IES
LIT
DRIV
IN
OWN FAT
A
GD
TOOLS FOR
LIFE
AASHTO
Strategic Highway
Safety Plan
A Comprehensive Plan
to Substantially Reduce
Vehicle-Related Fatalities
and Injuries on the
Nation’s Highways
The AASHTO Board of Directors first approved this document
in December 1997 by more than the required two-thirds
majority vote. It was revised and updated with current data
in December 2004, but the emphasis areas and strategies
identified in the original plan remain the same.
The NCHRP Series 500 guides referred to throughout this document provide updated
strategies for significantly reducing roadway injuries and fatalities.
Published by the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 249
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 624-5800
(202) 624-5806 (fax)
Web site: www.transportation.org
Copyright © 2005 by the American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced in any form
without the express written consent of the publisher.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
Section I: The AASHTO Initiative
3
3
3
4
4
5
6
6
7
7
Implementation Strategies
Moving from Plan to Action
Widespread, timely utilization of proven, effective strategies.
The AASHTO Lead States Program
Scope of the Problem
Funding Needs
Funding Requirements and Benefits
Funding Considerations
Safety Goal
Summary
Section II: The Plan Elements
9 Part 1: Drivers
10
11
11
12
13
14
15
Instituting Graduated Licensing for Young Drivers
Ensuring Drivers Are Fully Licensed and Competent
Sustaining Proficiency in Older Drivers
Curbing Aggressive Driving
Reducing Impaired Driving
Keeping Drivers Alert
Increasing Driver Safety Awareness
17
Part 2: Special Users
17 Making Walking and Street Crossing Safer
19 Ensuring Safer Bicycle Travel
20
Part 3: Vehicles
20 Improving Motorcycle Safety and Increasing Motorcycle Awareness
22 Making Truck Travel Safer
23 Increasing Safety Enhancements in Vehicles
24 Part 4: Highways
24
25
27
28
30
31
Reducing Vehicle–Train Crashes
Keeping Vehicles on the Roadway
Minimizing the Consequences of Leaving the Road
Improving the Design and Operation of Highway Intersections
Reducing Head-On and Across-Median Crashes
Designing Safer Work Zones
32
Part 5: Emergency Medical Services
32
34
34
36
38
Enhancing Emergency Medical Capabilities to Increase Sur vivability
Part 6: Management
Improving Information and Decision Support Systems
Creating More Effective Processes and Safety Management Systems
Want More Information?
IES
LIT
DRIV
IN
OWN FAT
A
GD
TOOLS FOR
LIFE
Introduction
A child born today can expect to live an average of 78 years. That’s the good news. The
bad news is that one out of every 90 children born today will die violently in a motor
vehicle crash. And 70 of every 100 will be injured in a highway crash at some point
during their lives, many more than once.
Beginning a life with such high potential for motor vehicle-related death and injury is
unnecessary and should not be acceptable in today’s society, because the means to
prevent significant numbers of highway crashes, deaths, and injuries are readily
available.
A well-planned, coordinated approach to improving roadway safety that involves all
elements of the traffic safety community focuses on low-cost, day-to-day
improvements, and effectively implements new strategies can substantially reduce the
nation’s highway death toll and improve the future outlook for today’s new citizens.
This Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and the tools developed to facilitate its
implementation offer state and local transportation and safety agencies a life-saving
blueprint ready for application in developing comprehensive highway safety plans.
D A T A
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
1
Section I
The AASHTO Initiative
In 2003, the AASHTO Board of Directors,
the Governors Highway Safety Association, the American Association of Motor
Vehicle Administrators, and the U.S. Department of Transportation set as a goal
the reduction of the nation’s highway fatality rate by 2008 to not more than one
fatality per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Reducing the fatality rate on streets and
roads can be achieved most efficiently if
all states take aim at significant highway
safety challenges in ways that utilize good
planning and effective coordination of all
available resources.
In 1996, there already was a recognized
need for a strategic plan to address critical highway safety problems. Late that
year and early in 1997, the AASHTO
Standing Committee for Highway Traffic
Safety (SCOHTS), along with the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Transportation
Research Board’s Committee on Transportation Safety Management, convened a
meeting of national safety experts in
driver, vehicle, and highway issues.
The participants, whose mission was to
develop a strategic highway safety plan,
included a range of stakeholders representing the private and public sectors, including representatives from:
ý States and counties
ý United States Department
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
2
of Transportation Modal
Administrations
American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials
Governors Highway Safety
Association
National Transportation Safety Board
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety
American Automobile Association
Traffic Safety Foundation
American Association of Motor
Vehicle Administrators
American Association of Retired
Persons
National Safety Council
Bicycle Federation of America
American Trucking Association
Transportation Research Board
American Road and Transportation
Builders Association
ý Roadway Safety Federation
ý American Traffic Safety Services
ý
ý
ý
ý
ý
Association
General Motors Corporation
Academia
Railroad industry
Insurance industry
Private consultants.
The plan they produced, which focuses on
22 specific highway safety challenges or
“emphasis areas,” is contained in the
pages that follow.
Although this is an AASHTO-initiated
plan, it is comprehensive in scope. It not
only addresses what some consider the
traditional AASHTO concerns for “infrastructure,” but also tackles driver, occupant, vehicle, and post-crash responsibilities in non-infrastructure areas.
Moreover, this plan is built on existing
safety programs, such as the National
Safety Council’s (NSC) National Agenda
for Safety Records, the Strategic Plan for
Improving Roadside Safety—a program
developed through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)
—and the Emergency Medical Ser vices
(EMS) Strategic Plan.
The AASHTO Standing Committee on
Highway Traffic Safety believes that a
comprehensive, integrated approach has
great potential to significantly reduce motor vehicle-related deaths, injuries, and
associated health care costs on our
highways.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
INTRODUCTION
Implementation Strategies
Highway safety is a shared responsibility.
The Federal government is best suited for
providing national leadership, direction,
development, and demonstration of new
safety programs. State and local governments are then able to deploy new programs, ensuring that end-users can effectively put them into ser vice.
Such activities first require that a comprehensive highway safety plan, including
management procedures, be in place
prior to utilizing new safety products and
services. Unless crash problems are addressed in a comprehensive and systemic
manner, even the best safety initiatives
are likely to fall short of their goals.
The top strategies developed in each of
the 22 key emphasis areas identified in
this SHSP are designed to mitigate major
problems and advance effective practices
by means that are both cost-effective and
acceptable to a significant majority of
Americans. Many emphasis areas include
initial model development or demonstration phases to determine which strategies
achieve results cost-effectively.
Another important highway safety initiative, the Intelligent Transportation System
(ITS), holds significant promise for improving safety above and beyond the goals
of the SHSP. This is especially true in the
areas of crash avoidance, other Intelligent
Vehicle Initiatives (IVI), and the more complex Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
(VII) efforts. The ITS and related strategic
highway safety plans generally address
different sets of issues, although some of
these issues, e.g., the use of electronic
sensors as safety devices, may be
investigated by both.
While some ITS safety programs will begin
reaping safety benefits immediately, most
will take place concurrently with
large-scale deployment of new vehicles
and technologies and will most likely occur beyond the time frame of this plan.
Therefore, estimates of lives saved and
crashes prevented by these initiatives are
excluded from those listed herein.
Moving from Plan to Action
The SHSP provides guidance and direction
for national deployment of effective countermeasures in areas where they can have
the greatest impact. To advance its implementation, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program began developing a
series of Implementation Guides published
collectively as NCHRP Report 500. Each
provides definitive information—data,
strategies, countermeasures, and supporting documentation—for one of these emphasis areas:
Drivers
ý Young
ý Unlicensed/Suspended/Revoked
Drivers
ý Older
ý Agressive
ý Impaired
ý Distracted/Fatigued
ý Seat Belt Use
ý Speed
Special Users
ý Pedestrians
ý Bicycists
Vehicles
ý Motorcycles
ý Heavy Trucks
Highways
ý Trees
ý Run Off the Road
ý Horizontal Curves
ý Utility Poles
ý Unsignalized Intersections
ý Head-On Collisions
ý Head-On Crashes on Freeways
ý Work Zones
Management
ý Data
ý Integrated Safety Management
Process
In addition, NCHRP Report 501 provides a
detailed model Integrated Safety Management Process that is helpful in developing
statewide comprehensive highway safety
plans. More about NCHRP Reports 500
and 501 and copies of the documents can
be found at:
http://safety.transportation.org.
Implementing the SHSP involves
two-part effort:
a
Widespread, timely utilization
of proven, effective strategies.
Strategies and countermeasures that are
already proven effective do not require
further demonstration and should be implemented as quickly as possible. Examples of such strategies include targeted
shoulder rumble strip programs on freeways, sobriety checkpoint programs,
community safety programs, safety audits, and bystander care programs.
Programs such as these can generally be
implemented by state and local governments using their own resources and Federal funds available in the pending
reauthorization of TEA-21. AASHTO and
many other safety organizations have proposed that Congress increase funding allocated to safety-oriented roadway improvements and other safety activities.
EMS
ý Rural Emergency Medical Services
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
3
The AASHTO Lead States Program
In 2003, AASHTO launched a “Lead
States” initiative to help identify proven,
cost-effective strategies to be considered
for national deployment. States volunteered to develop comprehensive highway
safety plans addressing one or more emphasis areas identified in the SHSP. Their
plans establish a specific statewide goal
for reducing fatalities in one or more emphasis areas, by a certain number, and
within a specific time frame, using strategies that are cost-effective and acceptable
to the public. From the results achieved in
these states, all states will gain a better
understanding of which strategies are
most effective in addressing specific
highway safety challenges.
Scope of the Problem
More than 42,000 people were killed in
highway crashes in 2003. The following
chart shows the number of deaths associated with specific emphasis areas identified in the SHSP.
Emphasis Area
2003 Deaths
Comments
Young drivers
3,571
Ages 16–20
Cost-effectiveness is critical to the success of this program. With credible documentation and history available to support cost-effectiveness, budget requests
to fund the various strategies will be more
realistic and more likely to succeed. The
result will be more efficient and effective
use of resources and better public policy
in the area of highway safety.
Suspended/revoked licenses
6,973
Involving a driver with invalid licensing
Older drivers
2,716
Ages 65–74
3,914
Age 74+
The “Lead States” program began with 31
states working on comprehensive plans
for reducing deaths and injuries related to
one or more of these emphasis areas:
“roadway departure” crashes, collisions
at unsignalized intersections, aggressive
driving, and unlicensed and suspended
drivers. In developing their plans the
states combined the collective expertise
of engineering, education, enforcement,
and emergency medical services personnel to significantly reduce fatalities.
Safety belts
18,019
Pedestrians
4,749
These states also made extensive use of
the strategies and countermeasures
identified in the SHSP and related Implementation Guides developed by NCHRP.
In addition, Federal, State, and local
transportation and safety officials were
able to tap the expertise of the consulting
experts who developed the Implementation Guides, and they exchanged “lessons
learned” at peer exchange meetings organized to facilitate the plan development
process. In 2005, a second group of “Lead
States” was scheduled to begin a similar
process to address other emphasis areas.
Intersections
6,903**
Work zones
1,028
Survivability of severe crashes
1,850**
Rural: Time from crash to hospital >1 hour
258**
Urban: Time from crash to hospital >1 hour
4
Aggressive/speeding drivers
Impaired drivers
Drowsy or distracted drivers
Bicyclists
Vehicle and train crash
11,990
Reckless driving
17,013
Alcohol impaired
3,730
Inattentive
1,577
Fell asleep
324
3,661
Heavy trucks
4,986
Safety enhancements
in vehicles
TOTAL DEATHS
Driver’s and occupants unbuckled
622
Motorcyclists
Run-off-the-road
Speeding/driving too fast for conditions
3,565
Deaths in vehicles
Cannot accurately ascertain, although 14
unintentional deaths were associated with
carbon monoxide alone in 2002
18,781
Most harmful event involved fixed object
or rollover
42,643*
Three additional key emphasis areas
(driver safety knowledge, safety information systems, and safety management)
could not be directly associated with specific numbers of deaths.
*Total deaths are less than the sum of
above numbers since some fatal
crashes involve more than one key emphasis area.
**Fatal crashes only, not individual fatalities.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
INTRODUCTION
Funding Needs
Successful implementation of the SHSP
will require financial resources of approximately $4.1 billion per year over a
six-year period. As the model development and demonstration efforts are completed and effective countermeasures are
identified for national deployment, an assessment of available funding options for
plan implementation needs to be undertaken. An initial estimate of some of the
emphasis areas is shown below.
Although it is estimated that at least $1
billion annually will be required to implement the countermeasures, the final estimate may differ substantially from this
medium-term estimate because it will be
based on the actual results of the development and demonstration efforts.
Estimated Costs for Implementing the
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan2
Capital Costs ( One Time )
Annual Costs
( $ Millions )
( $ Millions )
1. Graduated drivers licensing
3,571
11.2
2. Licensed, competent drivers
0
—
4,650
11.2
Strategic Highway Safety Plan Goal Areas
3. Older drivers
4. Aggressive driving
—
120
5. Impaired drivers
—
62.5
No estimate (see area 15)
—
7. Driver safety awareness
—
50.0
8. Seatbelts and air bags
0
74.1
6. Keeping drivers alert
121
24.1
—
17.5
11. Motorcyclists
No estimate
—
12. Heavy trucks
30
—
9. Pedestrians
10. Bicyclists
13. In-vehicle enhancements
No estimate
—
14. Vehicle-train crashes
1,550
—
15. Keeping vehicles on the road
1,770
—
16. Minimizing consequences of leaving road
1,601
—
17. Intersections
6,619
18. Head-on and cross median crashes
1,788
495.0
—
19. Work zones
No estimate
—
20. Increasing EMS capabilities
No estimate
—
21. Improving decision support systems
—
75.0
22. Processes and safety management systems
200
115.0
$18.363 Billion
$1.056 Billion
2
Surface Transportation Safety and Investment, NCHRP Project 8-36,
Task 26; Timothy R. Neuman, P.E., CH2M Hill; April 2002
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
5
Funding Requirements and Benefits
The SHSP offers a comprehensive approach to improving highway safety. Several key characteristics are central to the
plan’s goal of significantly reducing
crashes associated with death, injury, and
lost resources on America’s highways.
These characteristics include:
ý Additional emphasis on existing,
cost-effective safety strategies, such
as occupant protection and reduced
drinking and driving;
ý Enhancements to improve the
effectiveness of some existing
programs, such as those targeting
community safety programs,
Emergency Medical Services, and
public safety knowledge and
awareness; and
ý New emphasis on major and
emerging safety categories, such as
young, problem, older, and
aggressive drivers; vehicle safety
enhancements; and new highway
safety initiatives designed to keep
vehicles on the road and minimize
the consequences of leaving it.
Funding Considerations
With additional emphasis and enhancements to proven, existing safety initiatives, and the initiation of new strategies,
implementing this SHSP would certainly
exceed the safety funding levels provided
in the six-year TEA-21 (1998–2003). For
this program to go for ward successfully, it
is imperative that additional Federal funds
be available, with some costs shared by
the states and the private sector.
Specific funding levels are not proposed
for each of the safety strategies, as this
can lead to sub-optimal use of funds in order to expend monies in a particular category. A specific financial and managerial
approach for this plan has been devised.
Its major recommendations are as
follows:
6
a. For promising and experimental
strategies, demonstration and development efforts should be implemented
to determine the most effective actions to deploy nationally. If the demonstration and development efforts
conclude that adjustments will likely
result in positive, cost-effective results, the strategy can be deployed nationally at a level commensurate with
the relative magnitude of the problem
in a given state and the relative
cost-effectiveness of the strategy. If
the effort proves ineffective, the
strategy should be terminated.
b. For proven strategies, the goal is to
encourage the use of performance-based measures such as those
now used by the Federal 402 Program.
These measures should be applied to
the entire range of safety categories as
described in this plan. Furthermore,
these measures should be complemented with evaluation processes to
determine if an existing safety strategy
should be continued, modified to improve effectiveness, or terminated. Total quality management principles
should be incorporated into the entire
process to improve the quality of the
safety products emerging from the
plan.
It is also important that states take an aggressive stance in addressing major traffic safety concerns. If a state enacts or has
effective legislation or programs in place
that target a specific problem, such as
seat belt usage, Federal funds are more
likely to become available to help operate
or bolster the program’s effectiveness.
States with secondary seat belt laws, for
example, could strengthen their programs
by coordinating enforcement and public
information and education campaigns to
raise seat belt use.
The results of “Lead State” efforts will
have a significant impact in determining
which new strategies are effective enough
to qualify for national implementation as
well as what that level of implementation
will be.
Funding levels of $5 billion for driver issues and $13 billion for highway issues do
not necessarily represent the full funding
needed to address some of the plan’s
goals. Existing programs, like the Federal
402 Program and other safety infrastructure programs such as those targeting
high hazard locations and rail/vehicle intersections, are potential funding sources
for addressing some of the goals. However, these resources are intended to ease
existing safety problems and are clearly
insufficient to fund all these new initiatives—especially as new products and
methodologies are effectively demonstrated. In addition, there are measures
now being funded under these programs,
such as funding to local governments to
eliminate high hazard sites, that would
require continued support.
Other programs that fund annual safety
operational initiatives, such as the Motor
Carrier Safety Assistance Program,
should also continue to receive funding in
order to help maintain safety improvements in their areas of focus. Such programs are possible additional sources of
funding for the items above, because the
funding mentioned in this report for driver
and highway safety strategies may not
cover other existing driver and occupant
projects. Though the funding levels cited
herein represent the resources for undertaking these projects, realistically they are
insufficient to achieve all goals.
Implementation funding requirements
cannot be adequately refined at this point.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
INTRODUCTION
Safety Goal
The SHSP aims to reduce the annual highway crash fatality rate to no more than 1.0
fatality per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by 2008, cost-effectively and in a
manner acceptable to the general public.
The lower fatality rate is achievable by the
year 2008, provided:
ý Increased Federal funding is made
available to conduct and complete
the majority of “Lead State”
efforts by 2006, enabling effective
strategies to be implemented by
2008.
ý Incentive funds for reducing
impaired driving and increasing
safety belt usage are funded at
higher levels than that provided in
TEA-21. In 2003, alcohol was
involved in 40 percent of all highway
fatalities, and 52 percent of
passenger and light truck occupants
who died in motor vehicle crashes
(more than 16,500 individuals) were
known to be unrestrained. Alcohol
incentive funds are designated to
reduce the level of impaired driving
through a combination of strategic
alcohol legislation, expanded sobriety
checkpoints, and comprehensive
strategies targeting the 21 to 34 age
group. Seat belt incentive funds are
needed to significantly increase
restraint use through the passage of
standard (primary) safety belt laws
coupled with significant enforcement
and education and awareness
programs.
ý The “Lead State” demonstration
efforts are completed so the
successful countermeasures they
identify can be deployed on a
national scale. Additional funding
for the effective national
implementation of the
countermeasures may be required
and will be defined as the Lead State
efforts are completed.
ý Performance-based measures and
total quality management
principles and evaluation
techniques are incorporated into
all implementation strategies at
the Federal, State, and local levels
to maximize effectiveness. And,
overall state safety programs are
developed, integrated, and oriented
toward implementing effective and
cost-efficient strategies that are
congruent with the state’s individual
crash priorities.
Summary
The current highway death toll and crash
projections for the future—if nothing is
done to alter current trends—are simply
unacceptable. In 2003, people died in
highway crashes at the appalling rate of
116 per day. Looking ahead, one in 90
children born in 2003 will die violently in a
highway crash, and seven of ten will be injured in a crash, many of them more than
once. Obviously, existing efforts to reduce
highway deaths and injuries are not
adequate.
ý
ý
ý
ý
Many safety experts from across the nation
worked to define this strategic highway
safety plan. If it is effectively implemented,
it can produce noticeable and significant reductions in highway deaths and injuries and
help achieve the goal of not more than one
fatality per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Such changes, although not immediately possible, are feasible within several
years. Among other things, effective implementation will require:
ý An increase in Federal funds for the
national deployment of proven
strategies;
ý Larger incentive grants to
significantly reduce the frequency of
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
ý
impaired driving and increase seat
belt usage;
Early implementation of the Lead
States demonstration program in key
emphasis areas;
Increased Federal funding for rapid
deployment of new, effective
strategies that emanate from the
Lead States program;
The use of performance measures to
judge the value of the plan’s
strategies;
The adoption of total quality
management principles and
evaluation criteria to help ensure that
the impacts of safety products
produced in all Federal, State, and
local programs are continuously
enhanced;
The development of comprehensive
safety plans in each state, empowers
them to decide how to best utilize
available funds to reduce their motor
vehicle crash deaths and injuries.
As in any important endeavor, the will to
succeed is critical at every stage and level.
Success will will be expressed in terms of
human lives saved.
7
OWN FAT
D
A
G
IES
LIT
DRIV
IN
Section II
TOOLS FOR
LIFE
The Plan Elements
In this 2005 revision of the SHSP, the focal
points, emphasis areas, and strategies remain essentially as they were in the original version. The background sections that
introduce each emphasis area have been
updated where appropriate to reflect currently available safety data.
This plan was first published in 1998.
Much has happened since then. Most significantly, through the combined efforts of
AASHTO, the Governors Highway Safety
Association, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, and the Transportation Research Board’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program
(NCHRP), a series of guides for implementing the SHSP has been developed.
a majority of states is necessary to
achieve this goal.
Copies of the NCHRP guides are available
on the internet at:
http://safety.transportation.org.
Printed copies may be obtained from
NCHRP at 500 Fifth St., NW, Washington,
D.C. 20001. Telephone: (202) 334-3213.
Published in four phases beginning in
2003 as NCHRP Report 500, each volume
deals with a particular crash scenario and
includes a brief introduction, general description of the problem, and strategies
and countermeasures designed to address it. The NCHRP Report 500 guides, in
conjunction with NCHRP Report 501: Integrated Safety Management Process, provide a comprehensive set of tools for developing and managing a coordinated
highway safety program.
In another development, AASHTO, the
Governors Highway Safety Association,
and the U.S. Department of Transportation adopted an ambitious national safety
goal in 2003 to reduce the nation’s highway fatality rate from 1.5 deaths to not
more than 1.0 death per 100 million miles
traveled. Effective implementation of the
comprehensive set of SHSP strategies by
8
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Part 1: Drivers
Instituting Graduated Licensing
for Young Drivers
Background
Newly licensed drivers with less than one
year of driving experience have the highest crash rate of any driver group. Younger
drivers are more likely to engage in risky
behaviors, such as speeding and tailgating, and, lacking experience, they are least able to
cope with hazardous situations. As a result, motor
vehicle crashes are the
leading cause of death for
young drivers. In 2003,
6,002 people ages 16 to 20
(including 3,571 drivers)
were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Drivers ages
15 to 20 were involved in
7,884 fatal crashes.
Younger drivers are also disproportionately represented in crashes where alcohol is a factor. In 2003, 25 percent of 15to 20-year old drivers killed in crashes
were intoxicated (BAC higher than .08).
Drivers also are less likely to use safety
belts when they have been drinking. In
2003, 65 percent of young passenger vehicle drivers who had been drinking and
involved in fatal crashes were unre-
strained. Furthermore, 74 percent of
young drivers who had been drinking and
killed in crashes were unrestrained.
A lack of driving experience and risk-taking tendencies contribute to the troubling
crash statistics for young drivers. In light
of these facts, it is reasonable and fair to
target young drivers for safety measures
that are tailored to address their driving
behavior.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses young drivers in
2006.
The Strategies
Implement graduated licensing systems.
Model graduated license systems (GLS)
have been developed based on previous
safety research and comprehensive data
results. During the 1990s, many states
moved toward graduated licensing. Some
have enacted virtually all elements of a
graduated licensing program while others
have enacted only parts. In April 2004, 38
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
states plus the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico had GLSs in place.
This initiative is designed to encourage
more states to pass graduated licensing
legislation and to develop comprehensive
GLS implementation plans. Funds for the
demonstrations, evaluations, and enhancements of this task are needed; State
funds will be required for implementation
in states adopting enabling legislation.
Develop and implement an improved
competency-based training and assessment procedure for entry drivers.
Funds will be needed for development of
the enhanced training and assessment
procedures as well as for implementation
for each state that adopts the improved
procedure.
Develop and implement an evaluation
system for drivers moving from the
provisional to the regular license
stage.
This component of the model GLS and requires the development of an evaluation
system to better ensure that drivers are
ready for a standard license. Funding is required for this developmental stage, and
State funding will be needed for each state
adopting the transitional procedures.
9
Ensuring Drivers Are Fully
Licensed and Competent
with repeat driving under the influence
(DUI) offenders and other drivers with serious offenses who continue to drive with
suspended or revoked licenses. Refer to
the Reducing Impaired Driving discussion
for a description of the effort.
Define and implement the strategies
that most effectively keep suspended/revoked drivers off of the road.
Background
Research indicates that substantial numbers of drivers continue to drive af ter
their privileges have been suspended or
revoked. One of every five fatal crashes
involves at least one driver who is not
properly licensed (unlicensed, suspended,
revoked, expired, or canceled). Some 75
percent of drivers with suspended or revoked licenses continue to drive. In addition, a number of people continue to drive
even though their cognitive and motor
skills have degenerated to levels that
make them unfit to operate a motor vehicle. In light of the serious reasons for
which driving privileges are revoked or
suspended, keeping these drivers off the
highway is an important traffic safety
objective.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-2, A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Unlicensed
Drivers and Drivers with Suspended
and Revoked Licenses.
Many states have tried various initiatives
to keep suspended and revoked drivers
from getting behind the wheel. Some of
these initiatives have succeeded and others have failed. This strategy is designed
to critically demonstrate and evaluate
some of the more promising initiatives
and identifies a set of initiatives that are
effective, cost-efficient, acceptable, and
feasible to implement. Final initiatives
have been packaged into a national deployment strategy that states can use in
implementing their programs. An additional major initiative to be demonstrated
and assessed is as follows:
Develop a model problem-driver identification program.
This initiative will begin with a review of
current problem-driver identification research findings, followed by development
of a prototype model identification system. The prototype will be demonstrated
and evaluated in five states before being
upgraded to a refined model.
Increase the effectiveness of license
suspension/revocation.
Develop and deploy an informal assessment system that drivers/families/medical personnel can use to assess an individual’s capability to drive
safely.
This strategy is combined with an initiative under the Reducing Impaired Driving
goal to create more effective ways to deal
Over time, some drivers develop problems that interfere with their ability to operate a vehicle safely, but recognition of
The Strategies
10
these problems of ten occurs only af ter
one or more crashes have occurred. This
initiative will begin with a current, informal assessment of practices and limitations, then define target groups and their
needs, and conclude with the development of targeted information assessment
packages. A pilot-tested, evaluated and
upgraded delivery system will also be
developed.
Link states using databases of driver
records and relevant risk factors.
Some drivers slip through the cracks because their driver histories are divided
between two or more states. This effort
will create a common linkage between
states in order to make certain a driver’s
complete record is available. Funding will
be required to develop model database
criteria and identify and resolve computer
and communication issues. Additional
funding will be needed to link demonstration states into the database.
Develop and provide technical aids,
such as simulators and electronic media, for private self-assessment and
improvement of driver skills.
Many drivers have learned poor driving
habits that increase the risk of crashes.
The purpose of this initiative is to develop
a sophisticated simulator that will be capable of making its users aware of driving
habits that, from a safety perspective,
need to be modified or improved. The initiative will be a public and private partnership initially determining user acceptability and measures of effectiveness.
Technical aids will be developed to address identified critical skills implemented and evaluated in two pilot areas.
As a result of the pilot, the aids will be
upgraded.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
DRIVERS
tinctive set of safety issues that needs to
be specifically addressed
Enhance the competency of drivers
through an improved renewal system.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-9, A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Older
Drivers.
Frequently, a state’s only direct contact
with drivers is the license renewal process, which offers the opportunity to improve competency and safe driving knowledge. This initiative would establish
self-renewal procedures, define needed
legislative authority, resolve technological
issues to ensure honesty, address privacy
issues, and develop and modify required
technologies and systems. Appropriate
public information and education for national use would be created to accompany
the renewal process. In addition, an improved model renewal system would be
developed to improve the efficiency of the
system and safe driving competency
skills.
The Strategies
Implement processes to improve the
highway infrastructure to safely accommodate older drivers.
The FHWA has developed a comprehensive Older Drivers Highway Design Handbook3. This initiative will identify five
states willing to follow handbook guidelines and then assist those states in implementing the guidelines. As a result of
the pilot tests, the guidelines will be upgraded, followed by national implementation on a state-by-state basis.
Implement a comprehensive approach
to assist older driver safety.
Sustaining Proficiency
in Older Drivers
Background
The increasing number and percentage of
older drivers using the nation’s highways
in future decades will pose many challenges. The 65 and older age group, which
numbered 35 million in 2000, will swell to
70 million by 2030, accounting for roughly
one-fifth of the country’s driving population. Most older drivers are good drivers,
but the effects of aging ultimately affect
the safe driving abilities of some seniors.
Once in a crash, adults age 65 and older
are far more likely to sustain fatal injuries
because of to physical frailty resulting
from aging. In 2003, more than 6,600 seniors died in motor vehicle crashes—15
percent of all fatalities.
Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers occur during weekday daytime hours,
and three-quarters involve another vehicle. In two-vehicle crashes involving an
older driver and a younger driver in 2003,
the vehicle driven by the older individual
was more than twice as likely to be the
one that was struck. In 44 percent of
these crashes, both vehicles were proceeding straight at the time of the collision. In 27 percent, the older driver was
turning left—seven times as often as the
younger person.
Safety issues associated with older drivers must be addressed in order to stem
the growing number of crashes involving
these drivers. As with younger drivers,
older drivers are associated with a dis-
This initiative will develop a model effort
to sustain safe mobility for older drivers
through a combination of education, assessments, alternative transportation
policies, and system exit policies that consider individual capabilities and needs in a
fair manner. The model will be demonstrated in five geographical areas, evaluated, and enhanced. The enhanced model
will then be available to implement in
states.
Assess the feasibility of Advanced
Traveler Information Systems (ATIS)
and Advanced Vehicle Control Systems
(AVCS) for sustaining mobility and enhancing proficiency.
This initiative will review all of the major
subsystems of ATIS and AVCS with the
older driver in mind. Laboratory and field
evaluations of selected systems will then
be undertaken to determine if those systems can be refined to help sustain mobility and enhance proficiency for the older
driver.
3
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tfhrc/safety/pubs/older/home/
11
Curbing Aggressive Driving
Background
Though there always have been aggressive drivers, incidences of crashes, injuries, and fatalities resulting from aggressive driving are becoming more prevalent.
More than 60 percent of drivers see unsafe driving by others as a major personal
threat to themselves and their families.
Aggressive driving of ten manifests itself
as a combination of speeding and recklessness, particularly dangerous highway
behavior. Speeding excessively, changing
lanes frequently without signaling, following too closely, flashing lights, driving on
shoulders to pass, driving across marked
barriers, shouting or gesturing at other
drivers, uncontrolled anger, and stress
created by traffic congestion are among
the causes and manifestations of aggressive driving. Aggressive drivers also tend
to be high-risk drivers—more likely to
ride unrestrained and also drink and
drive.
development and testing in two to five urban areas. The model will be enhanced as
a result of testing and evaluations, and
then effective, cost-efficient countermeasures to aggressive driving will be finalized. The enhanced model will then be deployed nationally in 50 of the nation’s
major urbanized areas.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-1, A Guide for Addressing Aggressive Driving Collisions.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses speeding in
2006.
The Strategies
Develop and implement comprehensive programs to combat aggressive
driving.
Aggressive driving is becoming a significant concern on the nation’s highways and
little is known about the characteristics
and precipitating events that create it. At
the onset of this strategy, research will be
conducted to establish a definition of aggressive driving and its characteristics.
This would be followed by model program
12
Promote the use of advanced technologies to support enforcement efforts.
A major growing concern is the lack of sufficient numbers of law enforcement officers available to effectively detect and
control dangerously aggressive driving.
The emerging Intelligent Transportation
System (ITS) technologies offer the opportunity for paradigm shifts in enforcement
capabilities by using “smart” systems.
tives involving ITS devices and systems
might be most effectively used to first identify aggressive drivers and then warn and
educate them about the dangers of their behavior.
It is particularly important that only those
technologies supported by a significant
portion of society be advanced. Funding
will be required to support the development and demonstration of the best ITS
candidates as well as to nurture the deployment of successful demonstrations.
This strategy need not wait for future ITS
advancements—it is feasible today. Technology required to identify certain aggressive driving behavior exists and is
currently operating.
The development of these emerging technologies should address only truly aggressive driving. A panel comprising members
of the public, law enforcement, industry,
and ITS experts would identify appropriate
ITS enforcement technologies (i.e., automated speed enforcement or red-light-running enforcement) that would be acceptable
to most people and probably involve only
the targeted dangerous driver. Such initia-
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
DRIVERS
Reducing Impaired Driving
Background
Among all traffic safety issues, impaired
driving has perhaps the highest profile,
and combating it has been vigorously pursued for decades with aggressive campaigns in both the public and private sectors. All states, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico have enacted laws making 21 the minimum age for legal consumption of alcohol and establishing a
BAC of .08 as the legal definition of impaired driving. Despite these efforts, impaired driving remains a highly difficult issue. There were 17,013 alcohol-related
traffic deaths in 2003.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses alcohol-related
crashes in 2005.
The Strategies
Advance stronger legislation in the
states to reduce drinking and driving.
Actions of prime importance are getting
more states to pass legislation requiring
administrative license suspension (ALS)
(42 states and the District of Columbia
now have ALS laws), lowering the BAC
level from .10 to .08 (as of 2004, .08 BAC
was the standard in all states), maintaining zero tolerance for drivers under age
21 (now the standard in all states), and
creating alcohol provisions for graduated
license laws. To make it attractive for
states to pass legislation, annual incentive
funds should be earmarked for implementing comprehensive sobriety checkpoint programs and strategies involving
repeat offenders and the 21 to 34 age
group.
Develop and implement comprehensive sobriety checkpoints and saturation blitzes.
Numerous statistics are generated on the
various issues associated with alcohol
and driving. The numbers and percentages are often staggeringly large. Alcohol
was involved in 40 percent of fatal
crashes in 2003, an average of one every
half-hour, and more than 275,000 injuries
resulted from crashes where alcohol was
reported present. Intoxicated drivers 21
to 34 years old accounted for 59 percent
of fatal alcohol-related crashes in 2003. In
2003, 1.5 million individuals were arrested for driving under the influence of
alcohol or drugs.
Report relevant to this objective:
that evolve from this effort will then be
implemented in at least 50 major geographical areas using the above incentive
funds.
These enforcement initiatives significantly
deter drinking and driving if they are performed frequently and are well publicized.
Such initiatives would be performed using
guidelines that ensure effectiveness and
cost-efficiency and would be enhanced by
the use of incentive funds.
Reduce the incidence of drinking and
driving in the 21–34 age group.
Create more effective ways to deal
with repeat DUI offenders.
Many repeat DUI offenders continue to
drive both under the influence and with
suspended or revoked driving privileges.
These individuals are an obvious menace
to society. At the onset of this strategy, a
model program will be developed using
previous research findings and a few
demonstration efforts. The objective of
this initiative will be to define those strategies that eliminate or significantly reduce DUI by repeat offenders using measures that are acceptable to a majority in
our society. Implementation of the model
will be available to states that have
passed or pass enabling legislation.
Build State programs that target
drug- impaired driving.
This effort will build and expand upon the
existing drug recognition programs that
are currently limited to a number of major
cities.
Develop and implement a comprehensive public awareness campaign.
It is essential that awareness and knowledge of impaired driving issues continue to
be elevated through increased media exposure. (The “You Drink & Drive, You Lose”
campaign launched in 2002 is an example.)
This strategy is also folded into Increasing
Driver Safety Awareness (Goal 7).
This age group has the highest incidence
of impaired driving and has not been directly targeted nationally in the past. At
the onset, five comprehensive demonstration projects will be launched to determine the most promising and effective
countermeasures. The model programs
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
13
Keeping Drivers Alert
Background
Report relevant to this objective:
The rate of fatal crashes during the nighttime (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) is three times that
during the daytime. Furthermore, just
over half of all fatal crashes occur at night.
In 2003, there were 21,129 people killed
in nighttime crashes compared with
21,080 during the day.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses distracted and
fatigued drivers in 2005.
Though the reasons for these unsettling
night driving statistics are fairly well understood, dealing with them remains difficult. The night driver may be fatigued, lose
alertness due to reduced visual stimulus,
have altered judgment from alcohol or
substance abuse, and experience reduced
visibility. The monotony of freeway travel
and other influences can also produce
drowsiness or fatigue during daylight
hours. The strategies below are designed
to address these specific problem areas.
will be developed that can be applied to
both urban and rural areas as well as interstate travel. The most promising countermeasures will be demonstrated in all of
these settings. The demonstrations will be
evaluated and those components that
have positive, cost-effective impacts will
be deployed nationally.
Retrofit the rural interstate and other
facilities prone to cause fatigue with
shoulder rumble strips.
The Strategies
Implement a targeted program to reduce the likelihood of fatigue.
Driver fatigue is considered a significant
factor in many crashes and is poorly understood in terms of the actual magnitude
of the problem and the characteristics of
fatigue recognition and precipitating
events. As a first step, in-depth research
will be performed, crash analysis and literature searches will be made, and what
is known from fatigue research in other
work functions will be gleaned. From this
information, a comprehensive approach
Fatigue is a major factor in run-off the-road crashes on rural interstates and
other freeways due to long-trip durations
and the monotony of the driving task.
Shoulder rumble strip field demonstrations indicate that they significantly reduce the number of run-off-the-road
crashes. A 3- or 4-year investment is recommended to retrofit the shoulders of rural interstate highways and other facilities
with rumble strips. In addition to the rural
interstate, rumble strips should be demonstrated on urban interstates and rural
two-lane highways with full shoulders to
determine effectiveness. It is important
that the needs of bicyclists and motorcyclists be fully considered and included in
such a demonstration.
Reduce the number of commercial vehicle crashes resulting from loss of
alertness and driver fatigue.
The long distances involved in many commercial trips produce driver fatigue and
are thus a significant factor in commercial
vehicle crashes. Initiatives proposed to
mitigate this problem include restructuring hours-of-ser vice regulations for commercial drivers, increasing the likelihood
of detecting hours-of-ser vice violations,
applying effective sanctions against drivers and carriers, investigating the availability of rest area facilities for commercial drivers versus parking capacity
(public and private) along the existing
highway system, and nurturing the refinement and deployment of ITS on-board
technology to monitor and provide
feedback on driver performance.
14
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
DRIVERS
Increasing Driver Safety Awareness
Background
Although ignorance and cavalier attitudes
about traffic safety issues are commonplace, they are still difficult to quantify. It
is clear, however, that many drivers fail to
understand the seriousness and potential
adverse consequences of aggressive driving, DUI, and failing to properly use safety
belts—all of which are major factors in
crashes and their resulting injuries and
fatalities.
Research indicates that approximately 85
percent of causation factors associated
with crashes are attributed to the driver.
Many drivers are unaware of or have underestimated the risks and consequences
associated with various unsafe driving behaviors. States have a vested interest in
ensuring their drivers are as knowledgeable of highway safety issues as is
reasonably possible.
The Strategies
Using established programs, safety
research information, and techniques
now available, initiate, develop, and
market a coordinated national campaign that targets at least the following areas: drinking and driving, occupant protection, aggressive driving
(including speeding), fatigue, inattention, roadside hazards, unsafe driving,
understanding traffic control devices,
work zones, tailgating, and rear-end
collisions.
areas listed above. These groups will define the most critical concerns to be
addressed by a national Public Information and Education campaign. It is important that the campaign complements successful state campaigns already in
existence. Next, the campaign will be coordinated and developed to address those
concerns using market research techniques and reach culturally diverse populations. It is expected that a theme, marketing and camera-ready material, a
deployment strategy (including traditional
and non-traditional methods), a defined
measure of effectiveness, and an
education plan will be established for
each problem area.
change, and establish and market a targeted campaign. A small public/private
blue ribbon panel of safety experts should
meet semiannually to determine if significant changes requiring attention have
occurred.
Create awareness efforts to deal with
less understood and emerging safety
concerns.
Changes in driver behavior, technology,
and society itself are ongoing. In order to
effectively deal with these changes, traffic
safety professionals must be able to continually identify significant changes that
have potential to create significant adverse safety impacts, define specific
awareness information pertinent to the
This initiative seeks to increase a driver’s
overall awareness of these dangers as
well as the consequences of aggressive,
impaired, fatigued, inattentive, and unsafe driving. In doing so, it should bring
about a measurable increase in positive
driving habits.
Initially, blue ribbon panels and safety experts will convene for each of the problem
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
15
According to NHTSA, the use of safety
belts can improve sur vivability in severe
crashes by approximately 50 percent. Research has shown that in states that
transitioned from secondary to standard
(primary) seat belt laws, usage increased
approximately 15 percent. To encourage
more states to adopt standard safety belt
laws and model child restraint laws, Congress should enact legislation offering incentive funding to states.
Increasing Seat Belt Usage and
Improving Air Bag Effectiveness
Background
The combination of air bags and lap and
shoulder safety belts offers the most effective safety protection available for passenger vehicle occupants. In 2003, safety
belt use nationwide rose to 79 percent,
according to NHTSA estimates, and
14,903 lives were saved as a result. Nevertheless, data confirm that at least 52
percent of passenger car occupants who
die in crashes are not belted. Because
safety belts are approximately 50 percent
effective for preventing fatalities in
crashes in which motorists would other wise die, NHTSA believes the number of
lives saved could be substantially increased—an additional 7,000 lives—if
more people used safety belts.
A high priority for the motor vehicle safety
community is securing standard safety
belt legislation in all states. In 2003, there
were 21 states, plus the District of Colum-
bia and Puerto Rico, with primary seat
belt laws, 29 states with secondary laws,
and one state that effectively had no
safety belt law. Seat belt use is higher in
states with standard (primary enforcement) safety belt laws than in those with
less demanding laws or none at all. States
have realized a significant increase in
safety belt use through the combination of
a primary law and aggressive awareness
and enforcement efforts. In Washington
State, primary law enactment was followed by an increase in safety belt use
from 83 percent in 2001 to 95 percent in
2003. Currently, safety belt use is also 90
percent or greater in California, Hawaii,
and Oregon, all of which have primary
safety belt use laws.
Among belted occupants in frontal
crashes, NHTSA reported in 2001 that
deaths in vehicles equipped with frontal
air bags were 26 percent lower among
drivers and 14 percent lower among passengers than vehicles without frontal air
bags. On similar lines, unbelted occupant
deaths were reduced by 32 percent for
drivers and 23 percent for passengers.
The Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety has reported that initial analyses of
side air bags suggest they reduce deaths
among passenger car drivers involved in
driver-side collisions by about 45 percent
when the device includes head protection
and by 11 percent when it protects only
the torso.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-11, A Guide for Increasing Seat Belt Use.
Implement periodic, intensive, and coordinated enforcement and public information and education initiatives.
Safety belt usage substantially increased
in states that passed standard safety belt
legislation and implemented comprehensive and intensive enforcement and public
information and education campaigns. It
is recommended that these efforts be replicated in other states that enact standard
laws using the incentive funds described
above.
Improve the effectiveness of air bags.
The performance of both front and side air
bags can be improved if, utilizing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies, they are designed to function
smarter. Air bag deployment can be enhanced if the system can recognize imminent crashes, estimate collision severity,
and consider physical characteristics of
the occupants. (This initiative is folded into
the first strategy of Increasing Safety Enhancements in Vehicles (Goal 13) and also
into Increasing Driver Safety Awareness
(Goal 7).)
Create improved awareness of air bag
safety effectiveness.
It is important that drivers and occupants
become more aware of the importance of
using safety belts, having head restraints
properly adjusted, and properly seating
children in air-bag-equipped vehicles. This
initiative initially will define the need-toknow safety attributes associated with air
bags and then implement a national education campaign.
The Strategies
Increase adoption of standard seat
belt laws and eliminate gaps in child
seat laws in a majority of states.
16
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Part 2: Special Users
Making Walking
and Street Crossing Safer
Background
Although the annual number of pedestrian
deaths has been steadily declining, pedestrians still account for about 11 percent of
motor vehicle deaths. In 2003, a pedestrian was killed, on average, every 109
minutes on the nation’s roadways—
nearly 4,800 men, women, and children in
all—and the problem is most problematic
for the elderly. Pedestrian deaths are primarily an urban problem, as many are
killed at crosswalks, sidewalks, median
strips, and traffic islands. New strategies
that address the various issues associated with pedestrian collisions are needed
to further reduce pedestrian injuries and
fatalities.
Four main areas of concern have been
identified, with the highest priority involving inadequacies in pedestrian facilities
and the lack of good design information for
them. Another major concern identified is
the lack of awareness of the risks and responsibilities both drivers and pedestrians
encounter during their interaction. The
third and fourth areas recommended for
action involve the more familiar concerns
of motorist and pedestrian noncompliance
with traffic statutes and the predictable
high alcohol involvement associated with
pedestrian collisions.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-10, A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Pedestrians.
The Strategies
In cooperation with other professional
organizations, update existing and develop new warrants, guides, and standards for the safe accommodation of
pedestrians.
A synthesis report will be prepared after a
review of existing AASHTO, ITE, and U.S.
DOT publications. A guide of the best information available for providing proper pedestrian facilities will be developed based
on the synthesis report and input from appropriate organizations and interested
groups. The report will provide guidance to
transportation professionals on providing
appropriate accommodations for pedestrians while still maintaining the functionality
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
of highways in terms of accommodating
vehicle needs. The report will be published
by AASHTO and widely distributed in cooperation with organizations representing local officials and transportation professionals, such as the American Public Works
Association (APWA) and National Association of County Officials (NACO).
Reports relevant to this objective:
AASHTO Guide for the Planning, Design
and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities
(available at bookstore.transportation.org, or
1-800-231-3475).
Implement comprehensive programs
(engineering, enforcement, education) to influence impaired (generally
alcohol or drug) pedestrians.
Crashes involving impaired pedestrians at
night are a significant concern in urban areas. This initiative will define viable countermeasures that can have an impact on
impaired pedestrians. They will be fieldtested and evaluated with the most successful countermeasures included in a set
of guidelines created for national use.
17
are not pedestrian or bicycle friendly. This
initiative will evaluate crash data, assess
existing guidelines, and develop improvements to highway design and traffic control handbooks to better accommodate
pedestrians and bicyclists. Pedestrians
and bicyclists as well as transportation
professionals at the state and local levels
will be involved in the process. The formalized guidelines will be disseminated to
state and local governments along with
training and funding programs.
Encourage states to enact new or
modified legislation and adopt policies to provide safer accommodation
of pedestrians on public roads.
tions or errors. Changing people’s walking
habits to include safe behavior will reduce
pedestrian crashes. Educating motorists
about the effects of speed will also impact
crash statistics. This initiative encourages
states to consider and coordinate partnerships with other organizations that
promote pedestrian safety and support
active participation in programs like Partnership for a Walkable America to help increase public awareness of risks and
safer walking practices. States can help
promote and distribute technical and promotional material on pedestrian safety to
local public and private groups and
organizations.
Encourage states to become active in
public outreach and training on pedestrian safety.
A significant majority of pedestrian
crashes occur because of pedestrian ac-
18
Develop programs to improve pedestrian and bi cy cle safety ac com mo da tions for in ter sections and in ter changes.
Although pedestrians are supposed to
cross at intersections rather than at
mid-block locations, many intersections
State laws on pedestrian rights and responsibilities are not consistent, and
many do not adequately define and communicate safe pedestrian actions. This
initiative will review existing state motor
vehicle laws and ordinances that can affect pedestrian safety and develop a
model code and ordinances. State and local governments will be urged to adopt the
model. States will also be encouraged to
implement trial projects using increased
enforcement to improve compliance with
any new laws.
Implement comprehensive integrated
pedestrian safety programs targeting
pedestrian crash concerns in major urbanized areas and select rural areas.
This initiative will combine a number of efforts in engineering (improving signal timing, crosswalks, intersection design), education (targeting children, older people,
impaired pedestrians, alcohol vendors,
and drivers), and enforcement (existing
pedestrian orderliness, speeding, and
red-light-running) in a coordinated approach to reduce pedestrian crashes. A
comprehensive number of successful programs have been implemented in select
cities. This initiative will draw upon these
efforts and expand the most successful
programs to other urban and rural areas
that have pedestrian crash problems.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
SPECIAL USERS
Ensuring Safer Bicycle Travel
Background
In 2003, there were 622 bicyclist fatalities
and 46,000 injuries recorded in state crash
statistics. As with pedestrian injury and fatality statistics, those for bicyclists have
experienced a modest improvement in recent years. Nevertheless, the number of bicyclists who die—about a quarter of whom
are under age 16–remains unacceptably
high.
In nearly three-fourths of bicycle fatalities, investigations indicated that an error
or some other factor related to the cyclist’s behavior was involved. The most
frequent cause of bicycle crashes with vehicles is the failure to yield the
right-of-way, followed by improper crossing of the roadway or intersection, and inappropriate usage, such as walking or
playing in the street.
The strategies needed to reduce the numbers of bicyclists killed and injured involve
engineering, education, enforcement, and
legislative initiatives designed to raise
awareness and promote actions that will
ultimately make bicycling on the nation’s
roadways a safer and friendlier activity.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses bicyclists in
2006.
cludes best state-of-the art practices and
design guides. It will also provide guidance on accommodating bicycles, while
considering impacts on vehicle capacity
and safety, and will be the basis for dialogue and wide circulation. In addition,
model legislation permitting the use of
State funds for bicycle travel improvements will be developed and promoted for
State adoption.
Develop and implement a bicycle
safety public education/information
program targeting all age groups of
bicyclists and drivers.
Initially, a set of educational and training
materials will be developed from existing
sources and new material will be developed as needed to create a complete program. The materials will target bicyclists
and motorists of all age groups as well as
law enforcement personnel. With emphasis directed toward school systems, the
material, along with an implementation
strategy, will then be sent to the states for
distribution.
The educational package will be developed primarily from existing material as
well as pertinent new material. It will be
distributed to the states with promotional
information that encourages further distribution to State and local enforcement
agencies.
Increase bicycle helmet usage.
Between 70 and 80 percent of fatal bicycle
crashes involve head injuries. This initiative is directed at promoting the increased
use of bicycle helmets through education
and bicycle helmet laws. In 2004, 19
states and the District of Columbia had
helmet laws for young bicyclists, none of
which apply to all riders. Local ordinances
in a few states do require some or all bicyclists to wear helmets. Expansion of such
laws to other states is proposed to reduce
head injuries, particularly among children. In addition, a public information and
education campaign promoting helmet
usage among both children and adults is
proposed.
Provide educational material to police
officers and judicial officials that emphasizes why bicycle laws are important to bicycle safety and provide
guidance on how to effectively enforce
them.
The Strategies
Seek increased State adoption of policies to better accommodate bicyclists
on all public roads, and encourage
state legislatures to fund bicycle facilities.
Initially, existing recommendations, policies, bicycle design guidance and standards, and state funding provisions will be
reviewed to develop a document that in-
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
19
Part 3: Vehicles
Helmets are estimated to be 29 percent
effective in preventing motorcycle deaths
and 67 percent effective in preventing
brain injuries. An unhelmeted rider is 40
percent more likely to suffer a fatal head
injury than is a helmeted rider.
Improving Motorcycle Safety
and Increasing Motorcycle
Awareness
Background
Motorcycle rider fatalities have been rising since 1997, reaching 3,661 in
2003—the highest level since 1988. Of
these, 1,505 were killed in alcohol-related
crashes. Despite the fact that fewer than 3
percent of registered passenger vehicles
are motorcycles, they account for nearly 9
percent of all passenger vehicle occupant
fatalities.
In 2003, helmets saved an estimated
1,158 lives of motorcycle riders. At 100
percent use, an additional 640 lives could
have been saved. According to the 2002
National Occupant Protection Use Survey,
only 58 percent of motorcyclists were observed wearing helmets. Furthermore,
two-thirds of unhelmeted fatalities were
in states without universal helmet laws.
Twenty states, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico, require all motorcycle
operators and passengers to wear helmets. In 27 other states, only persons under a specific age, usually 18, are required
to wear helmets, and three states have no
laws requiring helmet use.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses motorcyclists in
2005.
The Strategies
Reduce the number of alcohol-related
motorcycle fatalities.
Alcohol-related motorcyclist deaths are
consistently and substantially higher than
that of any other driver group. This initiative complements others that aim to reduce drinking and driving by specifically
20
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
VEHICLES
focusing on the motorcyclist through alcohol awareness messages and targeted
enforcement.
Reduce motorcycle fatalities resulting
from errors by other drivers.
Many motorcyclists are involved in
crashes when other drivers pull directly
across their paths af ter failing to see the
motorcyclists or exercising poor judgment
of speed and distance. This initiative will
incorporate driver awareness messages
in a “Share the Road with Motorcycles”
campaign and stress the importance of
motorcycle awareness information in
driver training courses, driver handbooks
and manuals, and licensing tests.
Increase the application of comprehensive motorcycle rider education
programs for novice and experienced
riders.
A substantial number of novice motorcyclists die each year as a result of handling
errors or making incorrect decisions in response to unique events. This initiative is
designed to expand comprehensive rider
education and skill testing in all states.
Funding should be derived from a user license fee complemented by a potential reduction in insurance costs for those who
successfully complete the certified
education program.
Motorcycles have different operating
characteristics than passenger cars and
trucks. Creation of a joint task force of
AASHTO, the American Motorcyclist Association, Motorcycle Riders Foundation,
NHTSA, and FHWA is proposed to identify
hazards and safety issues relating to motorcyclists and highways as well as practices that can help minimize these concerns. The end result would be a guide for
highway officials on practices that
encourage safe motorcycle travel.
Increase helmet usage through the
enactment of helmet laws.
There has been significant research demonstrating that helmets save lives. NHTSA
research shows that, in potentially fatal
crashes, helmets have an overall effectiveness of 37 percent in preventing fatalities. All states that have enacted helmet
laws have experienced significant reductions in motorcycle-related fatalities.
This initiative will encourage the development and adoption of helmet laws in all
states. It further proposes to undertake
research to identify barriers to law enactment and deployment of enforceable
standards and perform unbiased assessments of riders’ objections.
Increase highway design, operations,
and maintenance practices that consider the special needs of motorcycle
operating requirements and dynamics.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
21
Making Truck Travel Safer
Background
Report relevant to this objective:
Year af ter year, large trucks are involved
in thousands of crashes. Heavy-truck
crashes, especially those involving other
vehicles, are likely to result in serious injuries. In 2003, a total of 4,986 people
died in crashes involving heavy trucks (11
percent of all reported traffic fatalities)
and an additional 122,000 were injured.
By a wide margin (3,879 to 723), the individuals fatally injured in such crashes
were occupants of other vehicles and not
the large trucks. The other 384 fatalities
were non-occupants. Poor driver performance, including fatigue, is a major contributing factor of these crashes, as is an
inadequate level of truck awareness from
other roadway users. Also of concern are
the unsafe operational conditions of many
trucks, particularly their tires and braking
and steering systems.
NCHRP Report 500-13, A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Heavy
Trucks.
Since heavy-truck crashes stem from a
variety of causes, a comprehensive effort
to reduce them must focus on a range of
targets including behavioral, environmental, and operational targets. Effective solutions will require broad-based cooperation and the participation of both public
and private entities. The private sector,
mainly the trucking industry and the many
motor carriers it is comprised of, plays
the fundamental role of managing carrier
compliance with regulations and implementing safety processes beyond compliance. Federal, State, and local governments play essential roles by focusing
largely on regulation and enforcement,
but also involving engineering and educational initiatives.
The Strategies
Refocus commercial vehicle programs
and regulations to achieve crash reductions rather than focusing on enforcement actions.
Existing programs utilize an across-theboard type approach to all commercial vehicles in order to achieve regulatory compliance, but they do not emphasize targeting those carriers that have a
disproportionate number of crashes. The
proposed refocusing would emphasize
targeting carriers using the Commercial
Vehicle Information System pilot results
to identify and prioritize motor carriers
for on-site reviews. An alternative to be
considered is the development of a safety
programs library or “tool box” from which
firms could select initiatives appropriate
for their safety improvement needs. The
new effort would be further enhanced by
continued evaluation and linking with
state traffic records data. The end result
would be assistance in improving the
safety operations of motor carriers with
the poorest crash histories.
Reduce the number of commercial vehicle crashes resulting from loss of
alertness and driver fatigue.
Driver fatigue is a significant contributing
factor in many commercial vehicle
crashes. A strategy to impact this problem is included in the Keep Drivers Alert
initiatives (Goal 6).
Reduce the number of commercial vehicle crashes resulting from driver errors.
22
Errors committed by both commercial
and other vehicle drivers are a primary
factor in two-vehicle crashes involving
commercial vehicles. While “Share the
Road” and “No Zone” public awareness
campaigns continue, they will be expanded through research to develop additional safety messages on important
driver errors associated with commercial
vehicle crashes. Emphasis will be placed
on educating passenger vehicle drivers at
earlier ages. The Accident Countermeasure Program will also be updated and
implemented.
Implement traffic controls and address highway design problems to reduce the most prevalent truck crashes
on Interstates and major highways.
At the onset, research will be performed
to identify alternatives intended to reduce
truck versus car conflicts. The top alternatives and traffic control treatments will
then be field-tested and evaluated to determine which is most effective. Complementing this initiative, interchange ramps
having a high frequency of truck rollovers
and other locations with high frequencies,
such as truck deceleration lanes on downgrades, short passing zones, and climbing
lanes on upgrades, will be identified. Once
selected, appropriate countermeasure selection, implementation, and evaluation
will be performed to determine the most
effective treatments for each location.
Enhance the safe operating condition
of trucks and buses.
Review and revise the critical inspections
list to represent those items most likely
contributing to highway crashes. Through
incentives, encourage states to concentrate vehicle inspections on these items.
In addition, encourage the broader application of new safety technologies, such as
crash avoidance systems, in commercial
vehicles.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
VEHICLES
Increasing Safety Enhancements
in Vehicles
Background
Selected features in many of today’s vehicles are not providing optimum protection
for drivers and passengers. The standards
for many of these can be upgraded to provide an increased level of safety. Such improved safety features must still be effective and cost-efficient upgrades that are
acceptable to the general public.
The Strategies
Reduce the number of crashes and injuries resulting from the misunderstanding and misuse of anti-lock
brake systems (ABS).
Anti-lock brake systems have the potential to be significant safety features for
drivers. Unfortunately, preliminary research has found that any crash reduction
benefitsassociated with passenger car
ABS were, in particular those associated
with multi-car crashes on wet roads, offset by increases in single vehicle
run-off-the-road crashes. It is inferred
that many drivers misapply ABS in imminent crash situations or drive at a heightened level of risk believing that the ABS
will compensate for their actions.
On the other hand, two-wheel anti-lock
braking systems have been effective in reducing the risk of nonfatal run-off-theroad crashes for almost every type of light
truck. Nonfatal rollovers were reduced by
30 to 40 percent, side impacts with fixed
objects were reduced by 15 to 30 percent,
and frontal impacts with fixed objects
were reduced by 5 to 20 percent.
This initiative is designed to expand the
delivery of information regarding the
proper use of ABS and to incorporate such
information into driver education programs. Additional selected research and
analysis to characterize the performance
of ABS, understand real world ABS experiences, and develop educational and design requirements for ABS are proposed.
Reduce carbon monoxide poisoning
through education and technology.
In 2002, it was estimated that vehicle-generated carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning resulted in 14 deaths. The adequacy of CO detection technology to
operate in a motor vehicle environment
will be assessed and promising technologies will be developed and pilot-tested. As
a final step, the need and feasibility of regulations will be determined. Coupled with
this technological initiative, target populations will be identified and appropriate
educational strategies will be developed
and implemented.
Include motorcycle needs in ITS crash
avoidance and collision warning research and implementation.
Currently, motorcycles are not considered
in ITS safety research initiatives. This initiative proposes that the ITS research and
development program include motorcycles. It also recommends that the ITS
Awareness Advisory Board include motorcyclist representation. Finally, it is proposed that research to incorporate motorcycles in collision warning systems be
undertaken and deal specifically with the
detection of motorcycles in left-turning
situations.
Improve the compatibility between
roadside and vehicle designs.
high-level, broad-based, comprising government and industry representatives
team (including automotive and highway
engineers) would be convened to discuss
such incompatibilities and determine if a
common direction can be taken to reduce
or eliminate them. Results of this team effort for effective design of new vehicles
and roadside features need to be
supported by both government and
industry.
Significant incompatibilities exist between some combinations of vehicle designs and roadside features, such as guide
rails, side slopes, and culverts, that result
in increased potentials for injury. A
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
23
Part 4: Highways
Reducing Vehicle–Train Crashes
Background
Each year, hundreds of fatalities occur at
the nation’s ubiquitous highway-rail grade
crossings. In 2003, there were 324 highway-rail grade crossing fatalities, an
all-time low that represented a 9 percent
decline from 2002 and a 47 percent decrease from 1994. Many grade crossing
crashes are the result of drivers deliberately circumventing or otherwise purposely violating active control devices,
such as flashing lights, bells, and crossing
arms. In other cases, drivers are unsure
of their responsibilities because they perceive warning devices, both active and
passive, as ambiguous. There also exists a
general lack of public awareness about
highway-rail crossings that may be traced
in part to ineffectual licensing and driver
education efforts. While these strategies
concentrate on railroad highway crossing
initiatives, they may be expanded as
appropriate to similar light-rail transit
crossing concerns.
The Strategies
Finalize development and deployment
of improved passive warning devices.
A number of crashes occur at crossings
that only have signing. Although it is not
feasible to upgrade all passive devices to
active ones, the effectiveness of passive
devices can be improved. Initially, top
candidate systems will be identified, deployed in demonstrations, and evaluated
to determine the most effective remedial
devices. They will then be proposed for incorporation in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and implemented nationally in cooperation with
State and local transportation professionals to target crossings with the highest
crash rates and potential.
Establish national guidelines for highway-rail grade crossings.
A limited number of crossings remain unsafe, even with gates, flashers, and tar-
24
geted enforcement. This effort will develop guidelines for grade separations by
reviewing available literature and forming
an ad hoc committee to develop draft
guidelines will be published for comment
in the Federal Register and finalized.
Improve driver training and licensing
relative to safe practices for approaching and traversing highway-rail
crossings.
Initially, model elements of improved
driver training pertaining to highway-rail
crossings, including components for
driver education and commercial driver’s
license (CDL) training, will be developed
as modules. These modules will be provided to driver education organizations
and state licensing authorities for
incorporation in their curricula.
Adopt more advanced technology for
enforcement and crash prevention at
appropriate railroad locations to minimize motorist violation of railroad
warning devices.
A significant number of crashes occur at
railroad crossings where motorists knowingly violate an active railroad traffic control device. This initiative will identify the
most promising candidate systems to impact this problem, field-test and evaluate
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
HIGHWAYS
Keeping Vehicles on the Roadway
Background
those systems, and define the most effective, cost-efficient system. In addition,
model state legislation will also be prepared, if necessary, for implementation.
Implement the findings and recommendations of the U.S. DOT Grade
Crossing Safety Report.
Highway-rail grade crossing safety issues
involve many different government agencies, private organizations, and various
professions. This initiative is designed to
encourage involved agencies, groups, and
individuals to take advantage of the excellent work completed and underway by the
U.S. DOT Grade Crossing Safety Task
Force and a convened expert Technical
Working Group and implement their findings and recommendations where possible. These recommendations for improving certain aspects of highway-rail safety
are contained in a U.S. DOT report, Accidents That Shouldn’t Happen, and in a
subsequent status report, Implementation Report of the U.S. DOT Grade Crossing Safety Task Force, dated June 1, 1997.
Some of the recommendations are appropriate for immediate implementation.
Special emphasis should be given to pursuit of a State agency or individual as a focal point for highway-rail issues and associated responsibilities within a state.
When a vehicle leaves the roadway, the result is of ten disastrous. More than 40
percent of all fatal traffic crashes in 2003
involved vehicles running off the road. The
statistics are even worse in rural areas,
where two-thirds of fatalities result from
vehicles first leaving the road and then
overturning or hitting fixed objects such
as trees or embankments.
In order to reduce the injuries and fatalities resulting from vehicles leaving the
road, efforts must be made to: (1) keep
vehicles from leaving the road, (2) reduce
the likelihood of errant vehicles overturning or crashing into roadside objects, and
(3) minimize the severity of an overturn or
crash.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Reports relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-3, A Guide for Addressing Collisions with Trees in Hazardous Locations.
NCHRP Report 500-6, A Guide for Addressing Run-Off-Road Collisions.
NCHRP Report 500-7, A Guide for Reducing Collisions on Horizontal
Curves.
NCHRP Report 500-8, A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Utility
Poles.
25
The Strategies
Implement a comprehensive program
to improve driver guidance through
better pavement markings and delineation.
Nighttime crash rates are three times
greater than daytime rates. Limited visibility contributes to this differential and can
be partially addressed through improved
pavement makings and delineation. This
initiative begins with a detailed synthesis
of previous research, establishes candidate enhanced marking programs, pilot
tests, and evaluates the new systems, and,
considering costs, defines the most effective candidates for national implementation. In identifying suitable candidate programs, the visibility needs of the growing
population of older drivers should be emphasized. In addition, research will be undertaken to ensure the compatibility of
driver guidance systems with fluorescent
and ultraviolet headlights.
Implement a targeted shoulder rumble strip program.
of geometric, traffic control, and enforcement techniques.
This issue is addressed in the strategies
for Keeping Drivers Alert (Goal 6).
Research has demonstrated that as speed
variance increases, crash rates also increase. The object of this two-pronged
strategy is to reduce speed variance. A
combination of previous research and input from a multi-disciplinary team will
create guidance for establishing and enforcing safe speed limits. These guidelines
will be demonstrated and evaluated in approximately ten states, with the most effective, cost-efficient countermeasures
defined. Training for police and engineers
will supplement the effort to ensure effectiveness. In addition to enforcement efforts, a set of guidelines will be developed
to promote design consistency, particularly when the number of lanes or
cross-section changes and where transitions in cross-section or speed limit exist
within the boundaries and at each end of
the project. Project designs should also be
consistent on a community and statewide
basis to help ensure that violation of
driver expectancy is minimized.
Improve the design process to explicitly incorporate safety considerations
and facilitate better design decisions.
This initiative will translate current research findings, such as those in
AASHTO’s Highway Safety Design and Operations Guide (available at: http://bookstore.transportation.org) and techniques
like safety audits, into improved design
processes, particularly in 3R projects. The
enhanced processes will be field-tested in
approximately nine states, evaluated and
refined, and then implemented nationally.
A training program will accompany this
effort to better ensure proper implementation.
Develop better guidance to control
speed variance through combinations
Establish programs to improve roadway maintenance to enhance highway
safety.
Initially, a combination of research findings and best maintenance practices will
result in guidelines for highway maintenance to enhance safety. These guidelines
will be demonstrated and evaluated in
nine states in order to determine the best
practices, which will then be implemented
nationally and supplemented with training
programs.
26
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
HIGHWAYS
Minimizing the Consequences
of Leaving the Road
Background
One-third of all highway fatalities result
from vehicles leaving the road and overturning or hitting fixed objects, such as
trees or utility poles. In addition to strategies designed to reduce the number of vehicles leaving the roadway, efforts to minimize consequences if such an event
occurs can also reduce injuries and fatalities. Leaving the roadway in rural areas is
especially threatening, as two-thirds of
fatalities registered in rural settings result
from such an event.
In addition to keeping vehicles on the
roadway, it is important to reduce the opportunity for vehicles to overturn or strike
fixed objects when they stray and minimize injuries if they do collide with fixed
objects.
Reports relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-3, A Guide for Addressing Collisions with Trees in Hazardous Locations.
NCHRP Report 500-6, A Guide for Addressing Run-Off-Road Collisions.
NCHRP Report 500-8, A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Utility
Poles.
The Strategies
Provide improved practices for the selection, installation, and maintenance
of upgraded roadside safety hardware.
The design of roadside safety hardware
(guardrails, bridge rails, proper curb
types, concrete barriers, drainage grates,
etc.) can substantially affect crash severity and resulting fatalities. This initiative
will translate current research findings
into guidelines for improved safety hardware
selection,
installation,
and
maintenance. These guidelines will be disseminated through a variety of techniques, and programs will also be developed to improve the recognition of
deficiencies, thus allowing for more timely
remedial actions. A training program on
proper installation is also necessary. The
cost to retrofit an entire system is staggering; however, it is conser vatively estimated that a minimum annual program
will yield highly cost-effective, preventive
safety improvements for many years.
Implement, in an environmentally acceptable manner, a national effort to
address hazardous trees.
There are more deaths associated with
crashes into trees than any other fixed object, yet on a national level very little has
been accomplished to address this problem. This strategy begins with a review of
existing research and best practices. It is
critical that any program to address hazardous trees considers environmental
factors. A national forum that includes environmentalists will be organized to set a
direction and develop guidelines that effectively balance safety and environmental concerns so that lives are safeguarded
along with the environment. Although the
cost to remove trees is enormous, it is
conser vatively estimated that a minimum
annual expenditure will yield very cost-effective, prioritized, and environmentally
acceptable safety improvements that
would have an impact on this problem for
years to come.
Implement a national policy to reduce
the hazard from roadside utility poles,
particularly on two-lane rural roads.
According to NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts
2003, utility pole fatalities are the third
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
leading fixed object hazard in terms of
highway deaths. This initiative will translate appropriate research findings and
best practices into a set of guidelines to
reduce the potential for pole crashes and
assist utility companies, States, and local
transportation professionals in targeting
the most hazardous poles for removal or
relocation. The guidelines will be pilot-tested, evaluated, and refined into a
cost-effective set of recommendations. It
will be necessary to have utility companies participate in this process, and training for DOT and utility company personnel
will supplement the effort to ensure effectiveness. As with tree removal, the cost to
relocate poles is staggering; however, it is
conser vatively estimated that an appropriately funded program will yield very
cost-effective safety improvements to
reduce this problem for many years.
Develop and implement guidance to
improve ditches and backslopes to
minimize rollover potential.
Crashes involving non-traversable ditches
and backslopes account for a significant
number of highway deaths due to rollovers or sudden impacts. This initiative
will use available research and possibly
initiate some original research to fill in
significant knowledge gaps and develop
guidelines for roadside slope improvement. It also will include guidance for selecting priority sites. With proper funding
targeted toward high-priority roadside
27
improvements, this strategy will yield very
cost-effective, long-term improvements.
Develop and implement guidelines for
safe urban streetscape design.
While most fixed object crashes occur in
rural settings, urban streets also have a
roadside problem, though not as severe,
with their high flow densities. This initiative will determine those situations where
streetscape design (areas immediately
adjacent to travel lanes) adversely affects
safety. It will also synthesize best practices, organize a national forum to build
consensus on safe utility pole accommodation, and provide guidance for safer
streetscape designs. Annual incentive
funds are proposed to train DOT staff, local engineers, and public works staff to
use the guidelines effectively and
incorporate them into designs.
Improving the Design and Operation
of Highway Intersections
Background
Injury and fatality statistics for highway
intersections and interchanges are ample
evidence that strategies to improve the
safety of these crash-prone areas are urgently needed. On average, there are five
crashes at intersections every minute and
one person dies every hour of every day at
an intersection somewhere in the United
States.
About one in every four fatal crashes occurs at or near an intersection, one-third
of which are signalized. Safety literature
also indicates that the two most prominent crash scenarios involve left turns
and being struck from the rear. Furthermore, right-angle collisions are a predominate cause of death at signalized
intersections.
Reports relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 500-5, A Guide for Addressing Unsignalized Intersection
Collisions.
NCHRP Report 500-12, A Guide for Reducing Collisions at Signalized Intersections.
28
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
HIGHWAYS
The Strategies
Improve the safety of intersections using automated methods to monitor
and enforce intersection traffic control.
A recent safety campaign against
red-light-running called attention to the
problem and initiated some countermeasures. This initiative is designed to advance the status of previous work by developing
both
conventional
and
second-generation ITS solutions through
continuous evaluation, definition of promising advanced enforcement techniques,
and development of guidelines. Second-generation advanced technologies
will be piloted and evaluated, and effective results will be available for national
dissemination. With funding targeted toward high-priority intersections, the
strategy will yield very cost-effective
improvements.
Improve intersection safety by upgrading signalized intersection controls that smooth traffic flow.
Supplementing the previous initiative,
many right-angle and rear-end crashes occur because of poor signal timing between
adjacent intersections. This initiative seeks
to smooth traffic flow by synthesizing information on the problem, defining effec-
tive countermeasures, and developing
guidelines for the application of proven
traffic control technologies. A demonstration effort to assess the effectiveness of
existing technologies and incorporate results into enhanced guidelines is also recommended. The technologies will then be
implemented in appropriate locations.
ners, and developers on effective integration of safety considerations. This effort
will not be limited to intersections alone,
but will also consider the needs of highways approaching developments, including median types, lane configurations, and
frontage access to major highways.
Utilize new technologies to improve
intersection safety.
This initiative will compile information on
the features, applications, and effectiveness of advanced technologies to control
intersections. It will also conduct demonstrations and evaluations of these new
technologies and develop implementation
evaluation guidelines. The most effective
technologies in reducing crashes will be
implemented at high-priority intersections.
Include more effective access management policies with a safety perspective.
The effects of major developments can
adversely impact the safety of adjacent
highway facilities. This initiative will identify the potential safety impacts of major
developments, provide tools for safety
impact assessment, mitigate adverse
safety consequences, provide evaluation
techniques for safety impacts, and institute training for DOT staff, regional plan-
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
29
Reducing Head-On and Across-Median Crashes
Background
The Strategies
One of the most severe types of crashes
occurs when a vehicle shifts into an opposing traffic lane and crashes head-on
with an oncoming vehicle. There were
3,986 fatal head-on crashes in 2003, killing 5,063 people. Severe crashes of this
sort occur primarily on rural two-lane
highways and freeways with narrow medians. The severity of these crashes is compounded by the additive nature of vehicle
speeds at the time of collision.
Develop and test innovative centerline
treatments to reduce head-on crashes
on two-lane highways.
Reports relevant to this goal:
NCHRP Report 500-4, A Guide for Addressing Head-On Collisions.
NCHRP Report 500-7, A Guide for Reducing Collisions on Horizontal
Curves.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses head-on crashes
on freeways in 2006.
30
Head-on crashes in which one vehicle
crosses the centerline are a major cause
of death on two-lane highways. This effort
seeks to identify promising countermeasures that can reduce the severity of
head-on crashes, field-test the most
promising alternatives (such as center
rumble strips), and define effective treatments that are cost-effective. The countermeasures will subsequently be implemented nationally and targeted toward
highways with high numbers of head-on
crashes.
Reduce across-median crashes on
freeways and arteries that have narrow medians.
Combinations of heavy traffic flow and
high operating speeds, narrow medians,
and inadequate left-hand shoulders can
increase the probability of head-on collisions af ter median crossovers. In many
cases, the solution is placement of a median barrier between opposing traffic
flows. This initiative will identify those
freeways and arterials with historically
high numbers of across-median crashes
and encourage States and local governments to incorporate median barriers or
other positive protection elements between the traffic flows.
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
HIGHWAYS
Designing Safer Work Zones
Background
Highway work zones create a major safety
concern for motorists and workers alike.
In 2003, fatalities in work zones totaled
1,028. This number included 117 pedestrians, most of which were construction
workers, and 903 vehicle drivers and occupants. Data indicate that work zone fatalities occur in every functional highway
classification. Work zones require increased attention because motorists are
of ten faced with unique situations requiring special care. Since reliable, accurate
work zone crash data are not presently
available due to the lack of uniform reporting procedures, standard work zone
definitions need to be established to
facilitate uniform reporting.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses work zone
safety in 2005.
The Strategies
Implement improved methods to reduce the number and duration of work
activities.
Work zone activities increase crash potential and can cause significant disruptions
of traffic. This initiative will make a thor-
ough review of maintenance and construction practices, design standards, and
contracting procedures to find ways to reduce the number and duration of work
zones. Guidelines will be developed as a
result of this review, followed by demonstrations on actual projects, evaluation,
and enhancement. The enhanced procedures will then be disseminated nationally
along with training programs to facilitate
the utilization of the new concepts.
Adopt improved procedures to ensure
more effective practices, including
traffic control devices, for managing
work zone operations
This initiative encompasses several actions including upgrading the Manual on
Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
and Traffic Control Device Handbook for
work zones, establishing more effective
day and night work zone operation review
procedures, developing more effective
public information guidelines, and demonstrating more advanced technology applications for work zones. Guidelines will
be developed and supplemented with
training to ensure that the enhanced actions are incorporated in work zones.
tenance of work zones to maximize
safety.
The best strategies are nearly useless if,
because of knowledge gaps, they are not
effectively implemented. This initiative
will develop comprehensive training programs for both the government and industries at critical points in the work zone
program.
Enhance safe work zone driving
through education and enforcement
actions.
Drivers who are inattentive, unsure of
work zone traffic control directions, or
who drive aggressively to minimize delay
cause many crashes in work zones. This
initiative will develop and implement enforcement guidelines in conjunction with
engineering designs for work zones. In addition, coordinated public information and
education campaigns will be developed
and implemented to increase driver
knowledge and awareness of work zone
dangers and the actions that can be taken
to reduce the likelihood of crashes.
Enhance and extend training for the
planning, implementation, and main-
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
31
Part 5: Emergency
Medical Services
Enhancing Emergency Medical Capabilities
to Increase Survivability
Background
No amount of preventive action will completely eliminate all crashes and injuries
from the highway. In response, the level of
care and preparedness for such incidents
must be at its maximum. Af ter traumatic
injuries are sustained, the following minutes are critical with regard to saving the
victim’s life and minimizing the effects of
injuries. Both the timeliness and level of
expertise at which care is provided are
crucial factors in the equation. Emergency
care scenarios are markedly different in
urban, rural, and remote settings and require strategies tailored to meet the
realities of each.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses rural emergency
medical ser vices in 2005.
The Strategies
Develop and implement a model comprehensive approach that will ensure
appropriate and timely responses to
the emergency needs of crash victims.
Many crash victims die before emergency
medical technicians (EMTs) arrive at the
crash scene. This initiative is designed to
reduce Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) arrival time and implement bystander care programs that can be set in
motion until EMS personnel arrive.
Four individual initiatives to pursue are:
ý Implement bystander care training
programs targeting new drivers, rural
residents, truck drivers, and tow
truck operators on a volunteer basis;
ý Implement emergency medical
dispatch programs for dispatchers
who process EMS calls;
32
ý Require first responder training for
all public safety emergency response
personnel, including police officers;
and
ý Develop models to optimize EMS
staffing patterns for pre-hospital care
to include recruitment and retention
strategies.
These initiatives would be demonstrated,
evaluated, and enhanced in ten states. If
determined to be cost-effective, they
would then be deployed nationally.
Develop and implement a plan to increase education and involvement of
EMS personnel in the principles of
traffic safety.
This initiative will include traffic safety
and injury prevention principles as part of
the EMS educational core contents and
will also integrate EMS systems into the
Safe Communities effort.
Develop and implement emergency
preparedness models in three high-incident interstate highway settings
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
MEDICAL SERVICES
(urban, rural, and wilderness) and use
this demonstration to study their effectiveness in reducing fatalities and
health costs.
While interstates have the lowest fatality
rate of any highway type, they also have
one of the highest densities of fatalities
because of the higher traffic volumes. The
intent of this initiative is to establish an
EMS system that is well prepared for severe crashes, increasing the chances of
survivability. Emergency preparedness
sites will be established in urban, rural,
and wilderness areas and results will be
evaluated over a two-year period. If they
are found to be cost-effective, the
systems will be expanded nationally.
ments needed to achieve an adequate
level of performance in their trauma centers, strengthen protocols for destination
triage, treatment, and hospital transfer,
and ensure adequate air and ground
transportation systems.
This initiative will develop and implement
integrated information systems and highway safety activities based on successful
models.
Develop and support integrated
EMS/public health/public safety information and program activities.
Implement and/or enhance trauma
systems in at least 25 states.
Effective trauma systems can improve the
survivability of severe crashes for people
in near-fatal situations. This initiative will
implement or enhance existing trauma
systems in half of the states by helping
them conduct assessments of the require-
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
33
D A T A
Part 6: Management
Improving Information and
Decision Support Systems
Background
Good information properly used is one of
the underpinnings of a sound traffic safety
enterprise. Drivers with bad driving records need to be rigorously tracked and
appropriate measures must be taken to
protect public safety. The how, who, when,
where, and why of accidents needs to be
recorded and the data should be made
readily available for analysis and use in
the formation of safety policy. The technology exists to gather, integrate, and utilize information on a wide variety of important
traffic
safety
issues.
Understanding and using information
technology to the greatest advantage is a
critical challenge to traffic safety
programs nationwide.
NCHRP Report 501: Integrated Safety
Management Process, addresses this
need. The integrated management process contains the necessary steps for advancing from crash data to integrated action plans. This process includes the
following six steps: (1) review highway
safety information, (2) establish emphasis
area goals, (3) develop objectives, strategies, and preliminary action plans to address the emphasis areas, (4) determine
the appropriate combination of strategies
for identified emphasis areas, (5) develop
detailed action plans, and (6) implement
the action plans and evaluate performance. The process includes methodologies to aid the practitioner in problem
identification, resource optimization, and
performance measurements.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 501, Integrated Safety
Management Process.
NCHRP plans to release an Implementation Guide that addresses collecting and
analyzing safety data in late 2006.
The Strategies
Improve the quality of safety data by
establishing programs for quality assurance, incentives, and accountability within agencies responsible for
collecting and managing safety data.
Good crash data is the backbone of an effective safety management system. This
initiative is directed at improving the
quality of data by developing and distributing guidelines for crash investigation
use, demonstrating the use of various
quality assurance techniques, determining the proper data to use, developing a
guide for assuring performance of data
collection, performing independent traffic
record assessments, and demonstrating
methods of communication between users and collectors to facilitate understanding of issues and data uses.
Provide managers and users of highway safety information with the resources needed to make the most effective use of the data.
The most accurately compiled set of data
is meaningless if users are unable to work
with it. This initiative will establish a
34
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
MANAGEMENT
clearinghouse on state-of-the-art safety
information technology for data collection, storage, retrieval, and analysis. It
will also establish a periodic national
showcase of highway safety information
technology, develop a model safety information system, demonstrate the ability to
have direct and user-friendly access to
data to perform analysis, and demonstrate
data visualization technologies.
Establish a means by which collection,
management, and use of highway
safety information could be coordinated among organizations at all jurisdictional levels.
This initiative would promote the development of statewide committees with broad
multi-organizational representation of departments responsible for highway safety
information systems as well as users of
such systems. A guide of best practices
for eliminating or overcoming organizational barriers to the collection, management, and use of highway safety information would also be developed.
methods appropriate for evaluating
highway safety information.
A good data system with easy data extraction processes is of minimal benefit if professionals are not skilled to properly analyze the data. This initiative will develop
and deploy appropriate training systems
to increase the analytic capabilities of
highway safety professionals to manipulate, manage, and interpret data.
Establish and promote technical standards for highway safety information
systems’ characteristics that are critical to operating effective Strategic
Highway Safety Plan programs.
Data that are technically flawed or subject
to different interpretations can significantly compromise the effectiveness of
safety information systems. This initiative
will establish a permanent information
standards committee within the broad
community of safety information systems
users at the national, state, and local levels to resolve and eliminate technical data
discrepancies.
Establish a group of highway safety
professionals trained in the analytic
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
35
Creating More Effective Processes
and Safety Management Systems
Background
Like other complicated endeavors, traffic
safety programs need to be managed well
in order to perform well. Sound methodology and effective, integrated information
systems are essential. Using the best
among them as examples, existing systems must be upgraded and, from a safety
perspective, looked at in terms of all
phases of highway life from concept to
maintenance.
State organizations carry out a number of
independent safety initiatives that individually help reduce injuries and fatalities on
highways. Although highway safety responsibilities are divided among multiple
agencies (DOT, motor vehicle administration, state police, emergency ser vice,
etc.), most states do not have a comprehensive strategic approach. Many initiatives focus only on strategies that the particular agency is responsible for
implementing and do not effectively
address the entire safety problem. A coordinated, comprehensive management approach to integrating engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency ser vice
efforts is needed to more effectively address major crash problems and achieve a
greater reduction of overall injuries and
deaths.
nity-based responses to traffic safety
problems should be strongly encouraged.
Experience has shown that local government and community institutions are of ten more effective at addressing their
traffic safety issues than more centralized
levels of government. This is especially
true in the areas of education and enforcement. Community-based coalitions
of local government, law enforcement,
and interested stakeholders have successfully influenced a variety of safety issues in their own neighborhoods, including the high crash and fatality rates on
principal urban corridors that pass
through their communities. Commu-
Communicate the benefits of existing
successful Strategic Highway Safety
Plans.
Report relevant to this objective:
NCHRP Report 501, Integrated Safety
Management Process.
The Strategies
This initiative’s purpose is to upgrade individual safety management processes by
sharing information and knowledge on the
best of those systems. This initiative will
compile and distribute case studies, initiatives, and best practices. It will also develop and distribute an executive level orientation briefing for policy and decision
makers. Regional SHSP workshops and
training courses will be offered.
Beginning in 2002, state transportation
agency executives and representatives of
transportation and safety agencies from a
significant number of states began a series of national meetings designed to promote the development of comprehensive
highway safety plans with a goal of lowering statewide crash fatalities. In “peer exchange” sessions, they compared individual plan initiatives, shared “lessons
learned,” and set into motion a concerted
effort to incorporate the use of NCHRP implementation guides in their state planning programs, all with the goal of reducing the nation’s highway fatality rate to no
more than one per 100 million vehicle
miles traveled.
36
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
MANAGEMENT
Implement pilot safety audit processes.
Safety audit processes, such as those performed in Europe and Australia, have the
potential to reduce overall crashes 3 to 4
percent by improving design, construction, and maintenance processes from a
safety perspective. This initiative will develop model safety audit guidelines, demonstrate them in five states, evaluate the
results, design enhancements, and disseminate the guidelines nationally.
Promote strong coordination, cooperation, and communication of safety
initiatives within each state.
This initiative promotes the continuation
of multi-disciplinary teams (engineering,
education, enforcement, and emergency
medical ser vices), calls for a national
SHSP conference, and identifies means to
successfully integrate safety considerations into relevant highway system
development activities.
Integrate the planning of highway
safety programs and highway safety
information systems.
Effective use of safety information systems forms the backbone of a safety management system. This initiative charges
the statewide safety management team
with the responsibility of monitoring the
state’s overall safety information system
and processes to ensure coordination in
planning between information systems
and programs that have an impact on
highway safety. Key decision-making
points that may significantly impact highway safety will be identified and a guide
will be developed to facilitate the use of
safety data to support decision making.
Establish an ongoing performance
measurement system to evaluate the
cost-effectiveness of safety investments at both project and program
levels.
Many new safety initiatives do not have
track records to indicate actual effectiveness. The purpose of this initiative is to
develop and distribute a model performance measure and evaluation system,
demonstrate it in ten states, evaluate its
effectiveness, and, if appropriate af ter enhancement, distribute it for implementation nationally.
Develop and ratify a national safety
agenda.
Many states, AASHTO, NHTSA, FHWA, and
numerous other organizations have individual safety agendas. While these separate agendas should continue, these
groups should also meet, develop, adopt,
and ratify a national safety agenda that includes goals, objectives, measures of effectiveness, agenda content, and assessment processes.
Implement safe community-based
programs in half of the nation’s urban
areas of 5,000 or greater population
and on at least 300 high-crash corridors to engage local partners in areas
of traffic safety that most affect their
daily lives.
those involving fatalities to also involve
injuries and accompanying medical and
financial ramifications.
The comprehensive corridor initiative is
similar to the area safe community programs except that it is targeted toward
crash reduction on specific crash-prone
arterial highways of ten involving several
communities. Using a combination of education, awareness, enforcement, minor
physical improvements, and emergency
medical service enhancements, comprehensive highway safety corridor programs
have been extremely successful in reducing crashes by 25 to 40 percent in the few
states where they have been applied.
Areas to be addressed in a community-based education program include pedestrian safety; aggressive; careless; and
impaired driving; speeding; seat belt usage; traffic control devices; high crash locations; roadside hazards; work zone
safety; and emergency medical ser vices.
Many of the crash solutions, particularly
those involving public awareness, education, engineering, and enforcement, can
be more effectively addressed by local
government officials, institutions within
the community, safety advocates, and
other local groups rather than Federal or
State officials. NHTSA’s successful safecommunity guidelines should be expanded to include FHWA and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety initiatives.
This will be a two-pronged effort that includes single communities as well as
communities linked along high-crash corridors. A safe community is one that promotes injury prevention and controls activities at the local level to solve highway,
traffic safety, and other injury problems.
In such communities, a comprehensive,
multi-disciplinary coalition or task force
expands problem identification beyond
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
37
IES
LIT
DRIV
IN
OWN FAT
A
GD
TOOLS FOR
LIFE
Want More Information?
Detailed information about the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan and the ‘Tools for
Life’ that have been created to facilitate its implementation is available via the internet
and in printed form through the Transportation Research Board’s bookroom.
For copies of the Plan, the implementation guides (NCHRP Report 500), and the Integrated Safety Management Plan (NCHRP Report 501), go to:
http://safety.transportation.org.
For printed copies of the NCHRP Reports, make your request to:
Transportation Research Board
National Cooperative Highway Research Program
500 Fifth St., NW
Washington, DC 20001-2721
Telephone: (202) 334-3213
For additional information about the AASHTO Plan, please contact Keith Sinclair
or Tony Kane.
38
AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan