IRC: 66-1976

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE
FOR
SIGHT DISTANCE ON RURAL
HIGHWAYS

Published by
THE INDIAN ROADS CONGRESS
Jamnagar House, Shahjahan Road,
New Delhi-110011
1976
 IRC: 66-1976

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE
FOR
SIGHT DISTANCE ON RURAL
HIGHWAYS

Published by
THE INDIAN ROADS CONGRESS
Jamnagar House, Shahjahan Road,
New Delhi-110011
1976

Price Rs.80/-
d [pYus Packing
& Postage)
IRC 66-1976
:

First Published September, 1976

Reprinted September, 1998
Reprinted September, 2002
Reprinted August, 2008

(Rights of Publication and Translation are reserved)

Printed at Options Printofast, Delhi- 1 10092

(500 copies)
 IRC : 66-1976

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR SIGHT DISTANCE

ON RURAL HIGHWAYS

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Ability to see ahead
of profound importance for the
is
safe and efficient operation of on a highway. If greater
vehicles
safety is to be built into highway alignments, the design must ensure
sight distance of adequate length in different situations to permit
drivers enough time and distance to control their vehicles so as to
avoid unforeseen accidents.

1.2. In 1950, the Specifications and Standards Committee had

published a Paper on sight distances (Paper No. 149, "Standards for
Sight Distances for Highways", IRC Journal Vol. XV-1) which has
remained the mainstay of highway practice in the country so far.
There have been significant developments since then. Taking these
into account; revised recommendations on this subject have been
evolved for uniform adoption on all rural highways. The present
Recommended Practice was approved by the Specifications and
Standards Committee in their meeting held on the 12th and 13th
December, 1975 subject to a few modifications and later it was
approved by the Executive Committee in their meeting held on the
14th April 1976 and by the Council in their 87th meeting held on
27th August 1976.

1.3. In applying this standard, effort should not be to limit

the design of any highway to the minimum values laid down. Where
conditions are favourable, good engineering practice will lie in
adopting more liberal values, particularly for stopping sight
distance.

2. STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCE

2.1. General

2.1.1.Stopping sight distance is the minimum sight distance

for which roads must always be designed, regardless of any other
all
consideration. It is the clear distance ahead needed by a driver to
stop his vehicle before meeting a stationary object in his path on the
road.

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IRC : 66-1976

2.1.2. Stopping distance has two components:

(i) the distance travelled during perception and brake reaction time;
and
(ii) the distance travelled during the time brakes are under application
till the vehicle comes to a stop.

2.2. Perception and Brake Reaction Time

2.2.1. Perception and brake reaction time is the time interval
between the instant the driver sights a dangerous object for which a
stop is necessary and the instant the brakes are applied.

2.2.2. Perception and brake reaction time depends on a

variety of factors, viz., age, sex, alertness and visual acuity of the
driver, atmospheric visibility, vehicle design, the size and type of the
object etc. For purposes of highway design, the total reaction
time should be large enough to cover nearly all drivers and highway
conditions. A value of 2.5 seconds is considered reasonable for
most situations. The distance travelied during this time will be
given by the expression:

Ji=0.278 Vt
where di = distance travelled during total reaction time in metres;

K=speed in kmph; and

r = the perception and reaction time in seconds.

2.3. Braking Distance

Braking distance is the distance required a vehicle to

2.3.1.
come brakes are applied. On a level road, assum-
to stop after the
ing friction remains constant duiing the period of deceleration, brak-
ing distance is given by:

a "~
"254/
where d 2 = braking distance in metres;
V— speed in kmph; and
/= coefficient of longitudinal friction between vehi-
cle tyres and road pavement.

2.3.2. The value of the coefficient of friction varies with

speed, tyre pressure, condition of tyre tread, type and condition of
pavement, and whether the surface is wet or dry. For design pur-
poses, the value should encompass nearly all significant pavement

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 IRC : 66-1976

surface types and field conditions, and should be safe for tyres in
reasonable condition. Based on these considerations, design values
for coefficient of friction at different vehicle speeds are given in
Table 1.

Table 1. Stopping Sight Distance on Rural Highways

Perception and Braking Safe stopping sight

Speed brake reaction distance (metres)
kmph

Time Distance Coefficient Distance Calculated Rounded

(seconds) (metres) of longitu- (metres) values off values
dinal friction for design

20 2.5 14 0.40 4 18 20
25 2.5 18 0.40 6 24 25
30 2.5 21 0.40 9 30 30
40 2.5 28 0.38 17 45 45
50 2.5 35 0.37 27 62 60
60 2.5 42 0.36 39 81 80
65 2.5 45 0.36 46 91 90
80 2.5 56 0.35 72 118 120
100 2.5 70 0.35 112 182 180

2.4. Design Values

2.4.1. Minimum stopping sight distance is given by the sum
of the components di and d 2 discussed in preceding paragraphs.
Calculated and rounded values of stopping distance for different
vehicle speeds are given in Table 1. For application of values in
this table, the speed chosen should be the same as the design speed
of the road.

2.5. Effect of Grade

2.5.1. The braking distance of a vehicle is longer on down-
grades and shorter on upgrades. The braking distance formula
amended to take the effect of grades into account is :

*" 254 (/±0.01G)

in which G is the longitudinal grade inper cent (positive for upgrade

and negative for downgrade) and other terms are the same as
previously defined.

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IRC : 66-1976

2.5.2. Correction for grade should not be applied on undivi-

ded roads with two way traffic, but must invariably be considered
for divided highways which have independently designed profiles.

2.6. Criterion for Measurement

Safe stopping sight distance is measured between two points,
one 1.2 m
above the carriageway standing for in driver's eye and the
other 0.15 m height representing the object.

3. OVERTAKING SIGHT DISTANCE

3.1. Design Criteria

3.1.1. For a higher level of service on undivided roads, it is

necessary that vehicles moving at design speed should be frequently
able to overtake vehicles slower than them. Since overtaking
manoeuvre involves the occupation of road space normally used by
opposing traffic, drivers must have sufficient sight distance available
to them so that the whole operation can be accomplished with safety.
Optimum condition is one in which the overtaking driver can follow
the vehicle ahead for a short time while he assesses his chances of
overtaking, pull out, overtake, and return to his own side of the road
before meeting any oncoming vehicle.

3.1.2. In actual practice, there may be occasions to consider

multiple overtakings where two or more vehicles overtake another
vehicle, or are themselves overtaken in a single manoeuvre. It is,
however, not practical to assume such conditions in developing mini-
mum sight distance criteria. Sight distance values recommended
here pertain basically to overtaking manoeuvres involving single
vehicles. Longer sight distances are generally available along road
alignments, e.g., in long relatively level sections, where an occasional
multiple overtaking can take place without difficulty.

3.1.3. For computing minimum overtaking sight distance,

certain assumptions for traffic behaviour are necessary. The assum-
ptions made are :

(i) The vehicle being overtaking is travelling at a uniform speed which is 16

km per hour less than the design speed of the road ;

(ii) The overtaking vehicle follows the vehicle ahead for a short while to
perceive the clear road ahead before beginning the overtaking
movement;
(iii) Overtaking is done by accelerating rapidly to the design speed and is
regarded as having been completed when the overtaking vehicle returns
to its own side of the road and
;

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 IRC : 66-1976

(iv) Overtaking once begun is finished in the face of an oncoming vehicle

travelling at design speed in such a way that the latter arrives alongside
the former just at the completion of the manoeuvre.

3.1.4. Observations in the U.S.A. and elsewhere have shown

that the overtaking manoeuvre takes roughly 8 to 14 seconds for a
vehicle closing at the design speed. To this should be added the
distance travelled by an opposing vehicle during the time of overta-
king manoeuvre to minimise the chance of a collision while the over-
taking vehicle is on right-hand side of the road. Conservatively,
this distance should be the distance traversed by an opposing vehicle
during the entire time of the overtaking manoeuvre. But this makes
the overtaking distance too long and is seriously open to question.
During the first phase of the overtaking manoeuvre when the
overtaking vehicle has not yet pulled abreast of the vehicle
being overtaken, the former can always return to its own
side if an oncoming vehicle is sighted. The interval of the first
phase manoeuvre is about one-third the total time required for over-
taking. On this basis, the element in the overtaking sight distance
for the opposing vehicle can be reasonably taken to be the distance
it traverses during two-thirds of the actual time for overtaking. The
opposing vehicle is assumed to travel at design speed during this
period.

3.2. Design Values for Overtaking Sight Distance

Using the above assumptions, safe overtaking sight
3.2.1.
distances for different speeds have been calculated in Table 2 and
rounded off values are given for design purposes.

Table 2. Overtaking Sight Distance for Two-Lane

Highways

Speed Time component, seconds Safe overtaking*

kmph sight distance
(metre)
For overta- For opposing
king mano- vehicle Total
euvre

40 9 6 15 165
50 10 7 17 235
60 10.8 7.2 18 300
65 11.5 7.5 19 340
80 12.5 8.5 21 470
100 14 9 23 640

* Rounded off values

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 —

IRC : 66-1976

3.2.2 The design values in Table 2 pertain to overtaking of a

vehicle by a passenger car at level grade. On upgrades, the sight
distance required would be more due to reduced acceleration of the
overtaking vehicle and the likely speeding up of the vehicle from
opposing direction. These factors are somewhat compensated by
the loss in speed of the overtaken vehicle which may frequently be
a heavy truck. No separate design values are, therefore, recommen-
ded for application on grades.

3.3. Application

3.3.1. On single carriageways with two-way traffic (i.e., undi-

vided roads of single or two-lane width), normally the attempt
should be to provide overtaking sight distance in as much length of
the road as possible. Conditions ideal for this application will be

(i) straight sections of road with isolated overbridges or summit vertical

curves where the provision of overtaking sight distance would result in
unobstructed sight distance over a long length of the road; and

(ii) relatively easy sections of terrain adjacent to long reaches with no

opportunity for overtaking at all, e.g., at the ends of an excessively
winding road in hilly/rolling country.

In sections where application of overtaking sight dis-

3.3.2.
tance considered impractical for reasons of economics or other-
is

wise, as in an undulating terrain, as far as feasible the design should

aim at providing the intermediate sight distance discussed in para 4.
Where visibility corresponds to these conditions, drivers should be
cautioned about the limited sight distance for overtaking through
appropriate speed limit signs. The posted speed should be that at
which the overtaking manoeuvre can be completed with full safety,
vide Table 2.

3.3.3. At summit curves and horiozntal curves not satisfying

requirements of even the intermediate sight distance, it will be
necessary to provide restrictive pavement markings in accordance
with IRC 35-1970 "Code of Practice for Road Markings (with
:

paints)". Where the road section involved is long, "No Overtaking"

signs should be installed at the beginning and at intervals.

3.4. Criterion for Measurement

Overtaking sight distances is measured between two points
both 1.2 metre above the carriageway, one standing for the driver
eye height and the other for the height of object above the road
surface.

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 IRC : 66-1976

4. INTERMEDIATE SIGHT DISTANCE

4.1. Design Values

4.1.1. Sections of roads where the customary overtaking

sight distance cannot be provided should be designed, as far as
possible, for "intermediate sight distance" which is defined as twice
the normal safe stopping distance. It is the experience that inter-
mediate sight distance improves visibility appreciably and affords a
reasonable chance to drivers to overtake with caution.

4.1.2. Recommended values of intermediate sight distance

for different speeds are given in Table 3.

Table 3. Intermediate Sight Distance for Two-Lane

Highways

Speed Intermediate sight distance

kmph (metre)

20 40
25 50
30 60
40 90
50 120
60 160
65 180
80 240
100 360

4.2. Application

As explained in paras 3.3.2. and 3.3.3.

4.3. Criterion for Measurement

Intermediate sight distance is measured between two points
1.2 metre above the carriageway.

5. HEADLIGHT SIGHT DISTANCE AT VALLEY CURVES

5.1. During day time, visibility is hardly a problem on valley
curves. But for night travel the design must ensure that the road-

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IRC : 66-1976

way ahead is illuminated by vehicle headlights for a sufficient length

which enables the vehicle to brake to a stop, if necessary. This is
known as the headlight sight distance and is equal to the safe stop-
ping sight distance given in Table 1. From safety considerations,
it is essential that valley curves should be designed to provide for
this visibility.

5.2. Criterion for Measurement

For designing valley curves, the following criteria should be
followed to ensure the headlight sight distance :

(i) height of headlight above the road surface is 0.75 m;

(ii) the useful beam of headlight is one degree upwards from the grade of
the road; and

(iii) the height of object is nil.

6. SIGHT DISTANCE FOR DIVIDED HIGHWAYS

6.1. On divided highways with 4 or more lanes, it is not

necessary to provide overtaking sight distance as required for single
carriageways with-two-way traffic. However, sight distance adequ-
ate for safe stopping for the design speed vide Table 1 must be
ensured at all points along the highway. In fact it will be a good
practice to design for somewhat more liberal values to make allo-
wance for the time a driver takes to recognise whether a vehicle
ahead has stopped and, if it has, whether it is on the carriageway or
the shoulder.

7. SIGHT DISTANCE ON HORIZONTAL CURVES

Sight distance across the inside of horizontal curves is an

7.1.
important element of design. Lack of visibility in the lateral direc-
tion may arise due to obstructions like walls, cut slopes, buildings,
wooded areas, high farm crops etc. The straightforward manner of
achieving the necessary setback in these situations is to remove the
obstruction. If somehow this is not feasible, alignment of the road
may need adjustments. Preferably each such case should be studied
separately to determine the best course to adopt.

7.2. The setback distance to give the desired sight distance

on the inside of horizontal curves can be calculated from the

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 IRC : 66-1976

following equation (see Fig. 1 for definitions):

m=R—(R—n) Cos 0

where 0= = r- radians

/?7 = the minimum setback distance to sight obstruction

inmetres at the middle of the curve (measured
from the centre line of the road);
i?=radius at the centre line of the road in metres

n = distance between the centre line of the road and

the centre line of the inside lane in metres;
and 5'=sight distance in metres.

In the above equation, sight distance is measured along the middle

of inner lane. On narrow, single-lane roads, this refinement is
not necessary and the setback distance should be provided with
respect to the centre-line of the road, i.e., assuming *«' to be
zero.

| OF INSIDE LANE-n ^ SIGHT DISTANCE, 9 r-

jf
OF CARRIAGEWAY

Fig. 1. Visibility at horizontal curves

7.3. Utilising the above equation, design charts for lateral

clearance corresponding to the safe stopping distance are given in
Fig. 2 for two-lane roads. The plotted values relate basically to
circular curves longer than the design sight distance. For shorter
curves, the values of setback distance found from Fig. 2 will be
somewhat on the higher side, but these can any way be used as a
guide.

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 IRC : 66-1976

7.4. Lateral clearance for overtaking or intermediate sight

distance could be computed similarly. Calculations would, however,
reveal that the setback distance required will usually be too large to
be economically feasible except on very flat curves.

7.5. When there is a cut slope on the inside of the horizontal

curve, a practical consideration in providing the setback distance is
the average height of sight line above the ground level. For stop-
ping sight distance, the average height can be assumed as 0.7 m
since the height criteria are 1.2 m
for the eye and 0.15 m for the
object. Cut slopes should be kept clear above this height at the
midpoint of the sight line by cutting back the slope or benching. In
the case of meeting or overtaking sight distance, height of sight line
above the ground would be 1.2 metre.

7.6. Where a horizontal and summit vertical curve overlap,

the line of sight will not be over the top of the crest but to one side,
and in part may be off the roadway. Design in such cases should
provide for the required sight distance both in the vertical direction
along the pavement and in the horizontal direction on the inside of
the curve.

8. MEASURING AND RECORDING SIGHT DISTANCES

GRAPHICALLY
8.1. Provision of the required sight distance should receive
care right from early stages when the alignment of a highway is still
flexible and subject to adjustments. Quick appraisals are best had
by graphical means. By determining the available sight distance
graphically from plans and profile drawings, and recording it at
convenient intervals, deficiencies in visibility can be detected in
time so that necessary modifications could be made before detailed
design.

8.2. Horizontal sight distances can be directly scaled from plans

on which obstructions to visibility such as buildings, plantation, hill
slopes etc., have been marked. The measurement is done with the
help of a straight edge.

8.3. Measurement of vertical sight may be done from plotted

profiles of the highway. A transparent straight edge with parallel
edges 1.2 m apart and a dotted line 0.15 m from the upper edge as
per the vertical scale of the profile is the tool employed for these
measurements. The transparent strip is placed on the profile with
the lower edge at the station for which available sight distance is
desired and the strip revolved about this point till the upper edge
touches the profile. Stopping sight distance available is then the

11
IRC : 66-1976

distance between the first station and the point of intersection of the
dotted line with the profile. Overtaking and intermediate sight
distances will be the distance between the initial station and the
point where the lower edge of the strip meets the profile.

8.4. The horizontal and vertical sight distance whichever is

smaller should be recorded on the plan —
L section drawings. The
available sight distance for stopping and overtaking should be shown
in two separate columns below the profile drawing. Such records
take up very little space on the drawings but are invaluable for
highway design. These can also be used for fixing boundaries of
the no-passing zones.

9. SIGHT DISTANCE AT INTERSECTIONS

9.1. General

9.1.1. Visibility is an important requirement at intersections.

To avoid collisions, that sufficient sight distance is
it is essential
available along the intersecting roads and their included corners, to
enable the operators of vehicles simultaneously approaching the
intersection to see each other in time.

9.1.2. At-grade intersections can be broadly grouped under

two headings:
(i) 'Uncontrolled intersections' where the intersecting roads are of more or
less equal importance and there is no established priority;

(ii) 'Priorityintersections', like minor-major road intersections, where one

road takes virtual precedence over the other. Traffic on the minor road
may be controlled by STOP on GIVE WAY signs/road markings,
making it clear that the other road has the priority.

9.2. Uncontrolled Intersections

9.2.1. At these intersections, visibility should be provided on

the principle that the drivers of vehicles on either highway are able
to sight the intersection and the intersecting highway in good time
to be able to halt their vehicles if that becomes essential. The area for
clear visibility should be determined with respect to the stopping
sight distance for each highway corresponding to the design speed,
Table 1.

9.2.2. Minimum sight triangles in the included corners of

uncontrolled intersections, which must be kept free of all obstruc-
tions to sight, could be demarcated as illustrated in Fig. 3. If visi-
bility conditions upto this standard are ensured, drivers of vehicles
will be able to either stop or adjust their speed in the event of a
dangerous situation ahead.

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 IRC : 66-1976

V,,V2 -DESI0N SPEED OF ROAD

*,,d 2 -3AFE STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCE

V
2 i

Fig. 3. Minimum sight triangle at uncontrolled intersections

9.2.3.Occasionally, the size of the sight triangle available may

be than the desirable minimum due to presence of an obstruc-
less
tion which cannot be removed except at prohibitive cost. In such
circumstances, the vehicles must be appropriately warned to travel

at speeds corresponding to the available sight distance and not at

the design speed of the highway. One solution can be to permit
vehicles on one of the roads to travel at the design speed and evalu-
ate the corresponding critical speed for the other road which might
be posted. Alternatively, the approach speed for both the roads
could be restricted in accordance with the sight triangle available by
installing suitable speed limit signs.

MINOR ROAO

Tm
15
MAJOR ROAD
Si F

fe-SECONDS SAP DISTANC

CORRESPONDING .TO DESIGN
IN ) -|

SPEED OF THE MAJOR ROAD3ADJ I

Fig. 4. Minimum sight triangle at priority intersections

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IRC : 66-1976

9.3. Priority Intersections

9.3.1. On priority intersections, the visibility provided should

be such that drivers approaching from the minor road are able to
see vehicles on the major road inadequate time.and to judge whether
the required gap is available in the main road traffic stream for a
safe crossing so that the vehicle could be brought to a halt, if neces-
sary. For this purpose, a minimum visibility distance of 15 m along
the minor road is recommended.

Table 4. Minimum Visibility Distances Along Major

Roads at Priority Intersections

Design speed of major Minimum visibility distance along

road (kmph) major roads (metres)

100 220

80 180

65 145

50 110

9.3.2. Visibility distance along the major road depends on

the time required by the driver on the minor road to perceive the
traffic conditions on the intersection, evaluate the gaps in the vehicle
stream, take a decision about actual crossing, and finally to accele-
rate the vehicle to complete the manoeuvre. The total time required
for these operations may be taken as 8 seconds. On this basis, the
sight triangle at priority intersections should be formed by measuring
15 m along the minor road and a distance along the major road
equal to 8 seconds travel at the design speed. This is illustrated in
Fig. 4. Visibility distances (rounded values) corresponding to 8
seconds travel time are set out in Table 4.

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