Truck-mounted attenuators are designed to alert drivers to the presence of maintenance crews in highway work zones, and to shield crews in the event of a crash. In Virginia, the number of drivers who crash into these attenuators has been increasing each year for nearly a decade.
To reduce these crashes, the Virginia Department of Transportation evaluated the effectiveness of strategies aimed at getting drivers’ attention: different marking patterns, color schemes, and panel configurations.
The findings will help the agency make better-informed decisions as it strives to keep all road users safe.
Read the final report: Strategies to Reduce Truck Mounted Attenuator Crashes, November 2023
Image source: Virginia Department of Transportation