Chapter 2

Leadership, Collaboration, and Communication

Key Leadership, Collaboration, and Communication Strategies:

• Assign leaders who are credible, accountable, and have excellent 

interpersonal and organizational skills.

• Meet with new leaders to brief them on their role in supporting the SHSP and 

to persuade them to get involved.

• Establish multidisciplinary collaborative efforts involving the 4E’s of safety.

• Clearly and broadly communicate the SHSP vision, mission, and goals to all 

partners and stakeholders. 

• Use peer exchanges to learn from the experiences of other States.

• Incorporate safety collaboration performance objectives into the position 

descriptions of those involved in SHSP implementation.

• Establish a regime where the chairperson for the regularly scheduled highlevel safety meetings rotates among the various stakeholder groups.
Chapter 3

Collecting, Analyzing, and Sharing Data

Key Data Collection, Analysis, and Sharing Strategies:

• Conduct initial research into a range of available data sources.

• Collect relevant data necessary to defi ne safety needs and support decisionmaking processes.

• Prepare a traffi c records improvement strategic plan and data collection task 

forces or committees.

• Provide training in the collection, analysis, and use of safety data.

• Use data to select and implement appropriate systemic improvements to the 

transportation network and identify projects to improve safety at high-crash 

locations.

• Use data to monitor and evaluate the outcomes and results of safety projects 

and programs.

• Use data to justify the need for resources to support implementation of safety 

projects and programs.

• Establish data sharing protocols to ensure all stakeholders are working from 

the same data sets and have access to the data they need.

• Allow State and local agency partners to query safety data directly.
Chapter 4

Emphasis Area Action Plans

Key Emphasis Area Action Plan Strategies:

• Develop detailed action plans for each strategy in your SHSP.

• Identify a facilitator to assist emphasis area teams in achieving consensus on 

action plan elements.

• Identify performance measures as a basis for monitoring and evaluation and 

assign responsibilities to support accountability.

• Assign responsibilities to support accountability.

• Review and amend action plans as you proceed with implementation.

• Provide emphasis area team members with a copy of the IPM.
Chapter 5.1

Long-Range Transportation Plans and 

Tra

nsportation Improvement Programs

Key Integration Strategies – LRTP and S/TIP

• Meet with planning offi cials at the DOT and MPO levels to discuss how to 

incorporate safety considerations into project selection and prioritization 

activities.

• Participate in DOT and MPO visioning exercises to ensure safety is explicitly 

addressed. 

• Develop prototype vision statements that include safety language for 

presentation at DOT and MPO visioning exercises, MPO board meetings, 

public involvement meetings, and other forums to raise awareness.

• Encourage the adoption of SHSP goals, objectives, and performance 

measures.

• Provide the results of research and analysis conducted during the SHSP 

development process to identify strategies and projects for inclusion in 

LRTPs and S/TIPs.

• Offer to serve on committees and teams that prepare and infl uence 

transportation plans.

• Support MPO transportation safety planning forums to review crash data, 

introduce the SHSP, and discuss how safety can be integrated into their 

planning documents.

• Attend statewide and local MPO board meetings to encourage a focus on 

safety.

• Encourage MPOs to establish safety committees, adopt safety resolutions 

in support of the SHSP, and develop regional safety action plans refl ecting 

appropriate elements from the SHSP.

• Encourage and participate in the establishment of project prioritization 

weighting or ranking schemes that explicitly address safety considerations.

• Encourage MPOs to use the SHSP emphasis areas as a source for programs in 

their annual Unifi ed Planning Work Programs. 

• Ask the DOT and MPOs to require explicit documentation showing how 

S/TIP projects utilizing HSIP funds are directly linked to the SHSP.

• Use peer exchanges to learn from the experiences of other States. 
Chapter 5.2

Highway Safety Improvement Programs

Key Integration Strategies – HSIP

• Program HSIP funding to implement strategies aligned with the SHSP 

emphasis areas.

• Familiarize the SHSP team with the HSIP Manual.

• Participate in FHWA’s HSIP Assessment Toolbox.

• Identify the infrastructure-related emphasis areas in the SHSP.

• Develop policies and procedures to ensure the SHSP is considered during 

project prioritization.

• Encourage a systems approach for implementing proven effective 

countermeasures.

• Engage safety stakeholders and other partners to ensure more comprehensive 

and effective multidisciplinary solutions.

• Train local governments, MPOs, and consultants in safety analysis techniques 

and countermeasure selection.

• Use the SHSP process to review and evaluate the safety impacts of projects 

proposed by DOT Districts.

• Reserve funds specifi cally for projects that align with the SHSP.

• Mainstream safety features (i.e., rumble strips, etc.) into the scope of general 

construction projects to conserve scarce safety funds.

• Provide technical assistance and traffi c engineering expertise to locals.
Chapter 5.3

Highway Safety Plans

Key Integration Strategies – HSP

• Ensure personnel working on SHSP and related programs and projects are 

familiar with HSP performance measures.

• Conduct data analysis to focus on the greatest problem areas consistent with 

the SHSP emphasis area identifi cation process.

• Focus the grant development and selection process on priority problem 

areas consistent with SHSP emphasis areas and strategies, e.g., revise grant 

solicitation announcements to include SHSP priorities.

• Bring multiple agencies together during the programming process to 

improve project selection and ensure consistency with SHSP priorities and 

strategies.

• Provide grant funds to local coalitions, nonprofi ts, and advocacy 

organizations to address issues specifi c to their jurisdictions and areas of 

expertise.

• Use peer exchanges to learn from the experiences of other States.
Chapter 5.4

Commercial Vehicle Safety Plans

Key Integration Strategies – CVSP

• Ensure personnel working on SHSP and related programs and projects are 

familiar with MCSAP requirements.

• Identify SHSP emphasis areas and/or strategies related to CMVs and include 

them as State-specifi c objectives within the CVSP.

• Use data for problem identifi cation consistent with the SHSP.

• Incorporate SHSP education and enforcement strategies into the CVSP (i.e., 

safety belts, aggressive driving, work zones, etc.).

• Encourage State trucking associations and commissions to collaborate with a 

broad range of safety stakeholders.

• Collaborate with law enforcement, motor vehicle administrators, and 

engineers to develop joint training and campaign programs.

• Develop an Award for Excellence in Commercial Vehicle Safety, in 

collaboration with the State Association of Chiefs of Police to acknowledge 

local law enforcement agencies.

• Integrate safety and SHSP elements into the State and local freight planning 

processes.

• Reach out to local stakeholders by training, certifying, and collaborating with 

them on CMV inspection programs.
Marketing

Chapter 6

Key Marketing Strategies

• Develop a Statewide strategic marketing plan.

• Address overall transportation safety rather than just the SHSP document.

• Brand the effort with a unique identity.

• Gain support from new safety stakeholders.

• Use newsletters and safety summits to keep stakeholders interested and 

active.

• Educate the public and elected offi cials about the SHSP and safety issues.

• Provide opportunities to highlight different aspects of the SHSP through 

news media.

• Coordinate media and communications messaging among all SHSP partners.

• Prepare materials to distribute through public relations channels and earned 

media.
Chapter 7

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback

Key Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback Strategies

• Establish a timeline for reviewing and updating the SHSP, identifying key 

data inputs, reporting cycles, and other schedules (e.g., STIP) with which the 

review should be coordinated.

• Monitor the implementation effort and issue periodic, standardized progress 

reports for each emphasis area.

• Use a tracking tool, at least a spreadsheet, to organize and manage the 

monitoring process and to formalize reporting and sharing of information.

• Use data-driven evaluation techniques and collect baseline data prior to 

implementation; consult standard data collection and analysis references as 

necessary to ensure credible results.

• Defi ne performance objectives that determine what constitutes “success”

prior to countermeasure selection and implementation.

• Select suitable performance measures that are clearly related to performance 

objectives to make sure the appropriate data are collected pre-and postimplementation.

• Make sure the SHSP implementation team is familiar with safety-related 

performance measuring tools.

• Use the results of monitoring and evaluation to identify opportunities to 

update or revise the SHSP.