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                Media ContactsMenu FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        Safety
                        Roadway Departure Safety
                        FoRRRwD


            
            In This Section
        Roadway Departure Safety
                Strategic Approach
                                Strategic Plan
                Crash Emphasis Brochures
                Focused Approach
                Noteworthy Practices
                Partner Resources
                Keep Vehicles on the Road
                                Pavement Friction
                Horizontal Curve Safety
                Rumble Strips and Rumble Stripes
                Nighttime Visibility
                Provide for a Safe Recovery
                                SafetyEdge
                Clear Zones
                Reduce Crash Severity
                                Overview
                Hardware Eligibility Letters
                Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD)
                                Overview
                All Public Roads
                Proven Countermeasures
                Systemic Approach
                Safety Action Plans
                FoRRRwD Resources
      
   Program Contact
      Michael Matzke
      
                    
            Program Manager
      
                    
            FHWA Office of Safety
      
                
    **Email:**michael.matzke@dot.gov**Phone:** 202-366-1331
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
                
                FoRRRwD Resources
    

    
    
          FoRRRwD Promotional Materials and Tools

Rural Roadway Departure Countermeasure Pocket Guide

FoRRRwD Countermeasures Poster

The Four Pillars of FoRRRwD Brochures:

Safety Action Plans
	All Public Roads
	Proven Countermeasures
	Systemic ApproachPrintable Trading Cards

FHWA Crash Tree Diagram Tool

Systemic Analysis Infographic – How Healthy is Your Road System?

Local Road Safety Plans Infographic – LRSPs Your Map to Safer Roadways

Videos

FoRRRwD Overview Video

Driving FoRRRwD to a Safe System

Proven Countermeasures

Low Cost Safety Improvements: Longitudinal Pavement Markings

Low Cost Safety Improvements: Unpaved Roads

Rumble Strips: The Sweet Sound of Safety

Curve Signing Overview

Curve Signing: Proper Chevron Spacing

Curve Signing: Proper Placement in the Field

High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) on Local Roads

Continuous Pavement Friction Measurement

Systemic Approach

Systemic Analysis: How Healthy is your Road System?

3 Approaches to Address Severe Roadway Crashes

Safety Action Plans

Local Road Safety Plan Overview

Local Road Safety Plans – a California Case Study

All Public Roads

FoRRRwD on All Public Roads: Our Path to Zero

Webinars

EDC-5 FoRRRwD Orientation Webinar

Driving FoRRRwD with the Pillars

Systemic Approach

Taking Action to Reduce Rural Roadway Departures Systemically

Identification of Risk Factors for Roadway Departure Crashes

Prioritizing Locations and Projects

You Have Crash Data, Now What?

Systemic Approach to Safety: Highlights from 5 Peer Exchanges

Streamlining HSIP Project Delivery

Safety Action Plans

Moving FoRRRwD with Safety Action Plans: Statewide, Regional, and Local

All Public Roads

Development of Projects and Using Data

Innovative Mechanisms to Deliver Safety Projects

Introduction to Roadway Departure (RwD) for Tribes

RwD in Tribal Areas: Keeping Drivers in Their Lanes

RwD in Tribal Areas: When Vehicles Leave the Road

Proven Countermeasures

High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) and Continuous Pavement Friction Measurement (CPFM)

Signing, Striping, and Maintenance Treatments

Have you Considered the Humble Rumble?

Gravel Road Treatments, Rumble Strips and SafetyEdge, and Center Line Buffer Areas

Reducing Roadside Obstacles

Driving FoRRRwD to Reduce Curve Crashes with Signing and Markings

Articles

Public Roads Magazine

Fall 2020 – Moving FoRRRwD: Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures

Winter 2021 – Reducing Rural Roadway Departures: Moving FoRRRwD, Part II

Safety Compass

Summer 2021 – Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Development in California

Summer 2021 – Contributing Factors for Focus Crash and Facility Types

Winter 2021 – HFST Recommendations Report Now Available

Winter 2021 – FHWA Launches Local Road Safety Plan Do-It-Yourself Website

Fall 2020 – Reducing Roadway Departures in Tribal Areas

Summer 2020 – A Bonner County Participant Shares His Perspective on the Rural Road Departure Peer Exchange

Summer 2020 – Moving FoRRRwD Together

Winter 2020 – Systemic Safety Improvements on Rural Roadways on the Lake Transverse Reservation

Winter 2020 – Low-Cost Safety Countermeasures: Small Changes Make a Big Difference on Rural Roads

Spring 2019 – Bringing Attention to the Rural Roadway Departure Challenge

Fall 2018 – Two Safety Innovations Take the Stage in EDC-5

Innovator

July/Aug 2021 – Driving FoRRRwD: Tools for Reducing Rural Roadway Departures

Nov/Dec 2020 – Innovation Synergy: High-Friction Surface Treatments Reduce Roadway Departures

Nov/Dec 2020 – States Innovate: Ohio Township Safety Sign Program Reduces Crashes

July/Aug 2020 – Driving FoRRRwD to Reduce Rural Roadway Departures

July/Aug 2020 – Innovation Synergy: Transportation Agencies Bundle Projects to Boost Rural Roadway Safety

Sept/Oct 2019 – Moving FoRRRwD to Reduce Rural Roadway Departures

EDC News

October 28, 2021 – High-Friction Surface Treatment EDC Storyboard: Helping Drivers Get a Grip

October 14, 2021 – New Resources Help Agencies Properly Install Chevron Signs

July 29, 2021 – LTAPS Provide Assistance to Move Local Agencies FoRRRwD

July 22, 2021 – Kansas DOT Targets Safety Funds to Local System and Sees Fatality Reduction

July 15, 2021 – Alabama DOT Uses Safety Action Plans to Combat Rural Roadway Departures

July 8, 2021 – SWO Tribe Adopts FoRRRwD Approach for Rural Road Safety

July 1, 2021 – North Dakota DOT Assists Local Agencies to Reduce Severe Crashes

May 20, 2021 – NCDOT Evaluates Durable Pavement Markings

April 29, 2021 – High Friction Surface Treatment Pilot in Arizona Sees Positive Results

March 4, 2021 – ALDOT and Elmore County Complete First Local Road Safety Plan

February 11, 2021 – FoRRRwD Training Trading Cards Now Available in Spanish

October 22, 2020 – Local Road Safety Plan D-I-Y site

October 1, 2020 – Minnesota County Installs HFST

September 3, 2020 – Innovation of the Month (New Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD) Website)

August 27, 2020 – Innovation of the Month (Safety Action Plans)

August 20, 2020 – Innovation of the Month: (Systemic Approach)

August 13, 2020 – Innovation of the Month (Proven Countermeasures)

August 6, 2020 – Innovation of the Month (All Public Roads)

June 11, 2020 – Safety Circuit Rider Programs: A Life-Saver for Many Local Agencies

May 28, 2020–MoDOTs Substantial Safety Commitment

April 30, 2020 – Caltrans Moves FoRRRwD to Improve Local Road Safety

April 16, 2020 – Curve Warning Sign Storyboard

March 12, 2020 – Virginia Systemic Safety Implementation Plan

January 30, 2020 – FoRRRwD and STEP training with LTAP's

September 26, 2019–Innovation of the Month – All Pillars, Washington

September 19, 2019–Innovation of the Month – Proven Countermeasures

September 12, 2019–Innovation of the Month – Safety Action Plans, California

September 5, 2019–Innovation of the Month–All Public Roads and Systemic, Minnesota

January 10, 2019 – Introduction

Explore the Four Pillars of FoRRRwD

FoRRRwD is supported by four pillars that work together to reduce rural roadway departures on all roads. Click a pillar below to learn more.

ALL PUBLIC
ROADS

Roadway departure crashes are a major problem on all public rural roads. More than 40 percent of them happen off State networks.

Read more about All Public Roads »

PROVEN
COUNTERMEASURES

There are many flexible cost-effective countermeasures that are proven to reduce these crashes.

Read more about the Countermeasures »

SYSTEMIC
APPROACH

A fundamental challenge on rural roads is that roadway departure crash locations are random and change from year to year.

Read more about the Systemic Approach »

SAFETY
ACTION PLANS

Documenting the systemic analysis into a simple safety action plan is a powerful way to prioritize safety improvements.

Read more about the Safety Action Plans »
              
      
    
          Last updated: Friday, August 25, 2023 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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