Rumble strips save lives on northern roads, OPP say

The OPP says rumble strips down the centre of northern highways are preventing fatal crashes.

The Ministry of Transportation installed grooves in the pavement on a number of sections of two-lane road after a series of head-on crashes in 2010.

Inspector Mark Andrews said there have not been any fatal collisions in those areas since.

"If I don't have to stand out on the highway at a fatal crash because of a rumble strip, I hope to see them everywhere," he said.

Andrews said he is making a presentation to the Ministry of Transportation in a few weeks on the success of the rumble strips.

Gets driver's attention

When cars drive over the grooves, a loud rumbling noise is the result a sound meant to snap a driver to attention.

Andrews recalled one incident where "a driver fell asleep and hit the shoulder, came back [and] hit the rumble strip."

"[It] woke her up," he said. "She over-corrected and went into the ditch, but she did not collide with anyone."

Andrews was the driving force behind a test project that put the centerline rumble strips on highways in the northeast.

He was responding to a series of head-on collisions in 2010 and noted that "either the driver had fallen asleep or was distracted or whatever. They crossed the centre line head on into another vehicle. I said we need something that will get people's attention on the road."

Andrews said there have not been any fatal crashes in those areas since. He said rumble strips have now been added in other areas, and he would like to see them down the centre of all two-lane highways.