Delegates and visitors to the 2020 TRB Conference in Washington will have the chance to get a close-up view of the “the wheel of life.”
WDM USA Limited will be showcasing its new SCRIM® road survey machine, with its unique test wheel, which is now providing continuous surface friction measurement to American highway authorities and
helping deliver safer roads and save lives. SCRIM® survey machines have been operating worldwide for half a century and, for the past three years, have been part of the Federal Highways Administration successful trial of continuous friction measurement.
A SCRIM® machine operated by Virginia Tech has surveyed roads in a number of U.S. states including Washington State, Florida, Indiana and Texas. North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia have since been
added.
The WDM USA SCRIM® machine, which is based in Richmond, Virginia, is part of a project to measure skid resistance on a further 6,800 miles of the Virginia State network and also collect test data in a
number of other states.
The new U.S. company has been set up by W.D.M. Limited, the UK’s leading manufacturer of road survey equipment and provider of road survey services.
Chris Gardiner, President of WDM USA, says the SCRIM® vehicle measures surface friction continuously, even around horizontal curves, which largely go unmeasured, and where a large majority of fatal crashes happen in the United States.
“The test wheel on the SCRIM® survey machine is in continuous contact with the road surface to determine the wet road skid resistance. In the past two decades it has helped reduce skid related
fatalities in New Zealand and the UK by up to 40%.” He went on to say, “If the US adopts continuous skid testing, along with a skid policy, and it’s possible to achieve similar success, it could help save up to 8,000 American lives and reduce economic costs by more than $7 billion a year.”
At TRB, attendees will be able to inspect the test wheel on WDM USA’s SCRIM® vehicle and learn how it delivers reliable and reproducible data. WDM will have experts on hand to answer questions on how in
might integrate into individual DOT’s programs.
Also at the TRB 2020 Annual Meeting, WDM USA will demonstrate its TM2 Texture Meter, which measures pavement macrotexture, and their Pavement Management Software Program, which delivers a complete highway asset management system and big data management capabilities.
NB. The National Safety Council estimates there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths in the US in 2018, costing an estimated $413.8 billion. The costs include wage and productivity losses, medical expenses,
administrative expenses, employer costs, and property damage. The NSC says each US road fatality results in an average discounted lifetime economic cost of $1.4 million, and an average comprehensive
cost of $9.1 million.
For further information: Ryland Potter, WDM USA, t.804 277 9510 or e. ryland.potter@wdm-int.com