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Lane departure crashes, defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as crashes where a vehicle crosses an edge line, center line or otherwise leaves the traveled way, are major safety concerns nationwide. In Florida, these crashes are a primary focus of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Hillsborough County attributed 28% of its fatal and serious injury crashes in 2023 to lane departures. To address this, the County initiated the Lane Departure Safety Program, implementing a data-driven, proactive approach aimed at reducing such crashes and achieving a goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries. In 2023, a study (the 2023 Study) was conducted to assess the 72 horizontal curves and 78 tangent segments on county arterials and collectors, ranking them by lane departure crash risk. Based on the findings, a toolbox of tiered improvements was developed. 

Six pilot locations were selected from the 2023 Study for implementation. A field review assessed existing conditions, observed driver behavior, collected speed data and evaluated advisory speeds for the horizontal curves. Historical crash data were also analyzed to identify additional safety concerns and guide the development of further countermeasures. The proposed safety improvements were classified into tiers: Tier 1 represents low-cost, short-term countermeasure, while Tier 3 represents high-cost, long-term improvements. 

Based on the lessons learned from the pilot projects, lane departure safety typology concept plans, which illustrates implementation requirements for all Tier 1 countermeasures, were developed and tailored for two-lane undivided and four-lane divided roadways, respectively. As part of a systemic safety approach, these typologies will guide the countywide application of Tier 1 countermeasures in high-risk lane departure crash locations identified in the 2023 Study. This data-driven approach allows for a proactive, systematic reduction of lane departure crashes, with Hillsborough County leading the effort to enhance roadway safety and work toward the Vision Zero goal.