Keeping Pedestrians Safe with HSIP—2020

Saving Lives by Protecting Vulnerable Road Users

In 2020, States 

obligated more 

than $165 million in 

HSIP funds to 313 

projects focused on 

pedestrian safety.

This figure represents roughly 7% of 

the $2.4 billion total HSIP funding.

In 2019, traffic crashes killed 6,205 pedestrians and 

injured 76,000 more.1 Fatal pedestrian crashes increased 

by 44 percent from 2010 to 2019, with pedestrians 

making up nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities.2

Nearly two-thirds of fatal pedestrian crashes occured at 

non-intersection areas (including midblock crossings) 

in 2019.3 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) 

funds can support projects designed to improve 

pedestrian safety through facility improvements.4

HSIP in 2020

PEDESTRIAN PROJECT COSTS HSIP funded:

Misc. Pedestrian & Bicycle 

$105.1 million

Medians, Pedestrian 

Refuge Areas & Bridges

$10.7 million

Crosswalks

$14.4 million

Pedestrian Signals & Beacons

$16.4 million

Install Sidewalk

$19.1 million

FHWA-SA-22-020

This information comes from 2020 State HSIP reports. For individual reports, visit https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/reports/.

12%of HSIP funds for pedestrian 

improvements were sidewalk projects.

New York, Massachusetts, and 

Puerto Rico used 20 percent 

or more of their HSIP funds for 

pedestrian safety improvements.

New York, 46%

Massachusetts, 21%

Puerto Rico, 20%

1

 NHTSA, "Traffic Safety Facts: Pedestrians" (May 2021), 6, https://bit.ly/3I21Ni2. 2 NHTSA, "Geographic Summary of Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities" (June 2021), https://bit.

ly/3rYSnOM. 3 NHTSA, "Traffic Safety Facts: Pedestrians" (May 2021), 6, https://bit.ly/3I21Ni2.

4 FHWA, "Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Eligibility Guidance" (February 2022), https://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/rulemaking/docs/BIL_HSIP_Eligibility_Guidance.pdf.

93 sidewalk installation projects

33 crosswalk projects

09 pedestrian refuge island projects

19 pedestrian beacon projects (rectangular 

rapid flashing beacons and pedestrian 

hybrid beacons)
2020 HSIP-FUNDED

PEDESTRIAN 

IMPROVEMENTS

• Crosswalks

• Pedestrian beacons

• Medians and pedestrian refuge areas

• Pedestrian warning signs

• Pedestrian signals

• Pedestrian hybrid beacons

• Pedestrian bridges

• Pedestrian signals, audible devices

Proven Safety Countermeasure

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons

To help people safely cross higher-speed 

roadways at midblock crossings and uncontrolled 

intersections, pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs) 

use steady and flashing lights to alert drivers 

to stop before giving the walk signal for people 

crossing. PHBs can reduce pedestrian crashes by 

more than half and total crashes by nearly a third.

For more information, visit https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/

provencountermeasures/ped_hybrid_beacon.cfm.

HSIP in Action

Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County’s proximity to the District of Columbia means high 

demand for transit access and therefore high pedestrian activity. To 

improve safety and visibility for people using crosswalks, Arlington 

County used HSIP funds to install rectangular rapid flashing beacons 

(RRFBs) at crosswalks. The County installed 10 RRFBs through 2017.

To best locate and implement another 20 RRFBs, Arlington County recorded 

whether and how often pedestrians actuated the RRFB, as well as the 

volumes and characteristics of pedestrians at the crossing, driver yield 

rates, vehicle speed changes while the RRFB was flashing, number of lanes, 

and posted speed limit. This study revealed that RRFBs reduced speed by 

15 percent and increased driver yield by 110 percent—even with increased 

pedestrian volumes. These results helped the county screen for future sites 

where the RRFBs would be most effective at improving driver yields.5

To date, Arlington County has installed 30 RRFBs. Arlington County's datadriven and systemic approach improved not only pedestrian safety in 

the community but also the County's approach to measuring and

designing future crosswalk treatments.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/

about/webstate.cfm

To find out how HSIP can help 

save lives in your community, 

contact your State DOT:

5 USDOT FHWA, Arlington County Finds the Best Spots for Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (2020),

https://bit.ly/3wieboS. 

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