Abstract
PURPOSES: Design of approach roads of rest areas in highway has many drawbacks such as geometric design elements. There has been traffic accidents occured in these approach roads of rest areas. Thus, design criteria is required in order to protect accidents from being occurred. In case of Korea, geometric structure design criteria of entry facilities, such as toll-gate, interchange, junction etc was established. However there are no presence in a detailed standards for geometric structure of the rest area which affiliated road facilities. METHODS: In this study, analytic on accidents was carried out in regards to the entry of geometric structure of resting areas by utilizing a sight survey and an investigation research of traffic accidents. The survey was targeting 135 general service areas. Collisions with physical channelization and safety facilities occurred due to speeding, rapid entry, and etc at the entrance nose section. At the entrance connector roads, accidents caused by speeding, negligence, over-operation of handle of drivers were main reason of accidents. Discriminant analysis were conducted about geometric elements to distinguish influencing factors for traffic accidents. the lengths and access angles of the entrance connector roads were regarded as to have the high relation with traffic accidents. RESULTS: After classifying the design section of resting areas' entry as well as derive design elements on each section, a speed measurement by targeting entry of rest areas and car behavior surveys were performed, then each element's minimum standard was derived through the analyses. According to the speeds at the starting/end point of entrance connector road, the range of the junction setting angle of the entrance connector road is defined as $12^{\circ}{\sim}17^{\circ}$ and the connector length model was suggested. CONCLUSIONS: Suggest improvement plans for existing rest areas that can be applied realistically. This should be corresponded to the standards of entry and exit of developed rest areas.