In a continual effort to provide the safest roadways, the Nevada Department of Transportation is installing centerline rumble strips in the median of selected state roadways, particularly two-lane rural roads with high fatality and injury rates or concerns.

For many years, NDOT has utilized rumble strips on the shoulder, or edgeline, of state roadways. 

NDOT also places centerline rumble strips in the center median. These centerline rumble strips are being used in other states to reduce head-on and sideswipe crashes.

Studies have shown that certain types of rumble strips can reduce crash frequency by as much as 64 percent.

The use of centerline rumble strips was developed as one cost-effective way to reduce fatalities and increase safety in the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The plan brings law enforcement, transportation agencies and safety advocates together to define ways to reduce Nevada traffic fatalities.

Driving Safety

Commonly consisting of parallel grooves cut into the centerline of a roadway, tires running over rumble strips produce sound and vibration when drivers veer out of their lane. By alerting and allowing motorists to correct their vehicles, head-on and sideswipe crashes can be reduced.

Location

Centerline rumble strips can be a particularly effective safety device on two-lane rural roads where there is no divided median or room for barriers to separate opposing lanes of traffic.

In Nevada, over 40% of all traffic fatalities are caused by run-off-the-road and head-on crashes. Sixty percent of these crashes are on rural roadways. NDOT conducts extensive surveys to determine the safest, most effective safety measures for state roadways, and expects centerline rumble strips to reduce crashes on rural roadways where run-off-the-road and head-on incidents are most prevalent.

Benefits

• Helps prevent head-on or sideswipe collisions
• Helps correct driving misdirection without the crash impact that can be experienced with concrete barriers
• Cost effective
• Relatively fast to install

Driving Safety

Like all technology, centerline rumble strips can not provide protection in every circumstance. Always follow these important safety tips:

• Do not pass vehicles unlawfully or when there is not adequate clearance distance
• Obey all speed limits and traffic signs and regulations
• Wear seatbelts
• Adjust driving speeds for weather and conditions
• Limit distractions while driving
• Drive defensively
• Do not drive while sleepy or under the influence

Centerline Rumble Strip Resources

• Federal Highway Administration Safety Web Site