Safety Performance Measures 

Resources and Support 

The Safety Performance Management Measures regulation requires State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and 

metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to establish targets for five safety performance measures to support the 

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). As State DOTs, MPOs, and other safety stakeholders begin to coordinate 

and collaborate to establish CY 2018 HSIP targets, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) offers many training 

opportunities, tools, and capacity building resources. 

TRAINING

Safety Target Setting Coordination and Training Workshops

FHWA, in coordination with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), will offer one day State Safety 

Target Setting Coordination and Training Workshops to States at no cost beginning in November 2016. The workshops 

will bring State DOTs, State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs), and MPOs in the State together to discuss safety 

performance requirements and assist States in reviewing their data for the first round of safety target setting. FHWA 

will work with State DOTs to coordinate with MPOs, SHSOs, and others to identify an appropriate date for the one day 

workshop. 

Webinars Related to the Safety Performance Measures Final Rule

The Office of Transportation Performance Management and the Office of Safety will host a webinar on “Let’s Talk 

Performance, Target Setting Coordination and Methodologies for Setting Targets” on September 20. 

The Office of Safety, NHTSA, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will host a webinar in 

November to explain the Safety Performance Measures Final Rule requirement for a single national definition for 

suspected serious injury.

Archived webinars are available for review at: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/spm/.

Performance Management Training Courses

FHWA, through the National Highway Institute (NHI), offers a variety of courses related to performance 

management. These courses are fee based and include: 

h NHI-138006 Transportation Performance Management for Safety walks participants through various 

provisions of the Safety Performance Measures Final Rule and provides options for setting evidence based 

targets. 

h NHI-138012 Steps to Effective Target Setting and Progress Assessment will assist States and MPOs with 

setting targets throughout all transportation programs. The course helps State DOTs and MPOs understand how 

to implement performance management principles by teaching how to develop and set performance targets. 

h NHI-138011 The Role of Data in Transportation Performance Management will describe transportation 

performance management data analysis needs, integrate scenario based projections of performance with trend 

data for performance target setting and reporting and identify common data quality issues and techniques for 

addressing them.
The following courses also support transportation performance management and are either available or currently 

under development:

h NHI-138004 Overview of MAP-21 (101) Transportation Performance Management 

h NHI-138005 Overview of MAP-21 (101) Transportation Performance Management 

h NHI-138007 Performance-Based Planning and Programming

h NHI-138008 Transportation Performance Management for Bridges

h NHI-138009 Transportation Performance Management for Pavement

h NHI-138010 Transportation Performance Management for Congestion (including Freight)

FHWA Capacity Building Programs

FHWA administers several Capacity Building Programs: 

h The Office of Safety offers partners a Peer to Peer-Technical Assistance Program designed to help develop, 

implement, or evaluate effective strategies and programs. As part of this program, a Peer Exchange can be tailored 

to the Safety PM Final Rule and assist States and MPOs with implementing the regulations. The forum for this 

technical assistance program could be web conference or onsite (https://rspcb.safety.fhwa.dot.gov/).

h The Office of Transportation Performance Management (TPM) Professional Capacity Building Program (PCB) ensures 

that federal, State departments of transportation (SDOT), MPOs, transit, and local partners are prepared to carry 

out performance-based transportation decision-making through an organizational assessment using the corporate 

maturity model (CMM). The TPM Office is accepting applications for TPM State Workshops and TPM Peer-to-Peer 

(P2P) assistance activities (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tpm/tpmrequest). You can also use the application to express 

interest in participating in other various TPM professional capacity building activities as they are made available. 

h The Office of Planning (https://planning.dot.gov/) offers a Peer to Peer-Technical Assistance Program as part of its 

Transportation Planning Capacity Building program that could assist States and MPOs in coordinating, establishing, 

and reporting on targets.

Safety Data and Analysis Tools Courses

The NHI catalog offers a host of training courses related to advanced analysis tools:

h NHI-380070 Highway Safety Manual Practitioners Guide for Geometric Design Features

h NHI-380070A Highway Safety Manual Practitioners Guide for Two-Lane Rural Highways

h NHI-380070B Highway Safety Manual Practitioners Guide for Multilane Highways

h NHI-380071 Interactive Highway Safety Design Model

h NHI-380093 Application of Crash Modification Factors (CMF)

h NHI-380094 Science of Crash Modification Factors

h NHI-380100 Using IHSDM

h NHI-380105 Highway Safety Manual Practitioners Guide for 

Intersections

h NHI-380106 Highway Safety Manual Online Overview

h NHI-380110 Highway Safety Improvement Program Overview - 

WEB BASED

h NHI-380111 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Project 

Identification

h NHI-380112 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Project 

Evaluation

h NHI-380113 Strategic Highway Safety Plan Development

h NHI-380114 Strategic Highway Safety Plan Implementation
RESOURCES

Resources for Safety Performance Management

The Office of Safety has a website dedicated to Safety Performance Management. A tool box of resources on 

noteworthy practices, guidance documents, fact sheets, and presentations can be found at 

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

A sampling of materials available on the website include: 

h Safety Target Setting Final Report

h A Compendium of State and Regional Safety 

Target Setting Practices

h Safety Target Setting Peer Exchange

h Target Setting Literature Review

h Urbanized and Non-urbanized Safety Target Setting: 

Final Report

h Safety Performance Measures Fact Sheet

h Met or Made Significant Progress Fact Sheet

h Target Setting Coordination Workshops Final Report

-coming soon

h Metropolitan Planning Organization Fact Sheet-coming soon

h Safety Performance Measures Timeline Fact Sheet-coming soon

h State Serious Injury Conversation Tables-coming soon

Other Resources Related to Performance Management Training

The Rhode Island DOT is leading a pooled-fund study (http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/575), administered 

by AASHTO and supported by FHWA, to support TPMP training and capacity building needs for States, MPOs, and 

public transportation providers.

The following two Resource Centers work closely with FHWA Headquarters, field offices, and other Federal agencies 

to provide technical assistance, technology deployment, and training to partners and customers in the field of 

transportation safety. 

h The Resource Center Safety and Design Team (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/safety/) is able to 

provide safety performance management to transportation stakeholders.

h The Resource Center Planning/Freight Team 

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/planning/index.cfm) helps customers in the field of 

transportation planning, freight and cross cutting transportation performance management topics. 

Resources Related To Data

States and MPOs can use FHWA’s Roadway Safety Data 

Dashboard (https://rspcb.safety.fhwa.dot.gov/safetycop.aspx) 

to access fatality data. The data dashboard is a web-based 

tool that visualizes and communicates fatality data on U.S. 

public roadways. Since fatality data can be very complex, the 

dashboard makes it easy to see trends and make comparisons 

between States, MPOs and regions. The data dashboard uses 

data to generate charts and graphs to display the elements 

that describe the crash, the vehicle, and the people involved. 
The Office of Safety houses a Roadway Safety Data Program that provides information and resources that can help 

agencies improve their roadway safety data for analysis and evaluation purposes. Agencies can access noteworthy 

practices, case studies, recorded webinars, training and technical assistance through the program at 

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

FHWA provides the MIRE Data Collection Guidebook intended to provide State 

and local jurisdictions with practical means to collect MIRE data that are not 

traditionally collected by agencies. Agencies can incorporate the Guidebook’s 

recommendations into their current data collection methods. The guidebook can 

be found at: 

(http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/downloads/datacollectionguidebook.pdf)

FHWA provides an information resource, the Model Inventory of Roadway Elements 

– MIRE, Version 1.0 Report (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/mirereport), 

which (in Appendix B) maps MIRE elements to the Highway Safety Manual, 

Interactive Highway Safety Design Model, and AASHTOWare Safety Analyst. 

The Office of Safety and the Office of Planning provide a guidebook (http://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tsp/fhwasa15089/) on Applying Safety Data and Analysis 

to Performance-Based Transportation Planning. This guidebook provides State 

and regional planners with information on how to effectively use safety data and 

analysis tools in performance-based transportation planning and programming 

processes.

The US DOT Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (DOT/TRCC) is a multi-modal group with members from FHWA, 

FMCSA, NHTSA, and RITA that works to improve the collection, management, and analysis of traffic safety data at the 

State and Federal level. The committee (https://www.transportation.gov/trcc) coordinates with State traffic records 

professionals and agencies. 

NHTSA works to ensure complete, accurate, and timely traffic safety data are collected, analyzed, and made available for 

decision making through its Traffic Records Team (http://www.nhtsa.gov/Data/Traffic+Records). The team helps States 

improve their traffic safety data collection, management, and analysis capabilities through evaluation, training, and 

technical assistance. The services they offer include:

h State Traffic Records Assessments: peer evaluations of state traffic records capabilities. A final report reveals traffic 

records ratings, recommendations, and considerations for improving a State traffic records system. 

h Crash Data Improvement Program (CDIP): the quality of a State’s crash data is examined. A team provides 

recommendations to improve the data to support safety decision making. 

h Go Teams: provide States with resources and assist with addressing traffic records issues. 

MIRE Model Inventory of Roadway Elements

VERSION 1.0

October 2010

FHWA-SA-10-018

Resources Related To Advanced Analysis Tools and Prediction Tools

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) provides transportation professionals with knowledge, techniques, and methodologies 

to quantify the safety-related effects of transportation decisions. The HSM provides the best factual information and 

tools in a useful form to facilitate roadway decisions based on the explicit consideration of their effects on potential 

future crash frequency and severity. Safety Analyst is a set of software tools used by State and local highway agencies for 

highway safety management. Safety Analyst implements state-of-the-art analytical procedures for use in the decisionmaking process to identify and manage a system-wide program of site-specific improvements to enhance highway safety 

by cost-effective means. The software automates procedures to assist highway agencies in implementing the six main 

steps of the highway safety management process, including: network screening, diagnosis, countermeasure selection, 

economic appraisal, priority ranking, and countermeasure evaluation.  Both the HSM and Safety Analyst can be used to 

select countermeasures for improving system performance. States and MPOs should consider countermeasures as part of 

their forecasting analysis before establishing targets.
The Resource Center Planning/Freight Technical Services Team provides a range of technical services and training 

on different analytical tools and methods that can be used throughout planning and project development and for a 

variety of applications. The Team is piloting a course on Safety Analysis for Freeways and Interchanges that will become 

a National Highway Institute Course.

FHWA has a Systemic Safety Project Selection tool that involves three basic elements: (1) Selecting locations and 

countermeasures; (2) Achieving the correct balance between systemic and traditional safety investments; and (3) 

Evaluating the effectiveness of the systemic approach. FHWA’s Systemic Tool training, technical assistance information, 

and planned and archived webinars are located at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/training.cfm.

Crash modification factors (CMFs) are used for infrastructure projects and provide a good indicator for success. 

The Crash Modification Factors Clearinghouse (http://www.cmfclearinghouse.org/index.cfm) houses a Web-based 

database of CMFs along with supporting documentation to help transportation engineers identify the most 

appropriate countermeasure for their safety needs. 

Resources Related to Behavioral and Infrastructure Countermeasures

Countermeasures that Work (http://www.ghsa.org/html/publications/countermeasures.html), a NHTSA document, 

provides evidence-based projects with effectiveness ratings that may be useful to States looking for education, 

outreach and enforcement projects by program area. 

A NCHRP Report 622 titled, Effectiveness of Behavioral Highway Safety Countermeasures 

(http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_622.pdf), presents findings of a research project to develop a 

framework and guidance for estimating the costs and benefits of behavioral highway safety countermeasures. 

OPPORTUNITIES

Ongoing Projects Related to Highway Safety Countermeasures Include:

h NCHRP 17-46 Comprehensive Analysis Framework for Safety Investment Decisions 

http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2725

h NCHRP 17-60 Benefit-Cost Methodology for Behavioral Highway Safety Countermeasures 

http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3182

The Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process assists in the identification of emphasis areas that will yield the 

greatest reductions in fatalities and serious injuries. The SHSP is the blueprint States use to guide investment 

decisions towards strategies and countermeasures with the most potential to save lives and prevent injuries. The SHSP 

also provides good opportunity to ensure MPOs are engaged in joint discussions related to safety planning, safety 

performance targets and countermeasures. 

Every Day Counts Technologies

Every Day Counts (EDC) is an initiative of FHWA designed to identify and deploy 

innovation aimed at reducing the time it takes to deliver highway projects, enhance 

safety and protect the environment. EDC technologies have application to safety. 

For more information visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/.

Additional information on EDC technologies can be found in the following reports:

h Every Day Counts: Significant Impacts Report

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/reports/edc-significant_impacts.pdf

h Every Day Counts: Round 2 Final Report http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc-2.cfm
EDC 3, Regional Models of Cooperation

The EDC3 Regional Models of Cooperation (RMOC) initiative focuses on fostering enhanced processes for effective 

coordination and collaboration among State DOTs, MPOs and transit authorities, resulting in improved decision 

making policy implementation, technology use and performance management. The initiative has applications in a 

range of areas, including: congestion management, safety, freight, severe weather etc. Coordination includes jointly 

developing agency’s transportation plans and programs, corridor studies, and project planning across MPO and 

State boundaries. It also includes collaboration on activities such as: data collection, data storage and analysis, and 

analytical tools. A RMOC safety planning national webinar was held in December 2015. The recording for this webinar 

is available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/regional_models/webinars/.

For more information on Safety Performance Resources and Support, please contact Dana Gigliotti, FHWA 

Transportation Specialist at dana.gigliotti@dot.gov or at 202-366-1290 or your FHWA Division Office. A list of 

Division Offices is available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/about/field.cfm.

FHWA-SA-102

SEPTEMBER 2016 http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov