Implementing Systemic Safety Improvements with HSIP—2020

Saving Lives by Proactively Identifying Risks and Implementing Low-Cost Improvements

The traditional approach to safety looks for individual locations or 

corridors that see a high number or rate of fatal or serious-injury 

crashes. In alignment with the Safe System principle "Safety is 

Proactive," the systemic approach to safety asks why crashes happen 

and where they may happen in the future. This approach examines 

different crash types and looks for infrastructure risk factors—curves or 

narrow medians, for example.

Agencies use the results of a systemic safety analysis to identify and 

apply countermeasures to mitigate those risks. By looking at the whole 

system, this approach helps areas currently experiencing problems 

as well as areas with similar characteristics that have the potential for 

future crashes. Because systemic safety improvements are typically 

lower in cost, they help maximize safety benefits over an entire 

community or network.1

1

 FHWA, "A Systemic Approach to Safety – Using Risk to Drive Action" (April 2021), https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/index.cfm.

HSIP in 2020

1,858 systemic safety projects in 46 States.

SYSTEMIC SAFETY ANALYSIS

$

Railroad crossings, intersection 

geometry, speed management 

projects, curve delineation, signing, 

pavement markings, and rumble 

strips had the lowest average 

cost ($186,000–$255,000).

For systemic safety projects, shoulder 

treatments and advanced technology 

or ITS projects—including dynamic 

message signs and traffic monitoring 

systems—had the highest average 

cost ($1.0 million–$1.3 million).

$

One-third of systemic safety projects 

cost less than $100,000.

FHWA-SA-22-022

 States with systemic safety projects

In 2020, States 

obligated 38 

percent of HSIP 

funds to systemic 

safety projects.

Identify focus areas by 

crash and facility type.

Look for locations with 

similar risk factors.

Implement low-cost 

countermeasures widely 

across the network.

For more information about the systemic approach to safety, visit https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/index.cfm.

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

HSIP funded
To find out how HSIP can help 

save lives in your community, 

contact your State DOT:

Have an HSIP success story? Share your projects on 

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with #HSIPSavesLives.

2020 HSIP-FUNDED 

SYSTEMIC SAFETY

IMPROVEMENTS

• Add/upgrade/modify/remove traffic signal

• Barriers—concrete, cable median, roadside

• Clear zone improvements

• High friction surface treatment

• Lighting

• Pavement/shoulder widening 

and safety edge

• Pedestrian and traffic calming improvements

• Retroreflectivity

• Rumble strips

• Signing, pavement marking, and delineation

• Traffic signals—retiming, backplates, 

flashing yellow arrow

• Wrong-way driving treatments

HSIP in Action

Missouri

Before 2008, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) did 

not paint edge line stripes on routes with daily traffic volume less than 

1,000 vehicles. In 2008, MoDOT conducted a systemic safety analysis 

on all State-owned roadways without a painted edge line and found that 

more than two-thirds of severe crashes occurred on roadways carrying 

400–1,000 in daily traffic volume. To proactively prevent crashes, MoDOT 

added edge lines to more than 7,500 miles of roads within this range.

MoDOT then used its Countermeasure Evaluation Tool to compare 

570 miles of rural two-lane State highway before and after the 

edge striping. The analysis revealed that the new edge lines 

had decreased total crashes for all crash types by 15.2 percent 

(statistically significant at a 95 percent confidence interval). The 

edge lines also reduced fatal and injury crashes by 19.3 percent.

This HSIP-funded project was especially effective at reducing crashes on 

low-volume roads with low crash frequency and density because it spread 

out relatively low-cost improvements over a large geographic area. 

For more on the project, visit https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/ddsa_resources/case_study_mo_oct2014.pdf.

Proven Safety Countermeasure

Low-Cost Countermeasures for 

Stop-Controlled Intersections

Deploying low-cost countermeasures—such as 

enlarged signs or enhanced pavement markings—at 

multiple intersections can increase driver awareness 

and decrease conflicts over a wide geographic area. At 

stop-controlled intersections, these improvements can 

have a 12:1 benefit/cost ratio. At rural stop-controlled 

intersections, they can reduce fatal and injury crashes 

by as much as 27 percent.

For more information on stop-controlled intersection countermeasures, visit https://safety.

fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/syst_stop_control.cfm.

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

about/webstate.cfm