The importance of anti skid surfacing on US Roads
Services: High Friction Surface Treatment
On average there are over 6 million passenger car crashes in America every single year. Whilst there are myriad of reasons for these accidents, including driving whilst using a mobile phone and lack of seatbelt usage, the condition of roads across America is also a major player in road safety. Anti-skid surfacing has been one approach that is being increasingly adopted across roads in America, to improve their condition and reduce crashes.
Anti-skid surfacing also known as high friction surface treatment or HFST, improves the skid resistance on the road’s surface. The U.S department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, recognises these anti-skid pavement treatments as a solution for dramatically and immediately reducing crashes associated with friction demand issues, i.e. during wet conditions, on accident black spots, sharp bends, slip roads and and junction approaches. In fact, research has shown that High Friction Surface Treatment is estimated to reduce wet crashes by 83 percent and total crashes by 57 percent.
Not only is anti-skid surfacing contributing to a reduction in crashes, Department of Transportations (DOTs) across various states have benefited from cost savings after using HFST too. One example is South Carolina DOT, where 80% cost savings were achieved after using high friction surface treatment on a one-mile segment of roadway, compared with realignment of the same section.
How does anti-skid surfacing work?
Specalised aggregate is combined with binder, the aggregate increases the macro-texture of the finished surface creating high friction layer across the concrete or asphalt pavement.
In conclusion, anti-skid surfacing can be installed in a matter of hours and as a result, can provide a long-term solution to enhancing safety and reducing accidents on US roadways, particularly on bridges and other critical infrastructure.