When driving on Ohio roadways, you may have notices raised stripes along the road. They may be in different locations on the road. If you drive over them, they cause a noise that grabs your attention. These stripes are called rumble strips, and the main purpose of their design according to the Federal Highway Administration, is to get your attention and help you be a safer driver. There are three different types of these strips.
Sometimes you will see them on the road where you drive. These are transverse rumble strips. The point of them is to alert you to something coming up in your path. Often, this is a dangerous intersection. The strips grab your attention and make you focus on the road. They can help you to avoid an accident caused by not stopping at a stop sign or missing a curve.
The next type of rumble strip is on the shoulder. Shoulder strips help to keep you on the road. If you go off the road you hear the noise and can correct your path. Similarly, the last type of strip, centerline rumble strips, keep you in your lane on the roadway. They help if you start to drift over the center line and into oncoming traffic.
Rumble strips have shown to be quite effective at preventing accidents. They can stop many types of accidents in many different situations. They are especially helpful in combating distracted driving. This information is for education and is not legal advice.
