Fact Sheets

Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips

Rumble strips—grooved patterns usually applied in a longitudinal direction along a shoulder, edgeline, or centerline of a road—have proven to be an effective crash countermeasure. The noise and vibration produced by rumble strips alert drivers when they leave the traveled way or roadway lanes. Rumble strips were first installed as a safety measure along rural highways, but their use has been extended to urban highways and to rural and urban two-lane roads. They are now in use in almost all states in the country. Many studies show a high benefit-to-cost ratio for shoulder rumble strips.

Download the TERRA fact sheet on rumble strips (128 KB PDF)

For Further Reading links:

• Guidance for the Design and Application of Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips (NCHRP Report 641, 2009)
• Effects of Center-line Rumble Strips on Non-Conventional Vehicles (Mn/DOT, 2008)
• Accident Modification Factors for Traffic Engineering and ITS Improvements (NCHRP Report 617, 2008)
• Placement and Design of Milled Rumble Strips on Centerline and Shoulder—A Driving Simulator Study (VTI Report 523A, 2005)
• Centerline Rumble Strips—A Synthesis of Highway Practice NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice 339
  (Transportation Research Board, 2005)
• A Guide for Addressing Run-Off-Road Collisions
  (NCHRP Report 500, v. 6, 2003)
• HSIS Summary Report: Safety Evaluation of Rolled-in Continuous Shoulder Rumble Strips Installed on Freeways (FHWA, 1999)

Related Web sites:

• Rumble Strips and Stripes (FHWA Web site)