1. U.S. Road Assessment Program (usRAP) Overview

2. usRAP Sponsors Federal Highway Administration
has highlighted usRAP protocols as data-driven safety tools in Every Day Counts 3
Roadway Safety Foundation
working with FHWA to encourage use of usRAP’s protocols and provide technical support to users
Contact:
Bruce Hamilton

3. usRAP Team
MRIGlobal, Kansas City, MO Iowa State University, Ames, IA University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

4. usRAP Objectives Benchmark safety of road segments
Allocate resources based on risks
Infrastructure
Enforcement
Inform and provide guidance to motorists
Foster collaboration

5. usRAP Objectives
Focus on reducing risk of fatal and serious injury crashes
Assure that highway safety improvement programs are based on rational assessment of risk

6. “Safer drivers in safer vehicles on safer roads”

7. ROAD ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS
EuroRAP
AusRAP
usRAP
iRAP

8. International Road Assessment Program (iRAP)
iRAP is a not-for-profit organization based in the U.K.
iRAP was established in 2005 to help coordinate the EuroRAP, AusRAP, and usRAP programs
iRAP also took on a mission to apply RAP protocols in low- and middle-income countries
RAP programs are now active in over 70 countries
iRAP Global Technical Committee (GTC) assures technical quality of RAP protocols and tools

9. usRAP Phase I Phase II Phase III
Star Rating Validation – Washington, Iowa
Public Awareness Campaigns – Utah, Michigan 9

10. usRAP Protocols Risk Mapping Performance Tracking Star Ratings
Safer Roads Investment Plans
NOTE: All based on fatal and serious injury crashes

11. Risk Maps usRAP began developing risk maps in 2004
Illustrate crash risk levels for road segments using four different risk measures
Roads are color-coded based on crash risk levels
Maps are prepared using data on crash history and traffic volume levels
Focus on fatal and serious injury crashes
Homogeneous road segments
Segment length sufficient to provide meaningful results

12. Example of usRAP Risk Map

13. Star Ratings
Star ratings have been used since the inception of RAP programs
Star ratings are assigned based on presence or absence of road design and traffic control features related to safety
Over 50 safety-related design and traffic control features are considered
Star ratings are in 1 to 5 scale:
5-star road (full range of known safety-related design and traffic control features)
1-star road (limited safety-related design and traffic control features)

14. What is a Safer Roads Investment Plan?
Safer Road Investment Plan: A plan that suggests specific safety improvements at specific locations on a selected roadway network
Input Data: Approximately 50 roadway and traffic characteristics for each 300-ft (100-m) segment of the roadway network
Processing Software: web-based ViDA software
Output: a safety improvement plan for your road network

15. How Can a Safer Roads Investment Plan Help Your Agency?
Plan focuses attention of the priority locations for safety improvement on your road system and the appropriate type of safety improvement(s) for each location
Requires a 30-minute investment in coding of on roadway attributes per mile of road
All results are based on benefit-cost analysis—only improvements that meet a minimum benefit-cost ratio that you specify are suggested 7

17. ViDA Software
Former usRAP Tools software (Version 2.2 model) has been succeeded by ViDA software (Version 3.0 model)

18. ViDA Sotfware
Performs network-level safety planning analysis to develop star ratings and safer roads investment plans
Web-based and easily accessed on-line
Software usage is free for all highway agencies and their consultants
Training is needed to use the software properly
Training is provided at regular intervals free of charge 8

19. ViDA Sotfware
Software uploads and processes input data for most roadway systems within a few minutes
Displays results on-screen and in downloadable Microsoft Excel® files
No detailed site-specific crash data needed
Network-wide crash data is useful for calibration 9

20. Objectives of This Training Course
Learn about ViDA Software
A useful supplement to crash-data analysis approaches in identifying infrastructure improvement needs for agencies with good crash data
With proper training, can be used by any highway agency or their consultants
A unique tool for agencies without good crash data:
no crash data available
manual crash reports but no automated data files
automated crash data files, but no location data other than verbal descriptions

21. Content of This Training Course
Learn about ViDA Software
Software Overview
Data Acquisition Procedures
Data Coding Manual
Data Management/Quality Assurance
Using the Software
Practical Considerations/Discussion

22. What Will You Learn? Application and uses of star ratings
Application and uses of safer roads investment plans
How to use ViDA software
Data needed for ViDA Tools software
How to obtain data for ViDA software
How to assure quality of data and analysis results
How to use analysis results effectively in safety management

23. Why Are usRAP Protocols Proprietary?
To assure protocols and software are applied in a technically accurate manner – adaptations must be approved
To assure that protocols and software are not copied and sold by others
usRAP protocols and software are copyrighted, but are made available free of charge to:
highway agencies
accredited vendors conducting studies for highway agencies

24. Questions?