Communicating

About Local 

Road Safety 

with Local Elected Officials

Resources

• Communicating About Local Road 

Safety with Local Elected Officials 

Video—http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/

local_rural/

• Local Elected Officials: Leading the Way 

in Local Road Safety Video—http://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/

• Local Elected Officials: Leading the Way 

in Local Road Safety (brochure)—http://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/

• FHWA Federal Aid Essentials Video: 

Roadway Safety Fundamentals—

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/federalaidessentials/

• FHWA Federal Aid Essentials Video: 

Introduction to HSIP—http://www.fhwa.

dot.gov/federal-aidessentials/

• Local-focused safety tools and 

information—http://safety.fhwa.dot.

gov/local_rural/

“We work to continually get the 

message out to our local elected 

officials that we’re working day-in 

and day-out toward addressing 

the traffic-safety-related concerns 

of Mohave County residents.”

—Steve Latoski, Public Works Director, 

Mohave County, Arizona

“You don’t need tons of technical 

jargon to talk about things that 

are really common sense.”

—Joe Marek, County Engineer, 

Clackamas County, Oregon

Local agency practitioners across the 

country are communicating successfully 

with local elected officials. 

You can, too.

Techniques for Local Agency Practitioners For further information:

Rosemarie Anderson

FHWA Office of Safety

rosemarie.anderson@dot.gov

Photo credits: Montgomery County, PA, Planning 

Commission, FHWA Flickr; iStock; Shutterstock; Michael 

McCarthy
Local elected officials play a major role in 

local road safety. They set goals, adopt 

policies, build coalitions, and approve the 

budgets for the roads you operate. 

These officials, however, typically face many 

demands for their time and many requests 

for funding. When you work with them, you 

need to make every minute count.

Communicate 

Keep it simple

Provide the facts in clear, concise language. 

Use terms that lay people will understand. 

Avoid acronyms and engineering jargon—

for example, use “federal sign regulations,” 

not “MUTCD.”

Tell a story 

Supplement facts and figures with stories 

of actual crashes. Explain how your plans 

may reduce these crashes.

Highlight successful examples

Share success stories from similar 

communities to show what has been 

proven to work. Use statistics about 

effective countermeasures.

Use creative presentation tools 

• Utilize visual aids: photos of a problem 

site or feature; plans, graphics, or other 

images of your proposed solutions.

• Consider props: Washington County, 

MN, for example, created a roundabout 

“rug” that people can walk on to 

understand roundabout navigation.

Network

Build and maintain relationships with other 

safety stakeholders, such as:

• Elected officials’ staff 

• Your state’s department of 

transportation practitioners

• Law enforcement

• Public health officials

These stakeholders can help you gather 

safety information and reinforce support 

for safety initiatives when you communicate 

with your elected officials.

Know the facts 

Have the facts at hand about road safety 

in your community. You are the roadway 

expert, and the elected official looks to you 

for guidance:

• Know the problem locations, crash 

data, causes, and citizen concerns.

• Know State and Federal funding 

options and relevant safety policies.

• Know potential safety strategies and 

countermeasures to address issues.

Inform and educate 

Inform and educate your elected officials: 

• Present your data, proposed solutions, 

and costs. 

• Scale your proposed solutions to a level 

your officials are able to address. 

• Educate listeners about proven, 

effective, low-cost solutions.

• Anticipate opposing views, and prepare 

responses to address them.

• Prepare a one-page summary of your 

main points. 

Involve officials in safety 

Provide regular updates on safety issues 

and projects. Include your local elected 

officials in road safety events to keep them 

involved and focused on safety:

• Invite your local elected officials and 

their staff to open houses and road 

safety events, and include them in the 

event planning. 

• Offer public acknowledgment of their 

support, such as a speaking role at a 

ribbon-cutting ceremony and safety 

meetings. 

Working together, you and your 

elected officials can reduce 

crashes and save lives.