Assemble Your Team

You cannot implement the Safety Edge alone, it 

takes a team. It is important to include 

representation from all disciplines that will take 

part in making this change to the paving practice 

and all those who will be impacted by it. Also 

consider stakeholder involvement from various 

levels of government, industry, and other 

organizations interested in improving highway 

safety and pavements. 

Implementation will require persuasion and 

credibility. Look for team members with these 

qualities.

Decide on a Deployment Strategy and 

Develop an Implementation Plan

The three key messages to include in your Safety 

Edge strategy are the following:

• Saves lives

• Low cost

• Improves durability

In developing your plan, consider these key 

items:

• Extent of the problem: Are you able to 

identify the impact of edge drop-offs on 

crashes in your jurisdiction? To what 

extent is edge raveling contributing to 

pavement failures?

• Current State of the Practice: What are 

agencies and the industry currently doing to 

address edge drop-offs and edge raveling in 

your State? Have agencies in your State 

already conducted a demonstration? 

• Include goals, performance measures, and 

outcomes. Where does your State fit with 

the national goals? When setting these 

goals, remember that Every Day Counts!

• Which deployment model will work best for 

your State to achieve your goals? 

o Pilot and Phased

o Pilot and Big Bang 

o Big Bang

• Marketing and Communications: Who are 

your target audiences? Customize your 

outreach to communicate with them 

efficiently and involve them effectively in 

implementation.

• Do a SWOT Analysis: Thinking through the 

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and 

threats (SWOT) will help lay the groundwork for marketing the Safety Edge in your 

State.

• Research: Others have travelled this road 

before you. Learn from their experience. 

Case studies, specifications, and policies are 

available to use as a starting point in your 

process.

Steps to Implementing the Safety Edge
Initiate Demonstration Projects

Demonstration projects are a part of most 

deployment strategies. A number of methods 

can be employed with these demonstrations, 

depending on your goals.

• Open-House. This is an effective method 

to provide education to small audiences in 

conjunction with the opportunity to see 

the technology first-hand. 

• Internal Demonstration. The team may 

choose an upcoming project (in-house or 

contracted) to experiment with the Safety 

Edge. This can often be accomplished 

quickly to provide champions with the 

knowledge they need to pursue standards 

or showcase the technology more widely. 

• Workshops and Conferences. Initial 

exposure to the Safety Edge and its 

benefits can be facilitated through 

marketing materials, presentations, and 

various training opportunities. Where a 

paving demonstration is not possible for 

large groups, videos and exhibits with a 

Safety Edge device may substitute.

Request Needed Resources

The EDC Safety Edge Team has assembled a 

Toolkit to assist you in marketing and educating on 

the Safety Edge. Team members are also available 

to provide technical assistance virtually or on-site 

(on a limited basis and with appropriate notice).

Achieve Standard Practice

Making the Safety Edge a standard practice often 

begins with developing a specification. This may 

initially be developed in the demonstration 

project phase, and may include drawings and 

notes that are included in various project 

documents. To achieve the Safety Edge as a 

standard practice will typically require making 

this specification a part of standard documents, 

rather than special project provisions.

Developing a policy of when the Safety Edge 

will be included on paving projects is another 

decision in making it a standard practice. 

Initially, States may choose to include the Safety 

Edge only where shoulders are narrow. Or they 

may choose only to include it under certain 

paving conditions. As agencies gain more 

experience with the benefits, they should 

consider expanding the application to see 

increased benefits. 

Contact Information:

To learn more about EDC, visit: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts 

 

For training or more information on this Every Day 

Counts Initiative, please contact your local FHWA 

Division Office.

Version 1: 10/1/2010