Welcome to the Online Home of Diversified Concrete Cutting's Rumble Strips Division
Rumble strips are a road safety feature in which the road travel lane and/or shoulder of pavements have milled grooved patterns. A series of rumble strips is usually either applied in the direction of travel along the edge of the road or at the centerline to alert drivers when they drift from their lane; or across the direction of travel into oncoming traffic. The texture of rumble strips is different than the surrounding road surface so that when vehicle tires pass over them, a sudden rumbling sound is produced which causes the vehicle to vibrate.
One-third of all traffic fatalities are caused by run-off road crashes, two-thirds of those crashes occur in rural areas. One of the main causes of run-off road crashes is overly tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel. The fact that most people drive too fast only compounds this problem. The noise and vibration produced by rumble strips have proven to be an effective alarm for motorists who are leaving the roadway. They are also very helpful in areas where motorists battle rain, snow, fog, or dust. Highway hypnosis – a condition where white lines and yellow stripes on long stretches of straight roadways can mesmerize and affect a driver’s concentration, can also be reduced by the presence of rumble strips.
A 1985 before-and-after study conducted by Caltrans indicated a 49 percent reduction in run-off road crashes after shoulder rumble strips were installed along sections of interstates in Southern California. In follow-up studies, freeway segments which have had shoulder rumble strips in place for three or more years show an average reduction of run-off road crashes of 33% throughout the state of California.
Rumble strips are able to be installed in both new and existing pavement, whether it be concrete or asphalt surfaces, with no degradation to the pavement surface. With their low installation cost, rumble strips can be one of the best low maintenance added values to a roadway project. Several State DOTs have analyzed the benefit/cost ratios of shoulder rumble strips. The analyses involve assumptions based on installation and maintenance costs and the effect of protecting travelers versus the savings in fatalities, injuries, and property damage crash costs. The Nevada DOT analyzed several projects that included rumble strips, their findings showed benefit/cost ratios between 30:1 to more than 60:1, and in fact showed that rumble strips proved to be more cost-effective than other safety enhancement features, such as guardrails, culvert-end treatments, and slope flattening.
Our Rumble Strip Division has consistently and continuously surpassed agency expectations when compared to our competitors in the market place. As one of the larger companies installing rumble strips in the western United States, the convenience we have provided for the Contractor and Owner has been unparalleled. We have successfully completed literally hundreds and hundreds of miles of rumble strip projects throughout the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.
