A recent article highlights the conclusion that a highway safety coating reduces automobile accidents. This safety coating when applied to the road surface actually reduces the number of automobile crashes.

An interesting article recently appearing in the Greenville News discussed a study from the Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety that focused on a 1 mile stretch of U.S. 25 in northern Greenville County, S.C.  According to the article that was referring to the federal study, there was a 68 percent reduction in crashes where the the road was wet and a 56 percent reduction in total automobile accidents. Moreover, across the state, a federal case study reported an 81 percent reduction in wet crashes and 71 percent reduction in total crashes acorss seven high-friction surface sites in South Carolina, the Greenville News article reported. These are substantial reductions in the percentages of automobile accidents.

However, the Greenville News article reported that because of a recent repaving of U.S. 25, the safety coating was removed. The South Carolina Department of Transportation wants the public to know that the stretch of U.S. 25, which is very steep as the road traverses mountainous areas in northern Greenville County can be slippery when wet and become very dangerous.  Its apparent that the lack of the safety coating, which had been previously on the highway, is increasing the danger.  In teh Greenville News article, an official with the SCDOT stated that “We’re trying to figure out what we can do to clue people in that there’s a situation-its a temporary situation-out here. We hope to have the friction course down soon, but its just a current condition.”

Its clear that highway engineers and and departments of transportation across the United States can build roads in ways that can reduce automobile accidents. That’s right-engineering can save lives. The use of innovative safety materials, like the coating highlighted in this article, reduces automobile accidents thereby preventing personal injury and wrongful death. Policy makers should applaud the use of these materials and push highway engineers to use these materials like safety coating on other roads that are dangerous. The motoring public would be much better off.  Highway safety coating reduces automobile accidents.