Companion Guide to Video July 2014

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials

Eighty-nine people die every day on 

America's roadways. Highway deaths total 

more than 30,000 a year, and millions more 

are seriously injured. Fatalities and injuries 

are not just statistics; they are people: our 

families, our friends, our neighbors. 

Local agencies own 76 percent of roadway 

mileage in the United States. Reducing 

roadway crashes by improving safety is 

largely a local responsibility. 

Local agencies need to incorporate safety in 

the early phases of project development by 

considering the factors that cause crashes. 

Three factors affect the severity and extent 

of crashes: the roadway, the vehicle, and 

the driver. The most effective roadway 

safety improvement programs combine 

engineering, education, enforcement, and 

emergency medical services (EMS). This is 

known as the 4 E’s. 

Engineering features can enhance safety for 

drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Examples 

include roadway width and improvements to 

signs and signals. Sidewalks, bike lanes, 

guard rails, and rumble strips are other 

engineering solutions. 

Education promotes programs to change 

unsafe behaviors. Programs include driver 

education, citizen advocacy, and awareness 

campaigns. Campaigns often urge people to 

buckle up, slow down, share the road, and 

stay alert. 

Federal-aid Program Overview

Safety

Roadway Safety Fundamentals

Good roadway safety improvement programs should include the 4 E’s: 

engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

Enforcement is another driver-focused 

activity. Enforcing laws makes sure people 

driving in an unsafe manner bear the 

consequences for their actions. 

While the first three E’s are focused on 

prevention, the fourth E focuses on timely 

response and coordination of EMS. 

Emergency medical staff needs to reach the 

crash sites quickly while minimizing its 

effect on other drivers' safety. Fatalities and 

the severity of serious injuries can be 

reduced with timely medical attention. 

Roadway safety management is a datadriven process. Roadway project 

development requires detailed information 

on crashes and the causes to improve 

roadway safety and change unsafe 

behaviors. Data may come from sources 

such as law-enforcement crash reports, 

emergency-room information, and highcrash incidence reports from local and State 

authorities. 

Data drives the development of the State 

Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). The 

plan describes the mission and goals of 

safety efforts within a State. The plan is an 

outline of resources, strategies, and actions 

to achieve safety goals. 

Roadway data pinpoints sites with many 

crashes or those with the potential for 

crashes. The local community can then 

apply resources to locations with the highest 

priority. 

Once a community prioritizes its critical 

roadway safety needs, then it needs to find 

a source of funds for those projects. One 

option is to use the Highway Safety 

Improvement Program, or HSIP, a funding 

source from the Federal Highway 

Administration. The purpose of HSIP funds 

is to help States and local government 

agencies significantly reduce traffic fatalities 

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

To receive HSIP funds, a State must 

develop and implement the SHSP, produce 

a list of projects or strategies to reduce 

safety problems, and update the SHSP 

regularly. Local government agencies 

receive allocations of HSIP funds from the 

State for their roadway safety projects. 

Here is an example using the fictional 

community of Auburn Plains to show the 

importance of planning, the use of data for 

project development, and an innovative 

approach to funding. 

Auburn Boulevard served a mix of 

residences, family-owned retail shops, and 

professional offices for doctors and lawyers 

in the 1970s. 

Overdevelopment of poorly coordinated 

retail sites led to cluttered signing, on-street 

parking issues, and a narrowed roadway. 

The crash rates on Auburn Boulevard 

soared to nearly three times the statewide 

average. The public avoided the area 

because of the danger and businesses 

moved out, resulting in vacancies and 

unemployment. 

Community transportation planners 

conducted a study on access management

and congestion-improvement projects. The 

study’s data pinpointed problems and 

suggested solutions. The community 

collaborated with the State and received 

dedicated safety funds to implement 

improvements. Engineering improvements 

included restricted access, a wider roadway, 

new traffic signals and turn lanes, visible 

signs, and pedestrian connections between 

properties. 

Enforcement also increased safety when 

State and city police coordinated frequent 

patrols to enforce parking restrictions and 

discourage speeding. 

The improvements revitalized the shopping 

area, giving the public safer and more 

efficient access to businesses. Residents 

and business owners returned to Auburn 

Plains to live, work, and shop. 

Not all safety projects are that extensive. 

Smaller projects and careful planning can 

improve safety too. For example, a two-inch 

wider pavement marking improves visibility 

at a relatively low cost. Other inexpensive 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

improvements include adjusting on-street 

parking configurations, changing trafficsignal phases, and educating driver groups 

such as college commuters or drivers near 

school zones. 

Roadway safety affects everyone. 

• Include safety early in your project 

development.

• Use the four E’s to address crash factors.

• Collect and use data to make decisions.

• Allocate resources to address the issues.

You have the power to make your 

community a safer place. Your actions may 

even save the life of someone you know. 

For more information about roadway safety, 

contact your local technical-assistance 

program, your Dtate DOT, or the FHWA 

division office.
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 FHWA's Office of Safety Web site with information on FHWA 

safety programs, focused approach, countermeasures, data and policies

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

• Link to AASHTO's Highway Safety Manual 

http://www.highwaysafetymanual.org/Pages/default.aspx

• Link to NHTSA's main Web site with information on safety programs 

related to education and enforcement

http://www.nhtsa.gov/

• Link to National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

http://www.workzonesafety.org/

• Information about pedestrian and bicycle safety 

http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/

• Information related to rural roadway safety 

http://www.ruralsafety.umn.edu/clearinghouse/

• FHWA link to information about the MUTCD

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

• Information on how to implement AASHTO's Strategic Highway Safety 

Plan

http://safety.transportation.org/plan.aspx