Rumble strip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rumble strips are a road safety feature that alerts drivers both by causing a tactile vibration and the namesake audible rumbling. Occasionally they may be set horizontally across the road in groups as a traffic calming method to slow drivers down.
Rumble strips were "officially" invented by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in 1987 as a part of the Sonic Nap Alert Program (SNAP) after a survey from the 1980s revealed that the number one contributor to PA Turnpike accidents were Drift-Off-Road (DOR) accidents. They had been used before this time, and were originally named "Charlie Strips" after the inventor's son Charlie drifted off the road one night and was killed[citation needed]. The first section of test roadway is located just east of Breezewood, Pennsylvania, on a repaved section of the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike. After their installation, the first five SNAP project roadways showed a 70% reduction in DOR accidents.
Rumble strips have also been placed within the double yellow line in the center of the road, to alert drivers that drift into the opposing lane of traffic.
[edit] See also
- Botts' dots
- Shoulder Rumble Strips Proposal
- The Rumble Strips (Soul/Ska band from Devon, England.)
