1. The Metropolitan Houston Traffic Safety Program Houston-Galveston Area Council Houston, TX

2. 1998-2000: Houston region - 243,616 serious crashes inc. 1,793 fatalities and 274,926 persons injured The region accounted for: 26% of all statewide crashes 27% of all statewide injury crashes 17% of all statewide fatal crashes The region has 22% of the statewide population and, approximately, 21% of the statewide VMT Likelihood of a fatal or injury crash was: 36% higher than statewide average 145% higher than national average Seriousness of Problem

3. Purpose of the Program Build a traffic safety program that can reduce crashes Map the crashes Identify hazardous locations and area Conduct the necessary preliminary engineering Implement roadway improvements Identify funding sources Leverage local investment with State and Federal funds Support other safety efforts Enforcement Education Safety partnerships

4. Program Implemented Through Tasks

5. Task: Build a GIS-based Crash Information System Obtained crash data for entire system State roads Local roads Obtain data on an annual basis Developed geo-referencing methodology Added supplementary data sets (VMT) Developed crash analysis tools

8. Task: Identify Conditions Affecting Crashes Improper driving behavior High-risk population High-risk cities & counties High crash roadways and intersections (hot spots)

9. High-risk Behaviors: 1998-2000 RegionU.S.* Speeding39%13% Failing to yield20%19% Failing to stop11% 9% Running a red light 8% 5% DUI 7% 7% (However, involved in 37% of fatal crashes/39% nationally) Following too close 3% 3% Improper turn 2% 2% * National Safety Council. U.S. average for 1999. Fatal and injury crashes only

12. High-risk Populations RegionU.S.* Teenagers21%16% (9% of driving age population/5% nationally 17% in fatal crashes /14% nationally 19% in incapacitating injury crashes) Elderly (65+) 8%8% (9% of driving age population/13% nationally 11% in fatal crashes/13% nationally 9% in incapacitating injury crashes) Male drivers79% - (Compared to 58% for females 1.7 times more likely to be in fatal crash/1.4 nationally) Pickup truck drivers31%31% (More likely to be involved in DUI crash) * National Safety Council. U.S. average for 1999. All crashes.

13. City Crash Risk (Crashes Per 100 Million VMT) CityCrash risk Galveston 337 Baytown 334 Rosenberg 320 Pasadena 290 Conroe 247 Houston 231 Texas City 211

14. Task: Conduct Safety Studies Identify hazardous locations Partner with local government, TxDOT Conduct engineering study Make mitigation recommendations Mitigate hot spot

20. Have identified areas that are hazardous for pedestrians and bicyclists (‘hot spots’) Information is used for bike/ped planning Examine sidewalk, traffic control and pedestrian flow dynamics to identify mitigation measures Task: Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

23. Truck crashes a major problem 27% of the State’s truck crashes Information provided on location of crashes Support Houston Police Department’s truck weighing efforts TxDOT has implemented “no truck in left lane” policies on several freeways Task: Improve Truck Safety

25. Have identified 344 major crash hot spots (78+ crashes between 1998-2000) Estimating benefits and costs of mitigating Programming into RTP Task: Develop Strategic Safety Plan

27. Costs and Benefits of Hot Spot Mitigation (Preliminary) Annual Number Estimated Estimated Type of Facility Numberof Crashes Cost to Mitigate Annual Benefit Freeway 150 7,766 $75 million$58 million Intersection between freeway & arterial road 70 3,756 $35 million$28 million Arterial road 124 4,930 $62 million$37 million

28. Other Safety Activities Safety services Train local planners in safety planning Safety courses for judges, Mayors, etc. Provide safety materials for schools Safety partnerships Governmental (TxDOT, DPS, local jurisdictions) Private, non-profit (AAA, insurance, associations) Community groups Promoting good design principles Review project designs for safety Encourage constituents to include safety in design