Road debris

Last updated
Debris in Galway, Ireland accumulating on a cycle lane Cycle lane debris.jpg
Debris in Galway, Ireland accumulating on a cycle lane

Road debris, a form of road hazard, is debris on or off a road. Road debris includes substances, materials, and objects that are foreign to the normal roadway environment. Debris may be produced by vehicular or non-vehicular sources, but in all cases it is considered litter, a form of solid waste. [1] Debris may tend to collect in areas where vehicles do not drive, such as on the edges (shoulder), around traffic islands, and junctions.

Contents

Road spray [2] or tire kickup is road debris (usually liquid water) that has been kicked up, pushed out, or sprayed out from a tire. In 2004, a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study revealed that vehicle-related road debris caused 25,000 accidents and nearly 100 deaths a year.

Waste in Amol - Behind of Haraz Road (Road 77) (Iran) Waste in Amol - Behind of Haraz Road 03.jpg
Waste in Amol - Behind of Haraz Road (Road 77) (Iran)

Causes

Road debris can be caused by various factors, including objects falling off vehicles or natural disasters and weather, specifically wind, storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. [3]

Examples

Plant seeds on a road, dispersed by a fast-moving car.
Garbage and waste dumped by a road in Talisay, Cebu. Extreme form of roadside litter containing all sorts of waste materials: plastic, metal, glass, paper, cardboard and biowaste Garbage by a road, Talisay, Cebu.jpg
Garbage and waste dumped by a road in Talisay, Cebu. Extreme form of roadside litter containing all sorts of waste materials: plastic, metal, glass, paper, cardboard and biowaste

Examples of road debris include:

Effects

Road surface

Road debris is a hazard [5] that can cause loss of vehicle control with damages ranging from a flat tire, vehicular rollover, penetration of the passenger compartment by the debris, [1] [7] or collision, with accompanying injuries or deaths. In the year 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Traffic Safety Facts found that more than 800 persons were killed across America by "non-fixed objects" (a term that includes roadway debris). California had the highest number of total deaths for any state, while New Mexico had the greatest probability for death from a vehicle-debris crash in that year. [8]

In 2004, a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study revealed that vehicle-related road debris caused 25,000 accidents—and nearly 100 deaths—each year. [1] [7] At highway speeds, even small debris can be deadly. [1] On June 16, 1925, in the United States, a passenger train carrying German and American tourists from Chicago, Illinois to Hoboken, New Jersey struck debris washed into a road crossing and derailed during a heavy thunderstorm. [9] Collision with road debris resulted in a solar vehicle accident at the World Solar Challenge 2007 in Australia.

Road debris tends to collect in areas where two-track vehicles such as cars and buses do not drive. In urban areas, this tends to be on the edges (shoulder) and on the crown of the road, and debris frequently collects around traffic islands and junctions. In rural areas, debris collects in the middle of the lane and on the outside of corners and bends. [10] Road debris can be especially dangerous to bicyclists, who may have to travel outside the cycle lane and into traffic to avoid debris.

Flooding can also occur if storm drains and street gutters are not kept clear of road debris and litter. Large quantities of water are sometimes thrown up from the road (road spray) by large vehicles, creating visibility problems for the drivers of oncoming, nearby, or following vehicles. Following vehicles may reduce the problem by slowing and increasing the following/separation distance. Headlights (or fog lights) improve vehicle visibility for all drivers, including those dealing with the spray. Driving manuals advise against following vehicles too closely (tailgating) in these hazardous conditions. [2] Road spray can cause reduced visibility and dramatically reduce the safety of motorists. [11] Over time, road spray and gunk from [a bicycle's] brake pads coat the rim of the wheel, interfering with braking power. [12]

In motorsport racing, road debris can cause loss of traction and subsequent crashes. Usually, the yellow caution flag is used to indicate a track hazard, and the pace/safety car will come out.

Road debris can also cause other more specific problems and damage to vehicles. Rocks striking the catalytic converter can cause the internal mat to break and clog the converter. [13] Several recalls have occurred due to road debris. The 2005 Scion TC's wind deflector was recalled because of potential shatter from road debris impact. [14] The 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor was recalled in February 2010 when it was determined that a mixture of road salt and road debris (mud) might be trapped between a reinforcing bracket and the fuel filler pipe, causing corrosion. [15] The 2001 Chevrolet C/K chassis cab truck was also recalled on discovery that road debris could strike and damage its pressure relief valves. [16]

Environmental

Small debris particles and dust (primarily from tire wear and vehicle exhaust particulates) constitute a significant problem when they are washed into the soil and leak into groundwater reservoirs through surface runoff, especially urban runoff. Roadside soil and water contamination can result when the concentration of harmful constituents is high enough. The greater the surface area of synthetic rubber waste fragments, the greater the potential for breakdown into harmful constituents. For leached tire debris, the potential environmental impact of the ingredients zinc and organic toxicants has been demonstrated. [17]

Additionally, debris from lawns in local communities can flush into local waterways. There are currently some laws against blowing organic matter such as grass clippings into the roadway because of their potential toxic effect on the local waterways. Grass being high in nitrogen, which can accumulate in waterways and cause algae blooms. [18] An example of such laws can be seen in the City of Davenport, Iowa's Clean Air and Water Act. [19]

Prevention

A car bra can help reduce damage from minor road debris. Road spray is lessened on stone mastic asphalt and open-graded asphalt [11] and can be further reduced with fenders [20] (more so on a bicycle since most motor vehicles tend to already have fenders) and/or mud flaps. Street sweepers and winter service vehicles remove most solid road debris and the Adopt a Highway program also helps. Road signs and variable-message signs may warn drivers of special situations involving road debris.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) publishes the following recommendations: [1]

Education

Laws and policy enforcement

Removal and mitigation

In 1914 St. Louis, Missouri, litter was removed from streets by water wagons, as shown in this drawing by Marguerite Martyn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Drawing by Marguerite Martyn of children enjoying a shower from a street-cleaning wagon, 1914.jpg
In 1914 St. Louis, Missouri, litter was removed from streets by water wagons, as shown in this drawing by Marguerite Martyn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ocean Colour Scene, an English Britpop band, made a song about Birmingham, England called "Debris Road" (reputed to be about the road running past the band's recording studios in Ladywood) on their Marchin' Already 1997 album.

Some video games (particularly racing games) include road debris that damages vehicles or obstructs visibility. [21] Spy Hunter (1983) features slippery, icy roads and puddles, oil slicks, and smoke screens. MotorStorm (2007) depicts air-borne mud that becomes accurately painted onto the body of each vehicle in real-time. Players can use this airborne debris strategically: a chunk of debris may be used to knock opponents off their motorcycles, and mud spatter on the wind-shields might temporarily blind them. [21] Fuel (2009) features "crazy windstorms that kick up leaves and debris." [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road transport</span> Collective term for all forms of transport which takes place on roads

Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations ensure a separation of the two industries. Movement along roads may be by bike, automobile, bus, truck, or by animal such as horse or oxen. Standard networks of roads were adopted by Romans, Persians, Aztec, and other early empires, and may be regarded as a feature of empires. Cargo may be transported by trucking companies, while passengers may be transported via mass transit. Commonly defined features of modern roads include defined lanes and signage. Various classes of road exist, from two-lane local roads with at-grade intersections to controlled-access highways with all cross traffic grade-separated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tire</span> Ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheels rim

A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which the wheel travels. Most tires, such as those for automobiles and bicycles, are pneumatically inflated structures, providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock as the tire rolls over rough features on the surface. Tires provide a footprint, called a contact patch, designed to match the vehicle's weight and the bearing on the surface that it rolls over by exerting a pressure that will avoid deforming the surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road surface</span> Road covered with durable surface material

A road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, macadam, hoggin, cobblestone and granite setts were extensively used, but these have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete laid on a compacted base course. Asphalt mixtures have been used in pavement construction since the beginning of the 20th century and are of two types: metalled (hard-surfaced) and unmetalled roads. Metalled roadways are made to sustain vehicular load and so are usually made on frequently used roads. Unmetalled roads, also known as gravel roads or dirt roads, are rough and can sustain less weight. Road surfaces are frequently marked to guide traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road traffic safety</span> Methods and measures for reducing the risk of death and injury on roads

Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, and passengers of on-road public transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pothole</span> Road surface disruption type

A pothole is a depression in a road surface, usually asphalt pavement, where traffic has removed broken pieces of the pavement. It is usually the result of water in the underlying soil structure and traffic passing over the affected area. Water first weakens the underlying soil; traffic then fatigues and breaks the poorly supported asphalt surface in the affected area. Continued traffic action ejects both asphalt and the underlying soil material to create a hole in the pavement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumble strip</span> Road safety feature

Rumble strips are a road safety feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing a tactile fuzzy vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the vehicle interior. A rumble strip is applied along the direction of travel following an edgeline or centerline, to alert drivers when they drift from their lane. Rumble strips may also be installed in a series across the direction of travel, to warn drivers of a stop or slowdown ahead, or of an approaching danger spot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle law in California</span>

Bicycle law in California is the parts of the California Vehicle Code that set out the law for persons cycling in California, and a subset of bicycle law in the United States. In general, pretty much all the same rights and responsibilities that apply to car drivers apply to bicycle riders as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road surface marking</span> Any kind of device or material used on a road surface to convey official information

Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines. They can also be applied in other facilities used by vehicles to mark parking spaces or designate areas for other uses. In some countries and areas, road markings are conceived as horizontal traffic signs, as opposed to vertical traffic signs placed on posts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicular cycling</span> Practice of riding bicycles on roads while obeying roadway rules

Vehicular cycling is the practice of riding bicycles on roads in a manner that is in accordance with the principles for driving in traffic, and in a way that places responsibility for safety on the individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle safety</span> Safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling

Bicycle safety is the use of road traffic safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling. Risk can be defined as the number of incidents occurring for a given amount of cycling. Some of this subject matter is hotly debated: for example, which types of cycling environment or cycling infrastructure is safest for cyclists. The merits of obeying the traffic laws and using bicycle lighting at night are less controversial. Wearing a bicycle helmet may reduce the chance of head injury in the event of a crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curb</span> Edge where a sidewalk meets a road

A curb, or kerb, is the edge where a raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipseal</span> Pavement surface treatment

Chipseal is a pavement surface treatment that combines one or more layer(s) of asphalt with one or more layer(s) of fine aggregate. In the United States, chipseals are typically used on rural roads carrying lower traffic volumes, and the process is often referred to as asphaltic surface treatment. This type of surface has a variety of other names including tar-seal or tarseal, tar and chip, sprayed sealsurface dressing, or simply seal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat tire</span> Deflated pneumatic tire

A flat tire is a deflated pneumatic tire, which can cause the rim of the wheel to ride on the tire tread or the ground potentially resulting in loss of control of the vehicle or irreparable damage to the tire. The most common cause of a flat tire is puncturing of the tire by a sharp object, such as a nail or pin, letting the air escape. Depending on the size of the puncture, the tire may deflate slowly or rapidly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oversize load</span> Truck with unusually large or heavy load

In road transport, an oversize load is a load that exceeds the standard or ordinary legal size and/or weight limits for a truck to convey on a specified portion of road, highway, or other transport infrastructure, such as air freight or water freight. In Europe, it may be referred to as special transport or heavy and oversized transportation. There may also be load-per-axle limits. However, a load that exceeds the per-axle limits but not the overall weight limits is considered overweight. Examples of oversize/overweight loads include construction machines, pre-built homes, containers, and construction elements.

The Highway Traffic Act is a statute in Ontario, Canada, which regulates the licensing of vehicles, classification of traffic offences, administration of loads, classification of vehicles and other transport-related issues. First introduced in 1923 to deal with increasing accidents during the early years of motoring in Ontario, and replacing earlier legislation such as the Highway Travel Act, there have been amendments due to changes to driving conditions and new transportation trends. For example, in 2009, the Act was revised to ban the use of cell phones while driving.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a non-profit, charitable organization based in Washington, DC, that is dedicated to saving lives through traffic safety research and education. Since its founding in 1947, the AAA Foundation has sponsored over 200 projects related to highway safety, covering topics such as distracted, impaired, and drowsy driving; road rage; graduated driver licensing; driver's education and training; and pedestrian safety. The AAA Foundation research agenda is centered on four priority areas: Driver behavior and performance, emerging technologies, roadway systems and drivers and vulnerable road users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic collision</span> Incident when a vehicle collides with another object

A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Traffic collisions often result in injury, disability, death, and property damage as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Road transport is the most dangerous situation people deal with on a daily basis, but casualty figures from such incidents attract less media attention than other, less frequent types of tragedy. The commonly used term car accident is increasingly falling out of favor with many government departments and organizations, with the Associated Press style guide recommending caution before using the term. Some collisions are intentional vehicle-ramming attacks, staged crashes, vehicular homicide or vehicular suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadway departure</span> Type of single-vehicle collision

A roadway departure is a type of incident that occurs when a vehicle leaves the roadway. Such incidents can lead to a single-vehicle collision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geometric design of roads</span> Geometry of road design

The geometric design of roads is the branch of highway engineering concerned with the positioning of the physical elements of the roadway according to standards and constraints. The basic objectives in geometric design are to optimize efficiency and safety while minimizing cost and environmental damage. Geometric design also affects an emerging fifth objective called "livability," which is defined as designing roads to foster broader community goals, including providing access to employment, schools, businesses and residences, accommodate a range of travel modes such as walking, bicycling, transit, and automobiles, and minimizing fuel use, emissions and environmental damage.

In legal terminology, the assured clear distance ahead (ACDA) is the distance ahead of any terrestrial locomotive device such as a land vehicle, typically an automobile, or watercraft, within which they should be able to bring the device to a halt. It is one of the most fundamental principles governing ordinary care and the duty of care for all methods of conveyance, and is frequently used to determine if a driver is in proper control and is a nearly universally implicit consideration in vehicular accident liability. The rule is a precautionary trivial burden required to avert the great probable gravity of precious life loss and momentous damage. Satisfying the ACDA rule is necessary but not sufficient to comply with the more generalized basic speed law, and accordingly, it may be used as both a layman's criterion and judicial test for courts to use in determining if a particular speed is negligent, but not to prove it is safe. As a spatial standard of care, it also serves as required explicit and fair notice of prohibited conduct so unsafe speed laws are not void for vagueness. The concept has transcended into accident reconstruction and engineering.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "25,000 Crashes a Year Due to Vehicle-Related Road Debris, AAA Foundation Study Finds". BusinessWire. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2018., AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety press release of "The Safety Impact of Vehicle-Related Road Debris", Gerry Forbes and John Robinson, June 2004
  2. 1 2 Driving Standards Agency (28 September 2007). The official DSA theory test for car drivers and the official Highway code. The Stationery Office. ISBN   978-0-11-552886-6.
  3. 1 2 3 Road Safety Tips - Road Debris, American Automobile Association
  4. 1 2 Any of these can be mixed with liquid water to create "road spray".
  5. 1 2 3 "Highway Debris, Long an Eyesore, Grows as Hazard", The New York Times , Patricia Leigh Brown, May 11, 2007
  6. Bishop, Greg (23 September 2019). "Group Warns of Grass Clipping Dangers on Roadways". Alton Daily News. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Road Debris Can Be Fatal", CBS News' The Early Show, Tatiana Morales, July 13, 2004
  8. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811754AR.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  9. "Accidents, fires: Price of littering goes beyond fines". Olympia, Washington: Washington State Department of Ecology. 2004-06-01.
  10. "Road Debris", British Motorcyclists Federation, Christopher Hodder, June 2007
  11. 1 2 "Splash and spray from wet pavements increase safety risks for motorists and are a concern for road authorities.", Australian Asphalt Pavement Association, retrieved 7 March 2010
  12. Ken Derry and the Bicycling staff (December 2007). "30 Days to a Beautiful Bike". Bicycling . Vol. 48, no. 11. p. 63. ISSN   0006-2073 via Google Books.
  13. "Catalytic Converters", About.com, Vincent Ciulla, retrieved 2010-2-7
  14. "Auto Repair: Motor Vehicle Recalls", About.com, retrieved 2010-2-7
  15. Defects and Recalls, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 24 Feb 2010, retrieved 5 April 2010
  16. "Auto Repair: Motor Vehicle Recalls", About.com, retrieved 2010-2-7
  17. Gualtieri, M; Andrioletti, M; Mantecca, P; Vismara, C; Camatini, M (2005). "Impact of tire debris on in vitro and in vivo systems". Particle and Fibre Toxicology. 2 (1): 1. doi: 10.1186/1743-8977-2-1 . PMC   1079942 . PMID   15813962.
  18. "Nitrogen and Water". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  19. Corporation, CivicLive | © 2019 West. "Lawn Maintenance". cityofdavenportiowa.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. '07 Buyer's Guide, Bicycling , April 2007, p. 100
  21. 1 2 Ridin’ Dirty: A new game harnesses the PS3 for serious mudslinging., Wired 15.04, March 2007, retrieved 5 April 2010
  22. Fuel Off-Road Video Game Review, Josh Burns, off-road.com, 1 July 2009