Companion Guide to Video September 2014

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials

Vehicle crashes are among some of our 

Nation’s most serious social, economic and 

health issues. In 2012, for example, vehicle 

crashes accounted for more than 30,000 

deaths, two million injuries, and $230 billion 

in economic losses. What can be done to 

reduce these numbers? 

The Highway Safety Improvement Program, 

or HSIP, is a Federal-aid program that helps 

reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries 

on all public roadways. The HSIP provides 

more than $2 billion each year for the 

implementation of highway safety 

improvement projects and is a valuable 

resource to support your agency’s safety 

management. 

Each State department of transportation, or 

State DOT, prepares a Strategic Highway 

Safety Plan (SHSP). The State DOT 

consults with a wide range of stakeholders 

that represent the four Es of roadway 

safety: engineering, education, enforcement 

and emergency medical services. The State 

must then regularly evaluate and update the 

plan to obtain HSIP funds. 

The SHSP is a collaborative effort that 

ensures all stakeholders contribute to the 

plan’s development and implementation. 

The partners usually include a governor’s 

representative, regional and metropolitan 

planning organization members, and 

representatives of major transportation 

modes. State and local traffic enforcement 

officials, local agency transportation officials 

and many other organizations with a stake 

in roadway safety are also contributors. 

Federal-aid Program Overview

Safety

Introduction to the Highway Safety Improvement 

Program

Implementing a comprehensive highway safety program can reduce fatalities 

and serious injuries on all public roadways.
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The SHSP describes the mission and goals 

of the state’s highway safety efforts. The 

plan also outlines the resources, strategies 

and actions needed to meet the mission and 

goals. Stakeholders use a data-driven 

process and consider four-E solutions to 

develop strategies that address safety. 

The SHSP guides the State’s roadway 

safety management. 

The safety management process has three 

stages. The first stage is planning. Every 

step in planning combines two approaches: 

site analysis and systemic considerations. A 

site analysis identifies high-crash locations 

and the types of crashes that occur in those 

locations. 

The systemic approach to safety identifies 

high-risk roadway characteristics that are 

correlated with particular severe crash 

types. Transportation professionals apply 

systemic solutions to specific corridors or to 

the highway network as a whole. 

The planning stage identifies problems, 

develops countermeasures, and prioritizes 

projects for implementation. The planning 

stage results in a list of projects that meet 

HSIP requirements. This project list is 

incorporated into what is known as the State 

Transportation Improvement Program, or 

STIP, a list and description of projects that a 

State intends to advance. 

The second stage in a safety improvement 

program is implementation. Priority projects 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

are scheduled and completed using 

available resources. 

The third stage is evaluation to examine the 

effectiveness of completed highway safety 

improvement projects. The evaluation 

results give data and information about 

design parameters that cycle back into the 

planning stage to influence future highway 

safety improvement projects. 

Highway safety improvement projects must 

meet eligibility requirements to qualify for 

funding. The HSIP spells out general 

eligibility criteria. State DOTs develop their 

highway safety improvement program 

based on the general HSIP eligibility criteria 

and the State’s specific approach to 

highway safety. 

Here is an example of how a county created 

an action plan that aligned with the State’s 

SHSP. Many of the roads in Auburn County 

have sharp curves. The roads are former 

wagon trails and had been transformed over 

time without addressing roadway alignment, 

clear zones or lighting. Consequently, many 

road departure crashes at curves occur 

throughout the county.

Auburn County sought information from 

road department staff, the sheriff’s 

department and residents to supplement 

available data. 

The county developed a Curve Action Plan 

and identified high-risk locations. A 

consultant analyzed the critical locations 

and recommended systemic 

countermeasures. The county’s Curve 

Action Plan aligned with the SHSP because 

of its focus on roadway departure crashes 

along curves. 

The county received funding and 

implemented low-cost strategies, such as 

warning signs, chevron signing, and raised 

pavement markers. The county even added 

non-traditional “curve ahead” pavement 

markings, including directional arrows as a 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

way to warn drivers. The cost totaled less 

than $10,000. 

The signs and pavement markings reduced 

the run-off-the-road crashes at the treated 

locations by 90 percent. 

The HSIP is a valuable resource to support 

your safety management. The HSIP uses a 

systematic and repeatable process, 

resulting in defensible decisions. Many local 

agencies have taken advantage of this 

opportunity ⎯ How about your agency? 

For additional information on funding, 

training and technical assistance to develop 

highway safety improvement projects, 

contact your State DOT, the Local Technical 

Assistance Program center, or the FHWA 

division office in your State.
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The content of this 

document is not a 

substitute for 

information obtained 

from State departments 

of transportation, 

appropriate FHWA 

Division Offices, and 

applicable laws. 

Scenarios have been 

simplified for emphasis 

and do not necessarily 

reflect the actual range of 

requirements applicable 

to the scenario or this 

topic. This document

was created under 

contract number 

DTFH61-11-D-00026 by 

the Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. 

Department of 

Transportation, and is 

offered to the public to 

heighten and focus 

awareness of Federal-aid 

requirements within the 

local public agencies 

community and 

reinforces the 

importance of these 

necessary policies, 

procedures, and 

practices.

This Companion Resource 

is the script content for 

the video production of 

the same name. 

Additional Resources

• Link to "Developing Local Roads Safety Plans: A Manual for Local Rural 

Road Owners."

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa12017/

• Downloadable version of FHWA's Highway Safety Improvement Program 

Manual 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/resources/fhwasa09029/

• FHWA 2010 report titled “Noteworthy Practices: Addressing Safety on 

Locally-Owned and Maintained Roads - A Domestic Scan”

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa10027/

• FHWA's 2009 Federal Register Final Rule for HSIP Program 23CFR924

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2008-12-24/html/E8-30168.htm

• Links to various technical resources for FHWA's Highway Safety 

Improvement Program

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/resources/

• Link to FHWA's Highway Safety Improvement Program Assessment 

Toolbox 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/resources/fhwasa10017/

• Links to individual State Highway Improvement Programs

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/shsp/state_links.cfm

• Access to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Implementation Process 

Model interactive CD.

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/shsp/fhwasa10024cd/