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The most important goal of any community is for people to get where they want to go safely.
Right?
But did you know that one of the most dangerous moves a driver can make is a left turn at an intersection?
This is especially true when entering a multi-lane highway from a minor road.
Left turns are dangerous because they force drivers to make multiple snap decisions at once.
Lee Jernigan: "They're looking for through traffic, they're looking for other left turners, they're looking
for oncoming traffic, they're selecting those gaps, and the opportunity to make a poor decision,
processing all of that information at one time, is very easy to do."
And when left-turn crashes happen, they tend to be serious.
"Typically, If the left turn is attempted by a driver and an accident results from that movement,
it's normally an angle type or T-bone type accident, which is very severe."
What if there were an intersection design that eliminates most left turn conflicts and
still lets drivers get where they are going easily?
Wouldn't that change your community for the better?
One effective option is called a Restricted Crossing U-turn, or RCUT.
RCUTs remove left turns from minor roads and let drivers make one decision at a time.
You may be asking yourself, 'If drivers can't turn left, how will they get where they are going?'
Good question.
Here's how the RCUT works.
First, drivers on the minor road always turn right onto the main road.
A short distance away, they make a U-turn at a designated turn lane.
Drivers then proceed through the intersection as normal, either turning right or continuing straight.
That's it.
In just a few moments, drivers are on their way.
By limiting left turns from minor roads, RCUTs significantly increase intersection safety.
Joe Hummer: "Generally at places like this un-signalized, full RCUT, about a 50% crash reduction compared
to what it would have been as a traditional intersection."
But won't RCUTs increase travel time for drivers?
No.
In fact, RCUTs can reduce travel time along a roadway corridor.
"The minor street driver, making a left turn or through movement, will spend a few
extra seconds on average completing their maneuver, but they'll make up that at the next intersection
downstream when they become a major street driver.
Plus, there's so many more major street drivers at intersections like this where we put an RCUT.
Overall, we get about a 20% travel time reduction when we put in an RCUT,
and that's considering everybody who goes through the intersection
So how long does it actually take to drive through an RCUT?
"As a driver here I've just got one thing to worry about, [On-screen timer counting up seconds :03]
one threatening direction, and that is to my left, no [On-screen timer counting up seconds :06]
problem making my turn. Now I'm going to make a u-turn [On-screen timer counting up seconds :11]
at the cross-over, you can see was not a long distance [On-screen timer counting up seconds :14]
not to the u-turn and cross-over, plenty of space [On-screen timer counting up seconds :19]
in the cross-over, through the median, and out into [On-screen timer counting up seconds :22]
bulb-out for a u-turning truck or bus. [On-screen timer counting up seconds :28]
Now we're coming back through the RCUT [On-screen timer counting up seconds :34]
and now on the main street, in a sense I've made a [On-screen timer counting up seconds :36]
left-turning movement, and you can see that just did not [On-screen timer counting up seconds :40]
take much time at all. Maybe a few extra seconds [On-screen timer stops at :42 seconds]
compared to what a traditional intersection would have been, but it was safe, it was easy,
good sight lines all around, and I'm on my way down the main street."
One last benefit: RCUT's last a long time and remain effective as your community grows.
"We're not going to have to rebuild it as the area grows up and becomes more suburban
and even someday if we get sidewalks and we get crosswalks, it'll function well in a really
quite urbanized setting as well.
So it's a very flexible design that'll grow up as the area grows up."
RCUTs might seem counterintuitive at first, but they are easy to use, maintain travel
time, are cost-effective, and drastically reduce left-turn dangers.
And in the end, it's all about getting people where they want to go safely, right?
"First thing on our mission statement is we want to provide safety in a lot of places.
This is the safest design that we know how to build."
Contact FHWA today to learn more about [website: safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection]
RCUT's for your community [website: safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection]
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