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Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Pavement Damage Reduces Traffic Safety and Speed

Author

Listed:
  • Margaret Bock
  • Alexander Cardazzi
  • Brad R. Humphreys

Abstract

Road maintenance constitutes a significant component of public transportation spending at all levels of government. Formulation of efficient transportation infrastructure policy requires information about factors affecting road and traffic conditions. We generate the first causal evidence that decreasing pavement quality impacts vehicle crash rates and decreases average speed. Results from Instrumental Variable models using spatially and temporally disaggregated data from Federal-Aid Highway System (FAHS) roads in California show statistically and economically significant increases in vehicle crash rates and decreases in average vehicle speed caused by road damage. These impacts imply significant increases in social costs attributable to road damage.

Suggested Citation

  • Margaret Bock & Alexander Cardazzi & Brad R. Humphreys, 2021. "Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Pavement Damage Reduces Traffic Safety and Speed," NBER Working Papers 29176, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29176
    Note: PE
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    Cited by:

    1. Gertler, Paul J & Gonzalez-Navarro, Marco & Gracner, Tadeja & Rothenberg, Alexander, 2022. "Road Maintenance and Local Economic Development: Evidence from Indonesia's Highways," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt8mg7z5kt, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    2. Gertler, Paul J & Gonzalez-Navarro, Marco & Gracner, Tadeja & Rothenberg, Alexander, 2023. "Road Maintenance and Local Economic Development," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt38m633q0, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    3. Kim, Jinwon, 2022. "Does roadwork improve road speed? Evidence from urban freeways in California," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    4. Chen, Jiandong & Yu, Jie & Shen, Zhiyang & Song, Malin & Zhou, Ziqi, 2023. "Debt financing and maintenance expenditure: Theory and evidence on government-operated toll roads in China," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(1).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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