Data-Driven Safety Analysis Integrating Safety Performance into ALL Transportation Investment Decisions Good Morning, or Afternoon, depending on where you participating from. Today we’re going to provide an introduction to Data-Driven Safety Analysis and how it can be used to integrate safety performance into ALL transportation investment decisions.

Data–Driven Safety Analysis Using tools to analyze crash and roadway data to predict the safety impacts of highway projects allows agencies to target investments with more confidence and reduce severe crashes on the roadways. Every two years, FHWA works with the transportation community to identify a new set of innovations that merit widespread deployment through Every Day Counts (EDC). FHWA’s call for suggestions for EDC-4 innovations drew a strong response from stakeholders, who offered more than 80 new ideas. One of the innovations that received some of the highest marks was the continuation of our Data-Driven Safety Analysis initiative that began under EDC-3 DDSA helps you make more informed decisions,  allowing you to better target our transportation investments,  which will lead to fewer fatalities and serious injuries on nations roadways.

Incorporating Safety in ALL Projects… 23 CFR 625.2 Policy (c)An important goal of the FHWA is to provide the highest practical and feasible level of safety for people and property associated with the Nation's highway transportation systems and to reduce highway hazards and the resulting number and severity of accidents on all the Nation's highways.

Data Driven Safety Analysis can help! What’s happening? Shrinking budgets Growing lists of needs Increasing fatalities Safety performance management (targets) Data Driven Safety Analysis can help!

What is DDSA? The application of the latest evidence-based tools and approaches to safety analysis Provides reliable estimates of an existing or proposed roadway’s expected safety performance Predictive Analysis combines crash, roadway, and traffic volume data and, in turn, provides reliable estimates of an existing or proposed roadway’s expected safety performance. Helps agencies quantify the safety impacts of transportation decisions, similar to the way agencies quantify: traffic growth environmental impacts traffic operations pavement life construction costs Source: AASHTO, AASHTOWare, Roadway Safety Foundation

What is DDSA? Helps agencies quantify the safety impacts of transportation decisions, similar to the way agencies quantify: traffic growth environmental impacts traffic operations pavement life construction costs Predictive Analysis combines crash, roadway, and traffic volume data and, in turn, provides reliable estimates of an existing or proposed roadway’s expected safety performance. Helps agencies quantify the safety impacts of transportation decisions, similar to the way agencies quantify: traffic growth environmental impacts traffic operations pavement life construction costs Source: AASHTO, AASHTOWare, Roadway Safety Foundation

Approaches for Considering Safety

Data–Driven Safety Analysis Predictive analysis Uses crash, roadway inventory and traffic volume data to provide more reliable estimates of an existing or proposed roadway’s expected safety performance Every two years, FHWA works with the transportation community to identify a new set of innovations that merit widespread deployment through Every Day Counts (EDC). FHWA’s call for suggestions for EDC-4 innovations drew a strong response from stakeholders, who offered more than 80 new ideas. One of the innovations that received some of the highest marks was the continuation of our Data-Driven Safety Analysis initiative that began under EDC-3 DDSA helps you make more informed decisions,  allowing you to better target our transportation investments,  which will lead to fewer fatalities and serious injuries on nations roadways. Systemic analysis Uses crash and roadway data in combination to identify high risk roadway features

Foundational DDSA Methods: the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual, first edition 2010 Release: Rural Two-Lane Roads Multilane Rural Highways Urban/Suburban Arterials 2014 Supplement: Freeway Segments Ramps Ramp Terminals Source: AASHTO

A Document Akin To the HCM… The Vision for the HSM A Document Akin To the HCM… 1 Definitive; represents quantitative ‘state-of-the-art’ information Widely accepted within professional practice of transportation engineering Science-based; updated regularly to reflect research 2 The Highway Capacity Manual is acknowledged to be the recognized source of information and methodologies for quantitatively evaluating traffic operations on streets and highways. Engineering studies and reports that use the HCM are unquestioned with respect to the results. The HCM contents are based on peer-reviewed, science-based research; the HCM is continually updated and improved as more research is completed. No such document exists in the field of quantitative highway safety. While there is quantitative safety information available, much of it is in conflict, may not reflect the best scientific methods, or is unclear in its contents and background. Engineers and planners who need to include quantitative safety information in their work are left to their own knowledge base and must not only make judgments about what data or methods to use, they must also defend their judgment. The HSM is a toolbox for assessing quantitative safety effects of decisions or actions – nothing more. The HSM provides direction on how to use each of the tools contained within it, and how to interpret and communicate the results. It also provides direction on which tools are appropriate to use in a given situation or given the amount and quality of data available. The HSM provides the user with the tools to assess different alternatives to reduce crash frequency or severity. With publication of an HSM, users can refer to it with confidence that it reflects best practices and knowledge and that it has been ‘vetted’ by highway safety research professionals. 3 Source: Transportation Research Board

Where can DDSA be applied in the Project Development Process? Source: FHWA

The Systemic Approach… Implements a system-wide screening of a roadway network based on the presence of high-risk roadway features correlated with particular severe crash types, rather than high crash locations. Source: FHWA Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool

A movement away from chasing dots (fatalities)… Anystate, USA 2010 2014 2013 2011 2012

Limitations to the Site Analysis Approach Crashes on rural roads often account for a high percentage of severe crashes, but the density of crashes on rural roadways is typically low and may not lead to identifying crash concerns within the “traditional” site-based analysis process. And what the data shows us is that a majority of fatal crashes occur on rural roads and local roads. Crashes on rural and local roads are typically spread over hundreds or thousands of miles of in a state, making it more difficult to isolate high crash locations. ****************************** However, while effective, the site analysis approach has its limitations. A quick review of the national crash data establishes two key points. First, fatal crashes are overrepresented in rural areas – the National average is 57 percent. Second, a substantial number of these crashes are on the local system – the National average is 43 percent. Crashes on rural and local roads are typically spread over hundreds or thousands of miles in a state and are not as densely clustered as crashes in an urban area. About 57% of fatal crashes are on rural roads A further challenge is that crashes on the local system might not have robust data to assist with identifying locations of concern

Important Distinction Systematic – Deploying countermeasures at ALL locations Systemic – Deploying countermeasures at locations with the greatest risk Systemic Example: providing enhanced delineation on curves with radii between 500-700 feet that demonstrate increased severe crash risk

Systemic Approach Supplements the traditional site analysis (i.e. “hot-spot”) approach Particularly applicable when a significant number of severe crashes happen over a wide area: Rural Roadways Local Roadways May focus on specific crash types Cross-median Pedestrian Curve May include treating locations that haven’t experienced severe crashes Photo Source: FHWA

The EDC Data-Driven Safety Analysis Initiative… Goal: Integrate safety performance into ALL transportation investment decisions Source: FHWA

Thank you David Kopacz, P.E. FHWA Resource Center Source: FHWA