: Equipment, materials and technology.” Accessed February 14, 2022. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/ontario-511/winter-highway-materials-technology.shtml.
Muthumani, A., L. Fay, and D. Bergner. 2015. Use of equipment lighting during snowplow operations. No. CR 14-06.
New Jersey Herald. 2012. “Sussex County records highest snowfall in NJ.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.njherald.com/story/news/2012/12/27/sussex-county-records-highest-snowfall/4001566007/.
NDOT (Nevada Dept. of Transportation). 2008. “Winter maintenance improvements: Phase I.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.nevadadot.com/home/showdocument?id=3812.
ODOT (Ohio Dept. of Transportation). 2018. “ODOT’s new colored light combinations on snow removal equipment.” Accessed July 1, 2019. http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Services/Pages/New-Colored-Light-Combinations-on-Snow-Removal-Equipment.aspx.
Otas, K., V. J. Pakenas, A. Vaskys, and P. Vaskys. 2012. “Investigation of LED light attenuation in fog.” Elektronika ir Elektrotechnika 121 (5): 47–52. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.121.5.1651.
Paulichuk, D. 2005. “Snowplow rear lighting research project.” Accessed February 14, 2022. http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType241/Production/RR0501.pdf.
Pietrzyk, M. C., P. A. Turner, S. L. Geahr, and R. Apparaju. 1997. “Evaluation of motorist warning systems for fog-related incidents in the Tampa Bay Area.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/13059.
Province of Alberta. 2014. “Beet juice helps keep B.C. roads safe.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://theprovince.com/news/local-news/farm-photo-of-the-week-feb-23-2014-beet-juice-helps-keep-b-c-roads-safe.
Rammohan, A., and C. Ramesh Kumar. 2017. “Investigation on light intensity and temperature distribution of automotive’s Halogen and LED headlight.” In 2017 Int. Conf. on Microelectronic Devices, Circuits and Systems, 1–6. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.
Saginaw News. 2012. “Saginaw County Board of Commissioners to investigate elimination of Road Commission.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/2012/02/saginaw_county_board_of_commis_15.html.
Schubert, E. F., I. T. Ferguson, and H. W. Yao. 1999. Light-emitting diodes: Research, manufacturing, and applications III. Bellingham, WA: SPIE—The International Society for Optical Engineering.
Shahandashti, M., S. Mattingly, W. Ameen, and F. Farooghi. 2019. “Synthesis of safety applications in winter weather operations.” TxDOT Rep.
SNC Lavalin O&M. 2018. “Road safety engineering award submission.” Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.tac-atc.ca/sites/default/files/conf_papers/safety_swing_arm_to_prevent_collisions_with_snow_plows.pdf.
Star Tribune. 2017. “Could saltwater be the solution to Minnesota’s road salt problem?” Accessed July 1, 2019. http://www.startribune.com/could-brine-be-the-solution-to-minnesota-s-road-salt-problem/419744553/.
Ullman, G. L., and D. Lewis. 1998. Texas DOT Vehicle Fleet Warning Light Policy Research. Presentations from the 12th Equipment Management Workshop, 22. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board.
Ullman, G., J. Ragsdale, and N. Chaudhary. 1998. Recommendations for highway construction, maintenance, and service equipment warning lights and pavement data collection system safety. Texas Dept. of Transportation. Rep. No. TX-99/3972-S. Austin, TX: Texas Dept. of Transportation.
Vogt, T., and K. Miller. 2008. LED lighting for snow plows and related maintenance and construction vehicles. Minnesota Dept. of Transportation. Rep. No. MN/RC 2008-29. https://www.lrrb.org/pdf/200829.pdf.
Washington Top News. 2015. “VDOT ready to battle Northern Va. Snow.” https://wtop.com/weather-news/2015/11/vdot-ready-to-battle-northern-va-snow/.
WITF. 2019. “Travel restrictions lifted for now.” Accessed July 1, 2019. http://www.witf.org/news/2019/01/travel-restrictions-lifted-for-now.php.
Yonas, A., and L. Zimmerman. 2006. “Improving the ability of drivers to avoid collisions with snowplows in fog and snow.” Accessed July 1, 2019. https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/627/200629.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 2 • June 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 18, 2020
Accepted: Dec 8, 2021
Published online: Feb 24, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 24, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Sanjgna Karthick, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Apurva Pamidimukkala, Mostafa Namian, Analysis of Construction Workers’ Health and Safety in Cold Weather Conditions, Journal of Cold Regions Engineering, 10.1061/JCRGEI.CRENG-687, 38, 1, (2024).
- Pooya Darghiasi, Mina Zamanian, Mohsen Shahandashti, Enhancing Winter Maintenance Decision Making through Deep Learning-Based Road Surface Temperature Estimation, Construction Research Congress 2024, 10.1061/9780784485279.070, (701-711), (2024).
- 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).