JACKSON -- Jackson County officials are considering placing rumble strips at all intersections on paved county roads.
Two types of rumble strips exist -- transverse and longitudinal. Longitudinal strips warn drivers when they run off the side of the road; transverse strips warn drivers of upcoming intersections.
Jackson County Engineer Tim Stahl said he has been reviewing various studies on the effects of both types of rumble strips. He doesn’t think placing transverse rumbles strips will necessarily make Jackson County roads much safer.
“When you read various studies, there is nothing that says they will decrease accidents,” Stahl said. “For most accidents that occur in intersections … people actually do stop and then just proceed into the intersection without seeing the oncoming traffic for whatever reason.”
If Jackson County goes ahead with placing the rumble strips, Stahl said the approximate cost to the county will be from $100,000 to $150,000.
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Stahl said rumble strips were originally placed at intersections where sight was limited, and he is concerned that if the strips are overused their effectiveness may decrease.
“When we use traffic safety items -- whether it's flashing lights, stop signs or transverse rumble strips -- we want to move cautiously,” he said. “We don’t want to place them in the wrong location or the wrong way, because it should dilute the importance of them.”
According to a study Stahl found, 40 percent of all accidents in Minnesota in the last five years have occurred on county roads. Of those accidents, 80 percent are in a rural area. Of those, 31 percent were accidents that occurred in the intersection, while 63 percent were run-off-the-road accidents. Six percent were accidents that have unknown causes.
Because of the high rate of run-off-the-road accidents, Stahl said he is looking into the longitudinal rumble strips as well.
“We are going to start taking a look at all the tools that are available to make safer roadways in Jackson County,” Stahl said.
Nobles County Director of Public Works Steve Schnieder said that approximately 10 years ago, the county board agreed that all paved county roads would have transverse rumble strips at all intersections with stop signs.
Schnieder said that although there are no statistics on whether there have been fewer accidents in intersections than there were prior to having rumble strips, he believes they are a good reminder to drivers.
“I can tell you from my own personal experience that when I’m driving and I’m not paying as close attention as I should, and I hit the rumble strip, I was glad to have that reminder,” Schnieder said.
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However, Schnieder also understands Stahls apprehensions with spending a large amount of money on something that isn’t guaranteed to make the roads safer.
“I would tend to agree with Tim,” Schnieder said. “There are no statistics that say that making this investment is going to make results."
