1. Working Together to Save Lives An Introduction to the
FHWA Safety Program
for
FHWA’s Safety Partners
This briefing has been prepared for DOT Headquarters managers to use when briefing FHWA’s Safety Partners on the FHWA Safety Program.

2. The Death Toll on American Highways is Not Acceptable!
Every 12 minutes someone is killed on American highways.
The daily death toll from vehicle-related crashes is 120.
42,642 crash fatalities were reported in 2006, a rate of 1.42 per 100 million VMT.
Approximately 120 victims are killed every day in vehicle-related crashes on U.S. roadways—one every 12 minutes. Someone will die in the time it takes to provide this briefing.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is calling on the highway community, including you, our Safety partners, to work with us in new ways so we can all significantly reduce the annual highway death toll.
In order to do that, we are going to have to step up our efforts, and I’ll explain why.

3. If We Keep Doing What We are Doing, We’ll Keep Getting What We’re Getting
Seat Belt and Drunk Driving Enforcement and Education drove a steady reduction in the fatality rate, from 1.73 per 100 million VMT in 1996 to 1.44 in 2004.
Since 2004, the fatality rate has remained relatively steady. The rate ticked upward to 1.45 in 2005; down to 1.42 in 2006.
As VMT increases, fatality numbers will increase, unless we do more.
In a nutshell, we must do more if we are going to drive down the fatality rate and numbers, because we’ve squeezed about all the benefits we are going to get from existing strategies.
We’ve made tremendous progress in education and enforcement about seat belt and drunk driving laws. Increased vehicle safety—particularly airbags—also contributed to the steady decline in the highway fatality rate during the 1990s.
But now, the rate has hit a plateau. After dropping from 1.73 per 100 million VMT in 1996 to 1.44 in 2004, the fatality rate went up a little in 2005, then dropped to 1.42 in 2006.
If the fatality rate remains essentially steady, despite all our efforts, it is inevitable that the actual numbers of fatalities will increase—unless we do something more, and something different.

4. To Save Lives, We Must Partner
We will all benefit from reducing the highway death toll.
No single organization or agency can reduce roadway fatalities alone.
Together, we can develop solutions.
Comprehensive highway safety programs include the 4 “E’s”—Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
We face many challenges in highway safety. No single agency or organization, acting alone, can reduce roadway fatalities. By working together, we can develop solutions.
I’m here today to tell you about some opportunities, ideas, and resources that the FHWA’s Safety Program offers.
I’m also here to learn more about your ideas and concerns, and about how we at the FHWA can work with your organization more effectively to promote highway and roadway safety.

5. What is the FHWA Safety Program?
The “FHWA SAFETY PROGRAM” includes:
FHWA Office of Safety (Headquarters).
FHWA Resource Center-Safety and Design Team.
Turner-Fairbank Office of Safety Research.
FHWA Division Offices.
We work closely with our DOT modal partners:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The FHWA Safety Program includes:
The FHWA Office of Safety at the FHWA headquarters office in Washington, DC;
The FHWA Resource Center Safety Team in Baltimore, MD; Olympia Fields, IL; Atlanta, GA; and San Francisco, CA;
The Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center’s Office of Safety Research in McLean, VA; and
The FHWA Division Offices in every State.
The FHWA Safety Program works closely with other DOT agencies involved in highway safety:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); and
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

6. What is the FHWA Safety Program’s Core Mission?
“Safe Roads for a Safer Future”
Core Mission (“it’s what we do”).
Fourth “E” in roadway safety, and often overlooked.
Improve the safety of roadway infrastructure –
Through design and engineering improvements.
Speed management improvements.
Key element in a comprehensive roadway safety program.
The FHWA’s Core Mission is to improve the safety of roadway infrastructure through design and engineering improvements, and speed management improvements.
Increasing investment in roadway safety engineering and speed management is a vital part of a comprehensive, “4-E’s” approach to highway safety improvements.

7. What Does the FHWA Safety Program Provide?
The FHWA Safety Program provides customers with information, tools and other resources including:
Targeted Programs.
Road Safety Research.
Technology Development.
Technology Transfer.
Training.
Technical Assistance.
The FHWA Safety Program offers States a wealth of resources to help improve the safety of roadway infrastructure.
The FHWA Safety Program offers focused, or targeted, programs to address the most common types of fatal crashes—I’ll explain more about those shortly.
The FHWA Safety Program conducts road safety research, and develops new technologies for roadway safety. The FHWA actively promotes implementation of new safety technologies and best practices through our technology transfer programs. Finally, the FHWA offers training programs and technical assistance.

8. Focus on Fatality Facts
Fundamental Strategy (“it’s how we do what we do”).
Data-driven, strategic approach.
Focus on implementing countermeasures to prevent most deadly types of crashes.
The FHWA Safety Program encourages State Safety Partners to take a strategic approach to improvement of roadway safety by systematically addressing the roadway safety issues that account for the majority of highway fatalities in a particular State or region.
From a National viewpoint, the most deadly types of crashes are roadway departure crashes, intersection crashes, crashes involving pedestrians, and speed-related crashes.
For this reason, the FHWA Safety Program places extra focus on developing countermeasures to reduce the likelihood of the most deadly types of crashes, and on promoting their implementation.

9. FHWA Targeted Safety Programs
Roadway Departure Crashes—58%
of fatalities.
Intersection Crashes—21% of fatalities.
Pedestrian Deaths—11% of fatalities.
Speed-Related Crashes—32% of fatalities.
Comprehensive Strategic Planning.
The FHWA Safety Program is placing extra emphasis on the following five program areas.
According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2006 Annual Report, on a national basis
Roadway Departure crashes, including run-off-the-road and head-on crashes, account for 58% of all fatalities;
21% of all fatalities occur at intersections;
11% of fatalities are pedestrians, and a disproportionate number of pedestrian fatalities are young people and the elderly;
Speeding is involved in 32% of fatalities.
The FHWA Safety Program encourages State DOTs to analyze the data on crash fatalities for their State and determine which crash types are most deadly in their particular State. The FHWA offers assistance to State DOTs in working with State highway safety partners to develop a comprehensive, statewide strategic plan to implement countermeasures to prevent the most deadly types of crashes.
Fatality data based on NHTSA FARS 2006 Annual Report file.

10. How Can We Work Together to Prevent Roadway Departure Crashes?
Identify and correct deficiencies in roadside safety.
Install countermeasures to prevent vehicles from leaving the roadway.
Install countermeasures to prevent vehicles from overturning or striking objects when they leave the roadway.
Install countermeasures to minimize injuries and fatalities when overturn occurs or when objects are struck in the roadside.
Through the FHWA Safety Program’s Roadway Departure Program, the FHWA offers assistance to state and local safety partners to prevent run-off-the-road and head-on collisions. Recommended action steps include:
A systematic program to identify and correct deficiencies in roadside safety—for example, pavement edge hazards, hazardous guardrails (or lack of guardrails), vegetation hazards, lighting deficiencies, signage deficiencies.
Implementation of engineering countermeasures to prevent vehicles from leaving the roadway.
Implementation of countermeasures to prevent vehicles from overturning, or striking objects, when they leave the roadway.
Implementation of countermeasures to minimize injuries and fatalities when overturns do occur, or when objects are struck on the roadside.

11. How Can We Work Together to Prevent Intersection Crashes?
Conduct comprehensive intersection analyses.
Evaluate a targeted set of intersections.
Budget for improvements. For example:
Signalization.
Signage.
Pavement marking.
Channelization or turn lanes.
Similarly, intersection safety can be improved by a systematic approach to evaluating the safety of a targeted set of intersections, and investing in intersection safety improvements.

12. How Can We Work Together To Prevent Pedestrian-Related Crashes?
Young children and teenagers, and older people (over 65) have higher rates of pedestrian fatality.
A comprehensive, 4-E’s approach is the solution: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and EMS.
Pedestrian safety should be part of a systematic approach to community safety, including:
Increasing awareness of pedestrian safety issues.
Providing pedestrian safety training.
Improving roadway designs to more safely accommodate pedestrian needs.
Advocate pedestrian safety planning.
Pedestrian crashes disproportionately affect our younger and older road users. The key to driving down pedestrian fatality rates is a comprehensive approach that includes
Improving roadway design to more safely accommodate pedestrian needs;
Working with community and law enforcement partners to increase awareness of pedestrian safety issues;
provide pedestrian safety training, and
advocate pedestrian safety planning.

13. How Can We Work Together to Prevent Speed-Related Crashes?
Speeding is a complex issue involving engineering, driving behavior, education, and enforcement.
Solutions require teamwork among law enforcement, EMS, community leaders, educators and policymakers.
Solutions involve:
Setting and enforcing realistic speed limits.
Aggressive driver education and enforcement.
Installing countermeasures such as:
Traffic calming devices.
Electronic speed surveillance and enforcement.
Speeding is involved in about one-third of all fatal crashes. Speeding is a complex issue, and the solutions require teamwork with policymakers, law enforcement, EMS, community leaders and educators.
Comprehensive programs to improve speed management include strategies such as
Setting and enforcing realistic speed limits;
Aggressive driver education and enforcement;
Installing speeding countermeasures such as
Traffic calming devices; and
Electronic speed surveillance and enforcement devices.

14. How Can We Work Together to Develop Comprehensive Strategic Plans?
Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs) are a major part of the core Highway Safety Improvement Program.
Statewide document.
Developed by DOT through collaborative process with safety stakeholders.
Data-driven, 4-5 year comprehensive plan.
Integrate 4-E’s—engineering, education, enforcement, and EMS.
Purpose of SHSP:
Identify State’s key safety needs.
Guide investment decisions.
Achieve significant reductions in highway fatalities and serious injuries.
The FHWA encourages State DOTs to use the Strategic Highway Safety Planning Process to identify the most common causes of highway fatalities in a particular State and to develop a systematic strategy for addressing those causes.
As State DOTs update their SHSPs they have an opportunity strengthen existing partnerships with law enforcement, EMS, policymakers, educators, community leaders, and other road safety stakeholders to build new safety coalitions.
At best, the SHSP process can help all of the stakeholders leverage their resources and work together to communicate the importance of investing in highway safety. In this way, State DOTs can build support for investing additional resources in highway safety countermeasures, even as they lend support to their Safety partners for increasing their resources for education, enforcement, and EMS.

15. Action Items for You to Consider
FHWA is committed to working with our Road Safety Partners to enable us all to make America’s highways safer.
Actions for you to consider:
Promote Comprehensive Strategic Planning.
Promote partnerships to leverage safety resources.
Promote use of FHWA safety tools and resources.
Provide feedback.
The FHWA Road Safety Program wants to work with your organization to reduce highway fatalities. We encourage you to consider
Joining with us to encourage your constituents to promote and participate in comprehensive strategic planning for highway and roadway safety improvements at the State level;
Encouraging your constituents to form broad partnerships to promote a “4E’s” approach to highway and roadway safety that includes investments in safety engineering improvements to the infrastructure;
Promoting use of the FHWA Safety Program’s safety tools and resources; and
Providing feedback to let us know how our products and services are working for you, and how we can better support your needs as you work to improve highway safety.

16. Let’s Work Together to Save Lives
The FHWA seeks stronger and broader partnerships for Road Safety.
The FHWA is always open to your input.
Let us know about your concerns and needs.
Please give us feedback on how our products and services can be more helpful and effective.
As part of our own initiative to drive down fatalities nationally, the FHWA Safety Program is reaching out to broaden and deepen its partnerships with a wide range of trade and professional associations representing State and local safety stakeholders.
We truly want to hear from you about how we can be more effective in helping our partners across the country save lives on America’s highways and roadways.

17. For More Information FHWA State Division Offices
FHWA Resource Center Safety & Design Team
Phone
FHWA Office of Safety Research and Development
Phone
FHWA Office of Safety, Headquarters
Phone
FHWA Safety Program Web Site