Introduction to the National Center for Rural Road Safety Presented by: Est. Dec. 2014

Why is Local and Rural Road Safety Important? 19% of U.S. population lives in rural areas, but they account for 54% of all fatalities Fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 2.6 times higher in rural areas 64% of rural drivers died at the scene of the crash 2 Source: NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts 2013 Data

Safety on Rural Roads 54% of all alcohol- related fatalities occur in rural areas 51% rural fatalities were unrestrained Emergency response times are 50% longer 89% of Wildlife Vehicle Collisions (WVCs) Source: NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts 2013 Data and Rural ITS Toolbox

Local and Rural Transportation Local = Describes the jurisdiction that owns/manages the roads (e.g., not Federal or state) Rural = Describes the location and context of the road and community (you know rural when you see it)

Why is Local and Rural Road Safety Important? Contributing factors in rural areas include: –Rural occupants are less likely to use their seat belts –Lack of communication coverage –EMS is more likely to be volunteer based –Response time is twice that of urban areas 5

Safety Center History & Background The National Center for Rural Road Safety is a Center of Excellence (CoE) created under MAP- 21 Established December 2014 Funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Target audience: local, state, and tribal road owners and their stakeholders Focus: rural and local transportation networks 6

7 Safety Center Team Members Local Technical Assistance Programs (LTAP) in Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and New Jersey

Safety Center Stakeholder Group (1/2) State Engineer – Timothy Barnett, ALDOT State Engineer – John Miller, MoDOT County Engineer – David Brand, Madison Co., OH Public Works/Local Rep. – Chris Strong, Gresham, Oregon Transportation Division

Safety Center Stakeholder Group (2/2) Planner – Amy Kessler, PA RPO Enforcement – Tim Lentz, Chief of Police in Covington, Louisiana EMS – Teri Sanddal, Trauma and Emergency Response Infrastructure LTAP Rep. – Marie Walsh, LA LTAP TTAP Rep. – Byron Bluehorse, AK TTAP Karla Sisco, OK TTAP

10 Safety Center Vision and Mission Vision To be a nationally recognized center that empowers rural road owners with customized and innovative road safety practices to save lives. Mission To provide coordinated, multidisciplinary, scalable, and accessible safety resources in order to empower rural road users to accelerate road safety improvements and save lives.

Safety Center Purpose Facilitate multi-disciplinary training Provide technical assistance & education Develop tools and methods for training and outreach Assist in transforming the national road safety culture Focus on integrated, multidisciplinary, and systemic approaches Conduct research to close knowledge gaps 11

Your Trusted “Safety Sidekick” Understands you’re committed to increasing safety, but have many responsibilities Your central place to answer all your rural safety questions Customizes resources so they are concise, rural focused, easy-to-access and cost-effective Assists you in improving your local transportation safety culture Empowers you to accelerate change 12

Safety Center’s Program Offerings 13

14 Resources

Digital Gateway 15

Safety Center’s First In-Person Training Roadside Safety Basics for Locals Workshop Collaborated with FHWA, MINK Conference & Regional UTC Hosted Sept 2015 following MINK conference FHWA instructors 15 attendees 16

Upcoming 2016 Webinars Application of Systemic Safety to a Non-Engineering Issue Implementing Rural Signing and Marking Improvements An Overview of the Factors that Increase Organization Safety Culture 17 February 9th 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Mountain March 22nd 9:00-10:30 AM Mountain January 21st 11:00 AM-12:30 PM MST

Upcoming Videos Introduction to Safety Culture Tribal Road Safety Audits (RSA) Incorporating Safety Data in the Planning Process at the Rural Level Instructional Safety Videos 18

Additional Training and Educational Projects Update/expand FHWA Rural ITS Guidebook Update/expand FHWA Safety 365 Training Release 2-4 new trainings (summer-fall 2016) Document noteworthy practices Create a rural safety data fact sheet template 19

Technical Assistance Help connect you with experts and resources to implement safety measures, while you’re on the front line tackling day-to-day challenges Ask us where to go or what to do next We may not have your answer, but will help you find it! 20 Technical Assistance available by contacting us at: (844)

Examples of Technical Assistance Requested Safety Center to participate in a Road Safety Audit (RSA) as an impartial participant Requested Safety Center facilitate a conference session on safety or provide a pre-conference workshop Connected a county engineer with FHWA specialist to identify alternative rumble strip options Provided a university research center with resources on how pavement conditions can contribute to crashes Connected a homeowner with their local FHWA safety engineer to assist with a safety issue Requested to assist tribe with how to install road tubes and what data to collect 21

National Working Summit on Transportation in Rural America Save the Date: September 7-9, 2016 Denver, CO 22

National Summit on Transportation Safety in Rural America Purpose –All-inclusive summit –Articulate key transportation safety issues –Identify opportunities to advocate for rural transportation initiatives Outcomes –Identify key problems to promote productive dialogue –Create white papers based on the thematic sessions –Use momentum to develop partnerships and incite change 23

Recap: What can your Safety Sidekick do for you? Be your central contact for rural safety needs Connect you with resources, training, and contacts Assist in increasing awareness of safety issues Repackage safety training for rural and local audiences Reach out to locals in far reaching areas Assist you in how to improve your local transportation safety culture 24

Safety Center Complements other Road Safety Efforts and Organizations Collaborating with FHWA, NHI, LTAP and TTAP instructors to provide customized and new safety training and technical assistance Leveraging existing safety resources to expand dissemination and implementation Partnering with other organizations that share rural road safety as a part of their mission Reaching out to other industries who value and rely on safe roads Creating new types of educational material with existing safety topics 25

“Together, you and the National Center for Rural Road Safety, can make a difference in improving safety for your family, community, and all road users.” 26

Final Thoughts Safe and efficient rural transportation is a key component of an effective and comprehensive transportation system Let us be your trusted “safety sidekick” to make road travel safer!

Contact Information National Center for Rural Road Safety Help Desk: (844) or To learn more about the Safety Center: center/history-of-the-safety-center/ 28