Roundabouts Continue Reducing Crashes 

The state Department of Transportation announced yesterday that at locations where traditional intersections were replaced with roundabouts, crashes involving injuries were reduced by 51% and the total number of crashes were reduced by 7%. During the 20-year review period, there have been two fatalities at roundabouts on state routes. 

PennDOT evaluated 47 roundabouts on state routes at intersections that were previously stop- or signal-controlled with at least three years of crash data available before and after the roundabouts were built and had at least one crash during the 20-year review period. In addition to the  

roundabouts that met the selection criteria, 46 additional roundabouts have been built on state routes. 

Roundabouts are frequently installed to address safety issues, calm traffic and improve traffic flow, and beautify an intersection. Although roundabouts are typically safer and more efficient than traditional signalized intersections, they may not always be the best option due to topography or for other reasons, such as property impacts and capacity issues. 

For more information about this study and which roundabouts were included, click here for the press release.