Where the Weather Meets the Road : A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services

Weather has broad and significant effects on the roadway environment. Snow, rain, fog, ice, freezing rain, and other weather conditions can impair the ability of drivers to operate their vehicles safely, significantly reduce roadway capacity, and dramatically increase travel times. Multiple roadway activities, from roadway maintenance and construction to shipping, transit, and police operations, are directly affected by inclement weather. Some road weather information is available to users currently, however a disconnect remains between current research and operations, and additional research could yield important safety and economic improvements for roadway users. Meteorology, roadway technology, and vehicle systems have evolved to the point where users could be provided with better road weather information through modern information technologies. The combination of these technologies has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of roadway operations, road capacity, and road safety. Where the Weather Meets the Road provides a roadmap for moving these concepts to reality. Snow, rain, fog, ice and other inclement weather greatly impair road conditions and contribute to 1.5 million accidents each year. Many parallel advances in transportation and meteorology--such as in-vehicle communication systems and improved storm tracking --could be brought together into new services that help drivers and roadway managers make better decisions in adverse weather. The report recommends that the Federal Highway Administration take the lead in creating a focused, national road weather research program that brings together the transportation and meteorological communities, identifies research priorities, and implements new scientific and technological advances.