The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin -ARnews-

Re: stopping sight distance

Rod Macdonald ([email protected])
Sat, 7 Nov 1998 14:11:11 -0500 (EST)

Mr. Gorski Mr. Phillips answered the question as well as can be done in your earlier post. AASHTO and whatever local manuals have been established and used would outline some standards - but in the end, basic speed law defines safe speed as 'safe for conditions present', and the burden rests on the driver as well.

On my beat is an older 2 lane roadway, surveyed and posted for 35 mph. At one point this road crests a rise, then DROPS. At that point sight distance is easily less than 100 feet, perhaps as little as 50... and- at least in my opinion, as you approach this situation there's adequate time and distance to see that the world just plain ends just ahead...even absent the warning signs and flashing lights and reduced speed advisories - would it be reasonable to expect a driver traveling at the posted 35 MPH speed limit to to continue blithely over the precipice at that speed? Is it reasonable for that driver, to say to himself, "I can't see a thing, but the sign back there said '35'..."?

you have to look beyond the posting and the design standards and put youself in the driver's seat (how quaint...) and try to objectively decide what's reasonable given the totality of the circumstances...

At some point, if your still asking, then you may be asking a question for a jury to decide, or need to reseach case law rather than design standards.

ask a simple question....

Rod Macdonald
[email protected]

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