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                Background Report: Guidance for Roadway Safety Data to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program
fhwasa1139.pdf (1.57 MB)


Cover - Background Report: Guidance for Roadway Safety Data to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program

Final Report

June 2011
FHWA-SA-11-39



Notice
 **This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.
 
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
 Quality Assurance Statement
 
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.**



Acknowledgements

The project team would like to thank the following individuals who served as members on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety Technical Working Group for this effort.  Their contributions helped shape the guidance that States will be receiving on the fundamental roadway safety data elements to support their Highway Safety Improvement Programs.

**Office of Safety Technical Working Group**

Robert Pollack, FHWA Office of Safety
Jeff Miller, FHWA Office of Safety
Mike Griffith, FHWA Office of Safety
Erin Kenley, FHWA Office of Safety
Ed Rice, FHWA Office of Safety
Lincoln Cobb, FHWA Office of Safety Research and Development
Ray Krammes, FHWA Office of Safety Research and Development
Joe Hausman, FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information
Greg Schertz, FHWA Federal Lands
Christine Thorkildsen, FHWA New York Division
Greg Piland, FHWA Illinois Division
Jerry Roche, FHWA Iowa Division
David Harkey, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center
Forrest Council, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center



Technical Documentation Page

1. Report No. FHWA

			FHWA-SA-11-39
			2. Government Accession No.
			3. Recipient’s Catalog No.4. Title and Subtitle

			Background Report: Guidance for Roadway Safety Data to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program
			5. Report Date

			June 20116. Performing Organization Code7. Authors

			Nancy Lefler, Rebecca Fiedler, Hugh McGee, Robert Pollack, and Jeff Miller
			8. Performing Organization Report No.9. Performing Organization Name and Address

			Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB)
			8300 Boone Boulevard, Suite 700
			Vienna, VA 22182-2626
			10. Work Unit No.11. Contract or Grant No.

			DTFH61-05-D-00024 (VHB)12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

			Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety
			1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
			Washington, DC 20590
			13. Type of Report and Period Covered

			Final Report, April 2010 - June 201114. Sponsoring Agency Code

			FHWA15. Supplementary Notes:

			The contract manager for this project was Robert Pollack.16. Abstract

			Quality data are the foundation for making important decisions regarding the design, operation, and safety of roadways.  The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) provides information on how safety data should be used. However, there are no details on specific data elements that State agencies should be collecting, maintaining, and using to support their HSIP and Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs)*.*  In 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety released a guidance memorandum on the fundamental roadway and traffic data elements that States should be collecting and incorporating into their safety analyses to support their HSIP (known as the FDE/HSIP) and on what roadways they should be collected*.* The purpose of this report is to provide background information on why and how the guidance was developed, estimates of the costs of data collection, safety analysis tools and methods, and performance measures that should be implemented to achieve quality safety data.17. Key Words

			Safety data, Highway Safety Improvement Program, HSIP, roadway data, traffic data, intersections, ramps, cost/benefit analysis.
			18. Distribution Statement

			No restrictions.19. Security Classif. (of this report)

			Unclassified
			20. Security Classif. (of this page)

			Unclassified
			21. No. of Pages:

			32
			22. PriceForm DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) - Reproduction of completed pages authorized



Conversion Table



Acronyms

Term
			DefinitionAADT
			Annual Average Daily TrafficCFR
			Code of Federal RegulationsDOT
			Department of TransportationEMS
			Emergency Medical ServicesFDE/HSIP
			Fundamental Data Elements for HSIPFHWA
			Federal Highway AdministrationFMCSA
			Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationGIS
			Geographic Information SystemHCM
			Highway Capacity ManualHPMS
			Highway Performance Monitoring SystemHSIP
			Highway Safety Improvement ProgramHSM
			Highway Safety ManualIHSDM
			Interactive Highway Safety Design ModelLIDAR
			Light Detection and RangingLRS
			Location Referencing SystemMIRE
			Model Inventory of Roadway ElementsMIRE MIS
			MIRE Management Information SystemsNCHRP
			National Cooperative Highway Research ProgramNHS
			National Highway SystemNHTSA
			National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationSAFETEA-LU
			The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for UsersSHSP
			Strategic Highway Safety PlanTRB SHRP 2
			Transportation Research Board Strategic Highway Research Program 2TRCC
			Traffic Records Coordinating CommitteeTWG
			Technical Working GroupU.S.
			United States
      
  Executive Summary
                Introduction
                Use of Safety Data in the HSIP
                Model Inventory of Roadway Elements
                Relational Statewide Location Referencing System
                Data Collection Costs
                Fundamental Data Elements for HSIP
                Resources on Data Collection Methodologies
                Potential Funding Sources
                Safety Tools and Methods
                Performance Measures
                Summary
                References
                Appendix A: FDE/HSIP Element Data DictionaryBook traversal links for Background Report: Guidance for Roadway Safety Data to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program
      Executive Summary ›
                
                Book:Background Report: Guidance for Roadway Safety Data to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program
              Executive Summary
                Introduction
                Use of Safety Data in the HSIP
                Model Inventory of Roadway Elements
                Relational Statewide Location Referencing System
                Data Collection Costs
                Fundamental Data Elements for HSIP
                Resources on Data Collection Methodologies
                Potential Funding Sources
                Safety Tools and Methods
                Performance Measures
                Summary
                References
                Appendix A: FDE/HSIP Element Data Dictionary U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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