Illinois transportation officials are exploring new ways to reduce speeding and traffic fatalities through innovative roadway design. A joint effort between the Illinois Center for Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is examining self-enforcing streets—roadways designed to naturally encourage safer speeds through visual and physical cues.
The study, "Advancing Self-Enforcing Streets Phase 1," led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with contributions from IDOT and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, aims to improve understanding of how roadway design influences crash severity.
Traffic fatalities in Illinois have remained persistently high, according to the study, with speeding playing a role in roughly one-third of the more than 11,000 deaths over the past decade.
Self-enforcing streets incorporate features such as speed feedback signs, narrower lanes, speed humps and roadway curves to naturally limit speed and enhance safety.
A key component of the study involved analyzing over 1.15 million crash reports from 2019 to 2022. Researchers used Google Street View and artificial intelligence techniques, including image segmentation, to assess roadway characteristics.
Findings revealed a strong link between crash severity and visible road surface, with fatal crashes more likely on roads with greater visible pavement, especially in low-light conditions and on weekends.
IDOT said it plans to apply these insights to develop preliminary guidance for implementing self-enforcing roadway designs where feasible.
Source: Illinois Center for Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation
