A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Program Fall 2010/Winter 2011: Volume 4 Issue 3

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A Message from FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety, Joe Toole

Recently I have been reading “New Year’s” clips from local papers across 

the nation with stories about States that had their lowest fatalities in 

decades, or ones that had the safest holiday season on record. Every 

indication is that, in the end, 2010 will be another record-breaking year. But 

as someone said to me, “It is not that this makes you want to celebrate. It’s 

just that it makes you feel like you are making a difference.” I sense the 

same kind of feeling throughout the safety community. It was a good year, 

we are making a difference, and we have to keep pushing. 

During this past year we saw driving patterns continue to change, but we 

also saw our own industry changing. Things that we have been pushing for 

years are now taking hold, moving from being “innovations” to simply “state 

of the practice.” Part of the credit for this transformation needs to go to 

programs like “Every Day Counts” and “Highways for LIFE” that have given 

a big boost to the implementation of innovations such as safety edge and 

the use of Road Safety Audits. I also see part of this as a sign of the times. 

States and local governments are looking even harder for cost-effective solutions that can make a real difference. And 

those kind of systematic investments are paying off.

What all this tells me is that we need to keep pushing to keep the innovation pipeline full. We can’t stop looking for 

technologies and practices that will make a difference, particularly those that provide low-cost solutions. These 

innovations may come from R&D, but they also can come from stealing shamelessly from each other, from other 

industries, and from other countries. And as we unearth them, we need to continue to find ways to accelerate their 

adoption and implementation. I think nothing is sadder than hearing about crashes we could have prevented had we 

implemented a proven life-saving technology. In this regard, every day does count.

So what does 2011 hold? In Washington, this is likely to be a challenging year for the Congress and the administration as 

they once again try set out a new direction for the future highway program. In these times, I think we are particularly 

fortunate to have such a strong and collaborative highway safety community that will continue to work towards zero 

deaths, awakening the nation to the fact that it “doesn’t have to be this way.” For most of us, this will also be a time to 

focus on implementing what we know works and building a foundation for our next challenges. 

My personal wishes to each of you for a healthy, safe, and happy new year.

United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety Starts on May 11, 2011

The United Nations (UN) has unanimously proclaimed 2011-2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, making road 

crashes an international priority on the scale of international health threats such as HIV/AIDS and malaria for the first time. 

It will be launched around the world on May 11, 2011. With this designation, traffic-related deaths and injuries can begin 

receiving the attention they deserve as major threats to our well-being – both at home and around the world.

Currently there are nearly 1.3 million deaths a year worldwide on the roads. In addition, there are 50+ million serious 

injuries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2030, traffic related injuries will be the 5th leading cause 

of death worldwide. More people will die on the roads than will die of HIV/AIDS! It is also estimated that we will lose 5 

million more people and another 50 million will suffer debilitating injuries in the next decade.

 SAFETY COMPASS

H I G H W A Y S A F E T Y S O L U T I O N S F O R S A V I N G L I V E S
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But we can do something about this! The Safe Systems approach is the basis of the international UN Decade of Action 

Five Pillar Plan:

1. Building Management Capacity.

2. Encouraging Safer User Behavior.

3. Building Safer Roads.

4. Building Safer Vehicles.

5. Improving Post-Crash Care.

If we use the Safe Systems Approach and start implementing many known interventions involving the road, the vehicle, 

and the user – building safer cars and roads, passing good traffic safety laws, and promoting strong education and 

enforcement – we can create a safety culture and have a huge effect on future deaths. 

The Decade of Action for Road Safety is our opportunity to make our communities safer wherever we live – and to help 

others around the world. Toward Zero Deaths efforts are gaining momentum across the United States and are a major 

U.S. contribution to the Decade of Action. To participate in the Decade of Action:

• Go to www.decadeofaction.org for more information and downloadable materials.

• Plan safety activities on May 11, 2011, and commit to the Toward Zero Deaths initiative.

• Wear a Road Safety Tag and commit to incorporating road safety into all of your transportation 

activities. The Road Safety Tag is the official global symbol for the UN Decade of Action for 

Road Safety and represents our commitment to making our roads safe. It also will be a focal 

point of the Decade of Action launch. To obtain a tag go to 

http://decadeofaction.sandbag.uk.com/Store/DII-46-8-road+safety+tag+badge.html.

For more information, contact Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH, FIA Foundation and MAKE ROADS SAFE Campaign for Global 

Road Safety, b.dinhzarr@fiafoundation.org.

In this Issue of Safety Compass ...

Articles

A Message from FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety...................................................................................................................................1

United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety starts on May 11, 2011.............................................................................................................1

New Toolkit Available to Advance Road Safety Audits (RSA) on Tribal and Federal Lands...................................................................................3

Planes, Seaplanes, and Automobiles: A Journey to Provide Road Safety Audit (RSA) Peer Assistance in Alaska ................................................4

Federal Highway Administration Staff Leads the Way on Walk to School Day.......................................................................................................5

Youth Pledge to End Distracted Driving ................................................................................................................................................................6

Road Safety 365: A Workshop for Local Governments..........................................................................................................................................7

Spotlight on Task Force 13 ...................................................................................................................................................................................8

A Guide to Developing Quality Crash Modification Factors....................................................................................................................................8

Occupant Protection and Underage Alcohol Prevention Available from the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Center .............................................9

Rumble Strips and Bicyclist Safety........................................................................................................................................................................9

Announcements

Rumble on the Reservation DVD Now Available ...................................................................................................................................................3

Applications Sought for 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards ...........................................................................................................................4

2011 Lifesavers Conference .................................................................................................................................................................................4

Caroline Trueman Recognized for Safety Efforts...................................................................................................................................................4
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New Toolkit Available to Advance Road Safety Audits 

(RSA) on Tribal and Federal Lands

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) defines an RSA as a “formal safety 

performance evaluation of an existing or future road or intersection by an 

independent, multidisciplinary team.” RSAs have proven to be a leading tool for 

improving safety on and along roadways. As such, the use of RSAs has grown 

tremendously throughout the United 

States. A decade ago, few States had 

experience conducting RSAs; now 

each State has had some experience 

with the RSA process. To promote the 

use of RSAs by tribal governments 

and Federal Land Management 

Agencies (FLMAs), FHWA has 

provided training and technical 

assistance and has led RSAs for tribal 

governments and FLMAs, including 

the U.S. Forest Service, National Park 

Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, and Bureau of Land 

Management. 

The implementation of RSAs for tribal governments and FLMAs showed that these 

partners often face unique conditions, staffing, and funding constraints that do not 

allow needed resources to be devoted to improving roadway safety. In order to 

advance implementation of RSAs on tribal and Federal lands, the FHWA Office of 

Federal Lands and FHWA Office of Safety partnered to develop the RSA Toolkit for 

Tribal Governments and FLMAs.

The toolkit is intended to assist tribal

governments and FLMAs to use RSAs 

to address their safety issues. It 

provides information about identifying 

an RSA champion, building supportive 

partnerships, identifying available 

funding sources for an RSA program 

and improvements, outlining tools to 

conduct RSAs, and identifying 

resources to examine safety issues and 

select countermeasures.

The toolkit provides worksheets and other sample materials to facilitate parts of the 

RSA process – requesting assistance, scheduling an RSA, analyzing safety data, 

conducting field reviews, and documenting issues and suggestions. The toolkit also 

includes examples of programs and of similar agencies’ experiences to highlight

successes and struggles in implementing RSAs and improving safety for all road 

users. According to John Baxter, Associate Administrator for the FHWA Office of 

Federal Lands Highway, “Our case studies have shown that RSAs are an effective 

tool for improving safety on our Federal and tribal lands. The RSA toolkit will help 

Federal agencies and tribes institutionalize their use. We are looking forward to 

hearing some of the success stories that are likely to come out of this effort.”

The new toolkit will be available in February 2011 and can be downloaded from the 

Office of Safety website: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/.

RSAs are a widely accepted tool for improving 

safety. They are:

• Accepted by the FHWA Resource Center 

as a Market Ready Technology.

• Included in Highways for Life as a 

Vanguard Technology.

• Selected by the American Association of 

State and Highway Transportation Officials 

(AASHTO) Technology Implementation 

Group as a “technology” to promote to 

member States.

• Identified as one of nine safety “Proven 

Countermeasures” by the FHWA Office of 

Safety.

Rumble on the Reservation DVD Now 

Available

The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) 

recently released Rumble on the 

Reservation, an 11-minute DVD that 

introduces audiences to American Indian 

communities that have seen motor 

vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities 

plummet after incorporating rumble strips 

into roadway safety projects on tribal 

lands. Transportation planners and safety 

experts from various American Indian 

communities, as well as the Federal 

government, explain the versatility and 

cost-effectiveness of this safety device

and provide real-world examples of 

where they have seen rumble strips 

successfully deployed.

Among the various reasons that 

American Indian communities stand to 

benefit so greatly from rumble strips is 

that many tribal lands are served 

primarily by two-lane rural roads, which 

are the type most severely plagued by 

high fatality rates and elevated risks of 

roadway departures. This is because 

rural highways are often narrow and have

high speed limits, limited sight distances, 

frequent curves, and abundant trees or 

other roadside hazards. In other words, 

there’s little room for error. In fact, 60 

percent of fatal crashes are roadway 

departure crashes, with a roadway 

departure fatality crash occurring every 

23 minutes.

Rumble on the Reservation was 

produced in conjunction with Michigan 

Technological University’s Tribal 

Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), 

and was officially unveiled at an RSF 

display booth at the 13th Annual National 

Tribal Transportation Conference, 

November 15-18, 2010, in Albuquerque, 

NM. A corresponding brochure is being 

printed and will be available shortly. If you 

are interested in obtaining a copy of this 

valuable resource, please contact Cathy 

Gillen.

Cathy Gillen

Roadway Safety Foundation

202-857-1203

cathygillen@roadwaysafety.org
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Planes, Seaplanes, and Automobiles: A Journey to Provide 

Road Safety Audit (RSA) Peer Assistance in Alaska

In October, the RSA Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Program assisted the Organized Village of 

Kasaan, located on the Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. Often when a State, local,

or tribal road owner considers an RSA, technical or procedural questions arise. 

FHWA's Office of Safety established a P2P program where RSA experts volunteer 

their time to provide guidance to agencies requesting assistance.

Prince of Wales Island, Alaska is the fourth-largest island in the United States and is 

almost entirely made up of Federal National Forest land. Much of the road system 

originally was created by the logging industry. While an increasing number of roads 

are being paved, there are several highways that remain gravel. Staff from the 

Village were preparing to conduct RSAs on some of the island’s rural roads and 

contacted FHWA for RSA peer assistance. 

After assessing the purpose for the RSAs and types of roadways to be reviewed, 

the P2P Coordinator recommended Tom McDonald from the Iowa Local Technical 

Assistance Program due to his experience with rural roads. Tom has been serving 

as an RSA Peer since 2005.

Sam Thomas of the Village and Tom McDonald coordinated through a 

teleconference and e-mails to schedule the RSAs. Getting to Prince of Wales Island 

was no easy task, but Tom was up to the challenge. After a three-leg commercial 

flight and a transfer to a seaplane, Tom finally arrived on the island and the RSA 

team got to work. The RSA team included Byron Bluehorse, Alaska Tribal Technical 

Assistance Program (University Alaska Fairbanks); Thomas Llanos, Alaska Region 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Branch of Transportation; and Dennis Nickerson, 

Klawock Cooperative Association. Sergeant John Brown, Alaska State Troopers 

assisted this effort by discussing safety deficiencies within each of the corridors.

Since specific and current crash data was not available for the roadways under 

review, the RSA team relied on general crash data from the Alaska Department of 

Transportation and used their experience in identifying common crash causal 

factors for lower volume rural roads.

One RSA was conducted on Kasaan Road – an unpaved, narrow, curvilinear 

roadway approximately 17 miles long with a traffic volume of approximately 350 

vehicles per day. Suggestions for low-cost safety improvements included updated 

signing, improved guardrails, removal or shielding of more hazardous roadside 

obstacles, and enhanced delineation along shorter radius horizontal curves and 

narrow structures.

Another RSA was conducted on Hydaburg Highway from the community of 

Hydaburg to Kalwock/Hollis Highway. Suggestions for low-cost safety 

improvements included upgrading all signing to 2009 MUTCD guidance (specifically 

horizontal alignment signs), additional shielding of roadside hazards, enhanced 

delineation at bridges, and a more uniform treatment of delineation for horizontal 

curves.

By assisting the Organized Village of Kasaan, we can boast that the RSA P2P 

Program has used planes, trains, automobiles, and boats to deliver on-site 

assistance! If your agency is considering RSAs and you would like assistance from 

an expert peer, please contact us by phone (866-P2P-FHWA, 866-727-3492), email (safetyp2p@dot.gov), or online (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/resources/p2p/). 

If you have experience with RSAs and you are interested in serving as a peer, 

please send an e-mail with your interest to Heather Rigdon 

(heather.rigdon.ctr@dot.gov). 

Applications Sought for 2011 National 

Roadway Safety Awards

RSF and FHWA are currently accepting 

applications for the 2011 National 

Roadway Safety Awards. RSF and 

FHWA recognize best practices in 

roadway safety improvements and 

publish the practices to help solve 

recurring roadway safety issues 

throughout the Nation.

The competition includes three award 

categories: Infrastructure Improvements,

Operational Improvements and Program 

Planning, and Development and 

Evaluation.

The submission deadline is May 1, 2011. 

To learn more or download an 

application, visit 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/fhwasa1101/ or 

www.roadwaysafety.org.

2011 Lifesavers Conference

Lifesavers will hold its annual conference 

on March 27-29, 2011, in Phoenix, AZ. 

The Lifesavers conference is dedicated to 

reducing the tragic toll of deaths and 

injuries on our Nation's roadways. It 

addresses a wide range of safety topics, 

from child passenger safety and occupant 

protection to roadway and vehicle safety 

and technology. The conference also 

offers the latest information on advances 

in highway safety, highlights successful 

programs, and draws attention to 

emerging safety issues. For registration 

and more information, visit 

http://lifesaversconference.org/. 

Caroline Trueman Recognized for 

Safety Efforts

Caroline Trueman, a Safety Engineer in 

the FHWA New Jersey Division Office, 

recently was honored by the South 

Jersey Traffic Safety Alliance (SJTSA) at 

its biennial awards luncheon. Caroline

was commended for:

• Leading investigations to better use 

Highway Safety Improvement 

Program and High Risk Rural Road 

Program Funding for safety 

improvements on local highways.

• Assisting local agencies in Road 

Safety Audits and project 

implementation.

• Being a strong advocate for 

planning and concept development 

for local highway safety 

improvements and a valuable 

resource for local safety planners 

and engineers.

Congratulations, Caroline!
A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Program Fall 2010/Winter 2011: Volume 4 Issue 3

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Federal Highway Administration Staff Leads the Way on Walk to School Day

Staff from across FHWA got out of their offices and on 

to their feet to celebrate Walk to School Day 2010. On 

October 6 many personnel from the U.S. Department 

of Transportation (USDOT) and FHWA led by example 

and encouraged an active trip to school – from USDOT 

Secretary Ray LaHood and FHWA Administrator Victor 

Mendez to FHWA Division Representatives across the 

country – by joining International Walk to School Day 

celebrations in their own communities. 

Linda Guin, Safety Engineer in the Alabama Division, 

participated in a morning Walk to School Day event 

with a local elementary school. The group included 

students and parents from the elementary school, local 

college students who are majoring in health-related 

studies, Alabama Department of Transportation 

employees, and Alabama Department of Public Health 

employees. The event was covered by local broadcast 

and print news media. 

In Florida, Safety Engineer Hussein Sharifpour took part in a great Sunshine State event saying, “I enjoyed helping out at 

one of our schools in Tallahassee, which had about 150 students walking along with their parents.” 

Greg Morris, Safety Engineer in the Georgia Division, along with staff from the Georgia Department of Transportation 

(GDOT), attended a local elementary school’s event, which was dubbed “a great success.” GDOT Commissioner Vance 

Smith spoke to several hundred excited students who participated in the celebration. 

In Madison, Mississippi, Safety Engineer Teresa Bridges participated in Walk to School Day with representatives from the 

Mississippi Department of Transportation and other state and local agencies who walked to Madison Avenue Upper and 

Lower Schools. 

Oklahoma’s Safe Routes to School Director, Ernestine Mbroh, and the FHWA Oklahoma Division’s Safety Engineer, Huy 

Nguyen, were among the 50,000 Oklahoma students from over 80 elementary and middle schools who participated in the 

annual walking and bicycling to school event. This year marked the fourth in which Oklahoma participated in the 

International Walk to School event statewide. Ms. Mbroh summed up Oklahoma’s celebrations stating, “The annual event 

was a great way to celebrate Oklahoma’s most valuable resource – our children – and to build public awareness and 

understanding of the benefits of making walking and biking to school safer.” 

The Virginia Division also joined the international celebration and 

participated in two Walk to School events hosted by two different 

elementary schools. Josue Yambo, Highway Safety Engineer, reported that 

over half the Division participated in the schools’ events, including the 

Division Administrator Irene Rico and Assistant Division Administrator 

Wayne Fedora. Mr. Yambo described the celebration at one school, 

saying, “Eighty percent of the students either walked or biked! Lots of the 

teachers and staff walked too. Two buses were completely empty and 

several had only a few students aboard. What a success!” 

Each of these examples is an illustration of how children and families in more than 3,500 communities across the U.S. 

celebrated International Walk to School Day 2010, joining the efforts of individuals in over 40 countries across the globe. 

International Walk to School Day is supported by the FHWA Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program and FHWA staff from 

across the country led the way on this year’s one-day celebration of walking and bicycling to school. 

Did You Know?

International Walk to School Day began as 

National Walk our Children to School Day in 1997, 

as part of a project jointly funded by FHWA and the 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

(NHTSA). It became an international effort in 2000, 

when Canada and the U.K. joined the cause with 

the United States.
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Youth Pledge to End Distracted Driving

The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) convened a team of youth leaders from across the United States to 

form the first National Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Leadership Team. The team of youth leaders attended the 

second National Districted Driving Summit hosted by USDOT under the leadership of the Secretary of Transportation, Ray 

LaHood. At the summit the youths pledged a year of action to help reduce distracted driving.

The summit’s morning session included a welcome by the Secretary, remarks from David Strickland, Administrator of the 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and a panel discussion on the steps taken in the past year in legislation, 

regulation, technology, and research to curb distracted driving. Youth attendee Javier Torres, from the Universidad 

Metropolitana in San Juan, Puerto Rico, found this session to be informative and helpful in establishing his project plan to 

reduce distracted driving in his community. “I got to hear about what the Department of Transportation has done over the 

past year to work towards reducing distracted driving, but it also gave me ideas as to what more can be and should be 

done in our efforts to stop distracted driving,” Torres said.

During lunch, the team of youth leaders screened public service ads targeted towards teens to stop cell phone use while 

driving. Youth participant Justin Levy, from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, presented his 

award winning public service announcement. The ad gave him the chance to tell teens about the dangers of distracted 

driving. “I felt that everyone was interested in the message that I, as a teen, wanted to send to other teens,” Levy said. “I 

got to give feedback as to what would work and would not work for my age group and be effective in our mission.”

The afternoon session centered around a panel discussion on policy, technology, legislation, regulation, and research 

steps that should be taken to prevent distracted driving. With the knowledge gained from the summit, the team developed 

five youth-led projects to take back to their individual communities to reduce distracted driving. Each team member will be 

responsible for initiating three out of the five projects created by the team in his or her community over the next year. 

These projects include local distracted driving summits and strategic public service announcements. “I was a little worried 

at first about implementing a project in my 

community by myself, but now I realize that there 

are so many people out there who are willing to 

help in our goal,” said youth participant J 

Mintzmyer, from the United States Air Force 

Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The National Teen Distracted Driving Prevention 

Leadership Team will have a lot to accomplish 

over the next year, but Secretary LaHood is 

confident in the efforts of the youth leaders. “With 

these young advocates' help and leadership, we 

hope young people will get the message about 

how dangerous it is to text or talk on the phone 

while driving,” said Secretary LaHood. “We hope 

they will be persuaded to take personal 

responsibility for the vehicles they're operating.”

The youths are working to implement their projects and develop a guide for communities on empowering youth to lead the 

efforts to combat teen distracted driving. Their projects will culminate in May 2011 during National Youth Traffic Safety 

Month, and NOYS will release the community guide in the Fall of 2011. The youth team would like to thank The Allstate 

Foundation, AT&T, Ford Driving Skills for Life, and the National Road Safety Foundation for their financial support. Many 

of the youth leaders will be traveling back to Washington, DC to attend the Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual 

meeting, spend one day with a traffic safety mentor, and one day visiting with their legislative representatives.
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Road Safety 365: A Workshop for Local Governments

The FHWA Office of Safety, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local stakeholders, has developed a one-day 

workshop for improving the physical factors of local and rural roadways that may contribute to crashes. Road Safety 365: 

A Workshop for Local Governments was developed incorporating notable adult learning approaches for conveying 

information and conducting exercises. It is designed to provide local and rural agencies with practical and effective ways 

to incorporate safety solutions into daily activities and the project development process.

Rural roads account for approximately 40 percent of the vehicle miles traveled in the Nation, but account for about 55 

percent of fatalities. The fatality rate for rural crashes is more than twice the rate for urban crashes. Rural area crashes 

and their consequences differ from urban ones in several ways:

• Rural crashes are more likely to occur at higher speeds.

• Crash victims are more likely to be unbelted than their urban counterparts.

• Crashes are more likely to produce fatalities due to longer response times.

To help reduce the number and severity of crashes on local and rural roadways, the FHWA Office of Safety has 

developed the Road Safety 365 workshop as part of a package of focused products for local and rural governments. 

Using examples, case studies, and hands-on activities, the course demonstrates how to integrate safety solutions into 

rural and local transportation projects at all stages of the project development process – planning, design, construction, 

implementation, operations, and maintenance. The course provides practical guidance in identifying road safety issues 

and implementing low-cost countermeasures. It also presents the benefits and potential cost savings of integrating safety 

improvements into daily operations and 

maintenance activities – not just on an 

occasional basis, but 365 days a year.

The Road Safety 365 workshop audience ranges 

from decision-makers to road crews. It is aimed 

primarily at local and rural road and public works 

supervisors. Others who would benefit from this 

training include: elected officials, public safety 

advocates, State Department of Transportation

personnel, law enforcement, consultants, 

regional and rural development organizations, 

municipal associations, town safety committees, 

local planning commissions, metropolitan/rural 

planning organizations, university extension 

offices, and Local Technical Assistance Program 

(LTAP) and Tribal Technical Assistance Program 

(TTAP) personnel. After completing the

workshop, participants should be able to identify 

safety issues on their road network and the 

countermeasures and available resources to 

address them.

This one-day workshop was developed for LTAP and TTAP Center delivery to local practitioners. Demonstrating how 

personnel who adopt a safety attitude/culture in performing their duties can have a significant impact on making their 

roadways safer, the workshop is divided into nine modules that cover all aspects of improving safety on rural roadways. 

For additional information about this workshop, please contact Rosemarie Anderson at rosemarie.anderson@dot.gov. 

Contact your local LTAP or TTAP for a schedule of workshops.
A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Program Fall 2010/Winter 2011: Volume 4 Issue 3

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A Guide to Developing Quality Crash Modification Factors

Crash Modification Factors (CMF) are a valuable resource to the transportation 

community. CMFs are used to support the transportation decision-making process, 

providing transportation professionals the ability to quantify the safety benefits of a 

particular countermeasure. CMFs can be used to:

• Evaluate alternative road safety treatments.

• Select those countermeasures best suited to correct specific problems.

• Promote benefits of improvements to management and the public.

The CMF knowledge base is continuously expanding as agencies implement 

countermeasures and evaluate their effectiveness. The CMF Clearinghouse 

contains more than 2,500 CMFs; however, only 232 of those CMFs are of high 

enough quality to meet the Highway Safety Manual inclusion criteria.1

The FHWA Office of Safety recently published A Guide to Developing Quality Crash 

Modification Factors. The purpose of this guide is to provide direction to agencies 

interested in developing CMFs. Specifically, this guide discusses the process for 

selecting an appropriate evaluation methodology and the many issues and data 

considerations related to various methodologies. 

While many 

CMFs are available today, there are still countermeasures for which no 

accompanying quality CMF exists. Many agencies are implementing safety 

countermeasures and many are even 

conducting research studies to 

determine the effectiveness of these 

countermeasures. However these 

studies often stop short of developing 

CMFs. It is imperative that agencies 

continue to develop CMFs, particularly 

for new and innovative treatments, and 

also for those countermeasures for 

which a quality CMF does not exist. 

The guide opens with a background of CMFs, including the definition of CMFs and 

related terms, purpose and application, and general issues related to CMFs (i.e. 

applying multiple CMFs, CMFs derived from high crash locations). The guide then 

introduces various methods for developing CMFs. Discussion of these methods is 

not intended to provide step-by-step instruction for application. Rather, this guide 

discusses study designs and methods for developing CMFs, including an overview 

of each method, sample size considerations, and strengths and weaknesses. A 

resources section is provided to help users identify an appropriate method for 

developing CMFs based on the available data and characteristics of the treatment in 

question. For example, a full Bayesian study may be appropriate if an agency 

wishes to include prior CMF estimates in the analysis. The resources section also 

includes a discussion of considerations for improving the completeness and 

consistency in CMF reporting. Complete and consistent CMF reporting will provide 

users the necessary information to determine the applicability of a CMF to their 

particular situation.

For more information about CMFs, visit the CMF Clearinghouse at 

www.cmfclearinghouse.org or contact Karen Yunk in the FHWA Office of Safety at 

karen.yunk@dot.gov or 609-637-4207.

 

1 Transportation Research Board, “Methodology for the Development and Inclusion of Crash Modification Factors 

in the First Edition of the Highway Safety Manual,” Transportation Research Circular E-C142, April 2010, 

http://144.171.11.107/Publications/Blurbs/163444.aspx

The CMF Clearinghouse has recently added a 

CMF “Most Wanted” List to the Clearinghouse 

website. The CMF Most Wanted List contains 

areas or specific countermeasures for which 

quality CMFs do not exist in the 

Clearinghouse. The intent of the CMF Most 

Wanted List is that it will drive future research 

efforts and encourage practitioners to submit 

locally developed CMFs to the Clearinghouse.

Spotlight on Task Force 13

Task Force 13 (TF13) is a Joint 

Cooperative Committee of AASHTO, 

ARTBA (American Road & Transportation 

Builders Association), and AGC (The 

Associated General Contractors of 

America). Its members come from 

industry, the research community, 

academia, States, and FHWA.

TF13’s objective is to develop, 

recommend, and promote standards for 

bridge and road hardware to ensure 

optimum function, aesthetics, and 

economy. It has several subcommittees:

• #1 Publication Maintenance

• #2 Barrier Hardware

• #3 Bridge Railing & Transition 

Hardware

• #4 Drainage Hardware

• #5 Sign, Luminaire & Traffic Signal 

Support Hardware

• #6 Work Zone Hardware

• #7 Certification of Test Facilities

• #8 Rail Highway Crossing Hardware

• Special Subcommittee – Marketing

• Special Subcommittee – New 

Standardization Areas

TF13 meets twice a year. The Spring 

meeting is conducted in conjunction with 

TRB Committee AFB20, the Committee 

on Roadside Safety Design. The Fall 

meeting is held in conjunction with the 

AASHTO Technical Committee on 

Roadside Safety.

TF13 has been responsible for the 

development of numerous standardized 

guides covering roadside barrier and 

bridge rail hardware, highway light pole 

hardware, small sign support hardware, 

and highway drainage products. The 

most widely used is A Guide to 

Standardized Highway Barrier Hardware, 

which was first published in 1971. It was 

revised/reissued in 1973, 1979, and 

1995. Now all of our guides are on-line at 

www.aashtoTF13.org. In 2011 the 

AASHTO Roadside Design Guide will be 

updated and will reference TF13 on-line 

guides as the source for current 

information on highway hardware.

Please visit our web site at 

http://www.aashtotf13.org and we hope to 

see you at our 2011 meetings.
A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Program Fall 2010/Winter 2011: Volume 4 Issue 3

9

Occupant Protection and Underage Alcohol Prevention 

Available from the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Center

Car crashes are the number one cause of death for youth, and many of these 

deaths and injuries can be prevented through education. Because of this, the 

Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office is providing three youth programs that will be 

available for the 2010-2011 school year: Booster to Belts; SafetyBreaks!; and Ride 

Like a Friend, Drive Like You Care. These programs provide potentially life-saving 

messages regarding road safety for children in grades K-12.

• Booster to Belts (K-3) is an interactive program that focuses on the 

importance of continued booster seat usage and promotes wearing 

seatbelts as a life-long habit.

• SafetyBreaks! (4-8) is five days worth of in-class lessons that last 15 

minutes each and are taught in the form of a game, covering areas of safety

and around cars; occupant protection; aggressive, distracted, and drowsy 

driving; road rules; and alcohol prevention. SafetyBreaks! was a finalist for 

the 2009 Safe Streets Alliance Innovative Initiative Award.

• Ride Like a Friend, Drive Like You Care (high school) is a three-part 

presentation best performed in an all-school assembly format. Students 

hear information from medical professionals about the health consequences 

of underage alcohol consumption. Next they receive information from law 

enforcement as to what Kansas law dictates regarding underage drinking. 

Finally students get an in-depth look at behaviors occurring in vehicles that 

are causing teens to crash.

All three programs are available at no cost through the Kansas Traffic Safety 

Resource Office. For detailed information about these programs please visit 

www.ktsro.org or email Kat Woolbright at kwoolbright@dccca.org.

Rumble Strips and Bicyclist Safety

On March 11, 2010, Secretary LaHood signed the USDOT Policy Statement on 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation (http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/bicycleped.html), encouraging States, local agencies, and others to provide safe and 

accessible facilities for walking and bicycling. Unfortunately, we continue to hear 

concerns from the bicycle community regarding the placement and location of 

rumble strips. The FHWA Office of Safety’s Guidance Memorandum on 

Consideration and Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures

(http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/memo071008/) recommends that when shoulder 

rumble strips are placed on rural two-lane highways, the remaining shoulder width 

beyond the rumble strip should be four feet or greater, and that this area be paved.

This accommodates bicycle traffic. The FHWA Office of Safety website 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/pavement/rumble_strips/concerns_bike.cf

mcontains additional information on accommodating bicyclists’ concerns with 

rumble strips. While Technical Advisory (TA) T5040.35, Roadway Shoulder Rumble 

Strips, contains advice on accommodating bicyclists, this 2001 TA is being updated 

to reflect current proven practices. The new TA will be released in 2011. Steps that 

can be taken now to address bicyclists’ concerns include the use of narrower 

rumble strips or rumble stripes where shoulders are narrow, the provision of 

longitudinal gaps to allow bicyclists to safely traverse the rumble strips, and the use 

of lower profile rumble strips. Perhaps more important, when rumble strips are being 

considered on roadways that have frequent bicycle use, the early involvement of the 

State’s bicycle coordinator can help assure that safety solutions are designed and 

implemented in ways that are compatible with the needs of that user group.

For more information about bicyclist concerns, contact Dick Schaffer in the FHWA 

Office of Safety at dick.schaffer@dot.gov or 202-366-2176.

Safety Compass Newsletter

A publication of the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Federal Highway 

Administration

The Safety Compass newsletter is 

published for internet distribution three 

times a year by the:

FHWA Office of Safety

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE,

Room E71-105

Washington, DC 20590

The Safety Compass can also be viewed 

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

Editor-in-Chief

Karen Timpone

karen.timpone@dot.gov

Your comments and highway safetyrelated articles are welcomed. This 

newsletter is intended to increase 

highway safety awareness and

information and to provide resources to

help save lives. 

You are encouraged to submit highway 

safety articles that might be of value to 

the highway safety community. Send 

your comments, questions and articles for 

review electronically to Karen Timpone, 

karen.timpone@dot.gov.