Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 1

A Message from FHWA Associate 

Administrator for Safety, Tony Furst

The Times They Are a Changin’ (yeah, this 

time Bob Dylan) 

We’ve recently published two Notices of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRMs) relative to highway safety—one on 

changes to the Highway Safety Improvement Program 

(HSIP) (1.usa.gov/O4TTs6) and one on how FHWA 

proposes to implement the safety performance measures 

in MAP-21 – Safety PM (1.usa.gov/NRX3zU). Later this year, FHWA will 

publish an NPRM on the statewide, metropolitan, and non-metropolitan 

planning regulations that will propose how performance measures will be 

integrated into the planning process. A second performance-related NPRM 

will focus on pavement, bridges, and asset management; and a third will 

focus on congestion, emissions, system performance, freight, and public 

transportation. In addition, before our Safety NPRMs were published,

NHTSA issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on changes to its programs.

These documents contain a lot of complex information. They are not 

standalone documents; the NHTSA IFR, the HSIP NPRM, and the Safety 

PM NPRM are related to each other, and are related to the soon-to-bereleased NPRM updating the planning regulations. These documents do 

not propose incremental tweaks or minor shifts; rather, they update the 

HSIP and advance the vision of Congress to significantly transform 

Federal-aid transportation programs.

The times, they are a changin’. I strongly encourage you to learn about 

what is proposed in these NPRMs and submit your comments through the 

docket. This is your opportunity to engage on an issue that will 

fundamentally alter our program. For an overview, read the article on the 

NPRMs on pages 2-3 of this issue. And then, I ask that you take the time 

to read through the NPRMs and let us know your thoughts – the good, the 

bad, and the ugly (ok, Ennio Morricone, too).

A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1

In This Issue:

Two NPRMs Propose Important 

Changes ........................................... 2

FHWA Focus Areas To Become 

More Data Driven........................... 3

FHWA Releases New Pedestrian 

Hybrid Beacon Guide .................... 5

FHWA Releases New EDC2 

Alternative Intersections Videos.... 5

Illinois Receives Award for 

Wrong-Way Driving Efforts.......... 6

Coming Soon! The SHSP

Community of Practice................... 6

New R&T Agenda Website

Launched ..........................................7

FHWA Studies Pavement Safety 

Performance................................8

New Safety Performance Function 

Guides Issued................................. 10

MN Crash Mapping Tool Provides 

One-Stop Shop for Crash Data .... 10

Enhancing Statistical Methodologies for Highway Safety 

Research ......................................... 11

New Online Tech Transfer Toolbox 

Helps Ohio LPAs Establish Curve 

Advisory Speeds .............................13

Traffic and Safety Academy .........14

RSF Releases 2014 Roadway 

Safety Guide: A Primer For 

Community Leaders .....................15

KYTC Employees Certified as 

National Incident Management 

Instructors .....................................15

Announcements and Events..........16
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 2

TWO NEW RULEMAKINGS PROPOSE 

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO HSIP

REQUIREMENTS AND SAFETY 

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Register Your Comments Today!

By: Rob Ritter, Karen Scurry, and Keith Williams

FHWA Office of Safety

In response to the requirements of the Moving 

Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP21), FHWA has published two Notices of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRM) related to the Highway Safety 

Improvement Program (HSIP). MAP-21 required a 

number of changes to the HSIP under 23 U.S.C. 

148 and included transformative requirements for 

the Federal-aid highway program by establishing 

performance-based requirements under 23 U.S.C. 

150. The NPRMs propose revisions to the existing 

HSIP regulation and establish the MAP-21 

Performance Management Requirements, as well 

as the specific safety performance measure 

requirements to carry out the HSIP. The HSIP and 

Safety Performance Measures NPRMs are 

currently available for review and comment at 

www.regulations.gov. Additional information about 

each NPRM is provided below. 

HSIP NPRM

The NPRM to update HSIP requirements was 

published in the Federal Register on March 28, 

2014. This NPRM proposes changes to the HSIP 

regulations under 23 CFR Part 924 for consistency 

with MAP-21 and to clarify existing program 

requirements. The proposed HSIP changes are 

intended to clarify the regulation for the 

development, implementation, and evaluation of 

highway safety improvement programs that are 

administered in each State.

Specifically, the HSIP NPRM proposes to remove 

reference to existing provisions that were 

eliminated under MAP-21. These provisions include 

the High Risk Rural Roads Program, the 10 percent 

flexibility provision (which limited State spending on 

non-infrastructure projects to 10 percent of their 

HSIP apportionment), and the requirement for 

States to submit a transparency report 

documenting at least the top 5 percent of their most 

urgent safety needs.

MAP-21 also requires the Secretary of 

Transportation to establish: 

• A subset of roadway data elements to be 

collected for all public roads that will enhance 

the safety analysis capabilities of State and 

local departments of transportation (DOT) and 

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO);

• An update cycle for State Strategic Highway 

Safety Plans; and 

• An HSIP report’s content and schedule.

FHWA proposes States collect a subset of roadway 

data elements (defined as Model Inventory of 

Roadway Elements (MIRE) Fundamental Data 

Elements (FDE)) on all public roads within 5 years 

of the effective date of the final rule. The proposed 

MIRE FDE are consistent with the FHWA’s State 

Safety Data Systems Guidance dated December 

27, 2012, and are the minimum roadway data 

elements required to conduct initial network 

screening on all public roads. FHWA also proposes 

that States update their SHSPs no later than 5 

years from the previously approved version, 

consistent with current practice and the SHSP 

Interim Guidance dated April 1, 2013. In addition, 

FHWA proposes to continue the requirement for 

States to submit their annual reports by August 

31st each year via the online reporting tool. 

Consistent with the Safety Performance Measures 

NRPM described below, FHWA further proposes 

that States also describe their annual safety targets 

and progress toward achieving those targets in the 

annual HSIP report. 

The HSIP NPRM also clarifies that both 

infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects are 

eligible for HSIP funds. However, FHWA proposes 

that States program all other non-infrastructure 

funds prior to using HSIP funds for that purpose. 

FHWA also proposes to clarify that noninfrastructure projects must also be included in the 

Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. 

Lastly, the HSIP NPRM proposes changes to the 

HSIP regulations to be consistent with the new 

MAP-21 transportation performance management 

requirements proposed under the Safety 

Performance Measures NPRM, as described 

below. 

Safety Performance Measures NPRM

The NPRM on Safety Performance Measures 

(Safety PM) was published in the Federal Register 

on March 11, 2014, and establishes the 

performance management elements required by 

MAP-21 (specifically the requirements for the 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 3

HSIP). The NPRM proposes safety performance 

measures and State DOT and MPO requirements 

for establishing and reporting specific annual 

targets for fatalities and serious injuries for the 

purposes of carrying out the HSIP.

The NPRM defines four measures as the 5-year 

rolling averages of: (1) the number of fatalities; (2) 

the number of serious injuries; (3) the rate of 

fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled; and 

(4) the rate of serious injuries per 100 million 

vehicle miles traveled. These measures cover all 

public roads, regardless of functional classification 

or ownership. The NPRM requires States to 

establish annually one statewide target for each 

measure and provides the option to establish one 

target for all urbanized areas and one target for all 

non-urbanized areas in the State for each or any of 

the measures, allowing for a maximum of 12 

targets. MPOs can agree to support the State DOT 

target or establish a numerical target for each 

measure specific to the MPO planning area. 

State DOT targets are evaluated annually for 

achievement. Targets not achieved are evaluated 

as to whether or not they made significant progress 

towards achievement, which is defined as having 

the actual outcome for the measure falling at or 

below a 70 percent prediction interval. The 

prediction interval is based on a linear regression 

trend line built from data that was available at the 

time the target was set. In order to be rated as 

“Overall Made Significant Progress,” a State must 

meet or make significant progress toward achieving 

at least 50 percent of the targets. If a State has 

been given the rating “Overall Not Made Significant 

Progress,” then the State must use obligation 

authority equal to the prior year only for safety 

projects and develop an annual implementation 

plan to take corrective actions until overall 

significant progress is achieved. 

Related NPRMs

USDOT anticipates publishing an additional related 

NPRM – to update the statewide, metropolitan, and 

non-metropolitan planning regulations – later this 

spring. Further, a second set of performance 

management-related NPRMs focusing on 

pavement, bridges, and asset management will be 

issued this summer, and a third set focusing on 

congestion, emissions, system performance, 

freight, and public transportation will be issued later 

this year.

Collectively, these rules advance the vision of 

Congress to transform Federal-aid transportation 

programs to provide more efficient investments by:

• Focusing on national transportation goals; 

• Increasing accountability and transparency; and

• Improving transportation investment 

decisionmaking.

Submit Your Comments 

FHWA encourages all interested parties to review 

the NPRMs in their entirety to clearly understand 

the proposals. There are specific requests for

comments in each NPRM. All public comments on 

the NPRMs should be submitted to the Docket at 

www.regulations.gov.

NPRM Docket # Comment 

Period Closes

HSIP FHWA-2013-0019 May 27, 2014

Safety 

Performance 

Measures

FHWA-2013-0020 June 9, 2014

Outreach Activities

FHWA conducted several webinars to explain the 

contents of the HSIP and Safety PM NPRMs, 

discuss how these and other NPRMs are related, 

and answer clarifying questions. Archived 

recordings of these webinars and other summary 

information are available at the following links for 

the HSIP and Safety Performance Measures 

NPRM: 

HSIP NPRM: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/nprm 

Safety Performance Measures NPRM: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tpm/rule.cfm 

FHWA FOCUS AREAS TO BECOME 

MORE DATA DRIVEN

By: Cathy Satterfield, FHWA Office of Safety

Based on a 2013 review of how fatalities in the 

pedestrian, intersection crashes, and roadway 

departure crashes focus areas were gleaned from 

the FARS database, the Office of Safety has 

expanded the coding criteria in each focus area 

and improved the clarity of how they fit into the 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 4

entire fatality picture. These new criteria will be 

used beginning in 2014. In addition, the Office of 

Safety will make national and State fatality data for 

2007-2012 available using the new criteria so that 

safety stakeholders can see the trends. Here are 

the specifics of the major revisions:

Pedestrian Focus Area to become 

Pedestrian/Bicycle Focus Area. In this important 

focus area, the pedestrian has been joined by 

persons using motorized or human-powered 

devices that would also typically use pedestrian 

facilities, such as wheelchairs, scooters, or skates. 

In addition, interest in promoting wellness and 

decreasing emissions has increased the number of 

bicyclists and the frequency of these trip types. 

Therefore, FHWA has chosen to include bicyclists 

and other cyclists within this focus area.

Intersection Crashes to expand to include 

previously excluded types of intersections.

Many intersection crashes that occurred at or were

related to intersections within interchange areas 

and at driveways and alleys were previously not 

included in the intersection crash count. Since 

these locations involve the same crossing or angle, 

turning, and rear-end conflicts present at other 

intersections, and similar countermeasures are 

often appropriate, the intersection focus criteria

have been expanded to present a more complete 

picture on intersection safety. 

Roadway Departure Crashes will no longer 

specifically exclude intersections. Only a minor 

change was recommended for counting roadway 

departure fatalities, since the coding criteria for this 

focus area underwent significant changes in 2009. 

It was deemed that roadway departures occurring 

within or related to intersections need to be 

included to present the complete picture.

The Mutually Exclusive Fatality Picture

During the review process, questions were raised 

regarding how many fatalities involved more than 

one of the focus areas and whether there were 

other focus areas that should be considered. To 

examine this, the team called upon the data 

expertise of Dr. Ana Maria Eigen, who was able to 

develop the following chart showing how each 

focus area fits into the larger traffic fatality picture

and where they overlap. The Office of Safety hopes 

to develop similar charts for each State that will be 

available with the next update to the Safety

Dashboard, located at http://rspcb.safety.

fhwa.dot.gov/SafetyCOP.aspx. No other single 

crash type considered seemed to indicate a need 

for a new focus area.

 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 5

Addressing Crashes Involving More than 

One Focus Area

An interesting finding from the development of the 

mutually exclusive pie chart was that there are a 

surprising number of fatalities that involve more 

than one of the focus areas, and the majority of the 

overlap occurs with intersections. Now that we are 

more aware of these multi-faceted crash types, we 

have the opportunity to analyze them and consider 

new solutions. 

Interested in learning more? A technical 

summary of the revisions, written by Dr. Ana Maria 

Eigen and Cathy Satterfield, is in the process of 

publication through the Office of Safety R&D. 

Program office staff for each of the Focus Areas 

(http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/about/contactinfo.cfm) 

are additional sources of information. 

FHWA RELEASES NEW PEDESTRIAN 

HYBRID BEACON GUIDE –

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CASE STUDY

By: Tamara Redmon, FHWA Office of Safety

In addition to eight other countermeasures 

designed to improve intersection, pedestrian, and 

roadway departure crashes, the FHWA strongly 

encourages the use of pedestrian hybrid beacons 

(PHB). These beacons (also known as High 

intensity Activated crosswalks,or HAWKs) are 

pedestrian-activated warning devices located on 

the roadside or on mast arms over midblock 

pedestrian crossings. 

The pedestrian hybrid beacon head remains dark 

until the pedestrian desires to cross the street. 

When the pedestrian pushes an easy-to-reach 

button, the beacon activates. After displaying brief 

flashing and steady yellow intervals, the device 

displays a steady red indication to drivers and a 

"WALK" indication to pedestrians, allowing them to 

cross a major roadway while traffic is stopped. After 

the pedestrian phase ends, the "WALK" indication 

changes to a flashing orange hand to notify 

pedestrians that their clearance time is ending. The 

hybrid beacon displays alternating flashing red 

lights to drivers while pedestrians finish their 

crossings before once again going dark at the 

conclusion of the cycle. 

To help support the adoption of PHB where 

appropriate, the FHWA Safety Office developed a 

12-page document that expands on the FHWA 

“Guidance Memorandum on Promoting the 

Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures,” which is available at http://safety.fhwa.

dot.gov/provencountermeasures/index.htm, and 

offers a case study of Buford Highway in Dekalb 

County, Georgia—a location that successfully used 

PHB to solve a safety problem. The Pedestrian 

Hybrid Beacon Guide – Recommendations and 

Case Study is available at http://safety.fhwa.dot.

gov/ped_bike/tools_solve/fhwasa14014/.

Illustration of a pedestrian hybrid beacon at a mid-block 

crossing.

FHWA RELEASES NEW EDC2

ALTERNATIVE INTERSECTIONS VIDEOS

By: Jeffrey B. Shaw, P.E., FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA is pleased to announce that a series of 

informational videos about four alternative 

intersection designs are completed and posted to 

the FHWA YouTube channel. Each video runs

approximately 7 minutes in length and provides 

basic information about the safety and operational 

benefits of each intersection. Experts from around 

the country provide informative commentary, and 

high-quality footage from locations throughout the 

United States is used to illustrate the concepts.

There is one video for each of the following four 

intersection types:
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 6

• Diverging Diamond Interchanges at 

http://youtu.be/eLAwwl3EtN4 

• Median U-Turn Intersections at 

http://youtu.be/fshW_O_XggI 

• Displaced Left-Turn Intersections at 

http://youtu.be/ph9jO1EujZ0

• Restricted Crossing U-Turn Intersections at 

http://youtu.be/BLwl01NCp9I

Through the Every Day Counts 2 initiative, the 

FHWA is encouraging agencies and communities to routinely consider these innovative 

designs both for retrofits of existing intersections and interchanges and when constructing new facilities. For more information, visit 

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

fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/edctwo/2012/geometr

ics.cfm 

ILLINOIS RECEIVES AWARD FOR 

WRONG-WAY DRIVING EFFORTS

By: Jeffrey B. Shaw, P.E., FHWA Office of Safety

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) 

was recently honored at the 100th Illinois 

Transportation and Highway Engineering 

Conference with the “High Impact Project” award 

for its efforts on Wrong-Way Driving (WWD). More 

information about the award and the project can be 

found on the Illinois Center for Transportation 

website at http://ict.illinois.edu/index.aspx. These 

efforts include developing the report “Investigation 

of Contributing Factors Regarding Wrong-Way 

Driving on Freeways”; sponsoring the National 

Wrong-Way Driving Summit, held in July 2013 at 

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), 

as well as issuing the summit’s proceedings; and 

publishing a new national WWD resource entitled 

“Guidelines for Reducing Wrong-Way Crashes on 

Freeways.” The project panel chairs were Priscilla 

Tobias (IDOT) and Rich Coakley (CH2MHill), and 

the Principal Investigators were Dr. Hugo Zhou 

(Auburn University), Dr. Ryan Fries (SIUE) and 

Brent Vaughn (SIUE). 

COMING SOON!

THE STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SAFETY 

PLAN COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

By Jennifer Warren, FHWA Office of Safety

The FHWA Office of Safety is 

developing a Strategic Highway 

Safety Plan (SHSP) Community 

of Practice (COP). The SHSP 

COP will be an online forum for 

SHSP practitioners and 

stakeholders who represent the 4 E’s of safety 

(engineering, enforcement, education, and 

emergency services/response) to interact with 

peers on SHSP-related issues and learn about the 

latest SHSP resources, noteworthy practices and 

events.

What is a COP?

A community of practice (COP) is a group of people 

who share a common concern, practice, or “domain 

of interest” and learn how to be more effective in 

this domain as they interact regularly. In this case, 

the domain of interest is the SHSP.

A community of practice is not merely a community 

of interest—people who like certain kinds of 

movies, for instance. Members of a COP are 

practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of 

resources, including experiences, stories, tools, 

and ways of addressing recurring problems; in 

short, a shared practice. In a COP, members value 

their collective competence and learn from each 

other. In pursuing their interest in their domain, 

members engage in joint activities and discussions, 

help each other, and share information. 

The SHSP COP Will Be A Place For 

SHSP Practitioners To:

• Build community through informal mentoring 

groups and relationships

• Engage in a peer environment 

• Transfer best practices

• Find valuable SHSP information, tools and 

resources

• Access technical assistance
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 7

The SHSP COP will centralize and disseminate 

information for States about the range of roadway 

safety practices and strategies being implemented 

across the Nation through SHSPs as well as 

provide the opportunity for SHSP practitioners to 

interact with their peers on SHSP issues. 

Information and resources will be available from 

FHWA, a variety of Federal and State agencies,

and other safety partners. 

We’d Like Your Input!

If you participate in your State’s SHSP 

development and implementation, or would like to, 

this forum will be for you. So we’d like to know what 

would make the COP the most useful and 

informative for you. Please share your ideas for 

content, featured topics and discussions, partner 

resources, SHSP-related events and anything else 

you think would be helpful to you and your SHSP 

peers. We’ll do our best to build your suggestions 

into the COP.

To share your ideas or for more information, please 

contact: Jennifer Warren, FHWA Office of Safety,

Jennifer.warren@dot.gov, 202-366-2157.

FHWA RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY 

PROGRAM LAUNCHES NEW R&T

AGENDA WEBSITE

By: John V. Moulden, Manager, FHWA R&T National 

Partnership Program

The new highway authorization, MAP-21, provides 

FHWA with the flexibility to structure a 

comprehensive Research and Technology (R&T) 

program that aligns with highway transportation 

needs. In a substantial change from the SAFETEALU authorization, the FHWA’s R&T portfolio now 

has greater ability be responsive to stakeholder 

needs under MAP-21. 

FHWA conducts R&T on highway problems of 

national scope and importance. The newly released 

FHWA R&T Agenda website is designed to improve 

understanding of FHWA’s R&T priorities among 

stakeholders and to increase stakeholder input and 

collaboration. Michael Trentacoste, Associate 

Administrator for Research, Development, and 

Technology, noted, ”We see the FHWA R&T 

Agenda and website as a critical elements in our 

efforts to make the FHWA R&T program more 

transparent and receptive to the needs of our states 

and other stakeholders.”

The FHWA R&T Program is based on objectives 

and strategies defined by the offices that oversee 

FHWA’s major disciplines or topic areas. Offices 

accomplish their objectives through innovative 

strategies that guide research planning on highpriority topics. Activities or projects follow from the 

objectives and strategies. For example, one Safety 

R&D Office Objective —support the systematic 

planning, management and evaluation of roadway 

safety—employs several strategies including 

“develop and deploy tools, processes and guidance 

to support evidence-based safety decision-making. 

“ The Roadway Data Improvement Program is an 

activity designed to support and achieve that 

objective. 

The New Website: What, Why, and How 

We Do What We Do

The new R&T website, located at 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/fhwaresearch/ag

enda/, depicts each office’s objectives and 

strategies and showcases examples of activities 

that illustrate how the R&T Agenda stimulates new 

practices and policies that will result in safer, more 

efficient, and more sustainable roadways across 

the United States.

The FHWA Research and Technology Agenda Web 

Page
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 8

The new website is designed to tell the FHWA R&T 

story—what we do and why we are doing it. It does 

this by providing a high-level overview of and 

context for FHWA R&T, featuring the cross-cutting 

work of our research and program offices, 

improving accessibility of the FHWA R&T portfolio 

to stakeholders, and providing a web-based 

mechanism for stakeholder input.

The website presents FHWA’s R&T agenda in two 

ways. The first shows how the FHWA research and 

program offices address the six major, nationallevel R&T challenges facing the Nation’s highways:

• Advancing Highway Safety

• Enhancing System Performance

• Improving the Mobility of People and Goods

• Maintaining Infrastructure Integrity

• Promoting Environmental Sustainability

• Preparing for the Future

The second presents information by traditional 

discipline or topic areas: Infrastructure, Operations, 

Safety, Policy, Planning & Environment, Federal 

Lands, Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR), and 

Innovative Program Delivery (IPD). The web page 

also describes how each office’s strategic 

objectives drive that office’s R&T portfolios.

The website shows visitors how the FHWA offices 

accomplish their objectives through innovative 

strategies that guide research planning on highpriority topics. The website also features specific 

showcase activities and projects that follow from 

these objectives and strategies. These showcase 

activities illustrate how the R&T Agenda stimulates 

new technologies, practices and policies, resulting 

in safer, more efficient, and more sustainable 

roadways across the United States.

The FHWA R&T agenda website was recently 

enhanced with new showcase activities from the 

FHWA R&T portfolio, and an expanded stakeholder 

feedback feature to help FHWA shape the future of 

its R&T Program. We encourage you to visit the 

website at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/

fhwaresearch/agenda/ and provide feedback on 

your experience there.

For further information, please contact John V. 

Moulden, R&T National Partnership Program 

Manager, at 202-493-3470 or via email at 

John.moulden@dot.gov

FHWA PIONEERS PAVEMENT SAFETY 

PERFORMANCE STUDY

By: Roya Amjadi, FHWA Office of Safety R&D

The FHWA and 18 volunteer States have 

pioneered a study to use crash data to measure 

pavement safety performance. This study 

developed crash modification factors and 

benefit/cost ratios for nine different pavement 

treatments to examine their potential in reducing 

the frequency and severity of lane departure

crashes. This study may open a new chapter in 

pavement design by including highway safety 

factors, highway safety evaluations, and pavement 

effects on road safety. 

At FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank Highway Research 

Center (TFHRC), the Offices of Safety R&D and 

Infrastructure R&D joined efforts and resources to 

initiate the Pavement Safety Performance (PSP) 

study in 2011. This study was deemed to be a highpriority safety research need by the Technical 

Advisory Committee (TAC) members of the 

Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements 

Pooled Fund Study (ELCSI-PFS). Currently, there 

are 35 member States in this PFS.

The PSP study was initiated to shed more light on

the effect of the pavement surface itself on safety 

and to show that different low- or no-incrementalcost pavement surface treatments have different 

safety performances. This work builds on

knowledge garnered from previous efforts and 

seeks a better understanding of the effects that 

various common pavement treatments have on 

roadway safety.

A construction crew conducts paving operations on a 

roadway. Photo courtesy of Transtec, Inc.
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 9

This study represents a first-of-its-kind evaluation of 

the effects of various low-cost pavement treatments 

on roadway safety. While the results did not reveal 

that one particular treatment is substantially better 

than another, it did reveal some potential 

differences in benefit for the treatments, particularly 

when cost is considered through the benefit-cost 

analysis. In the end, virtually all of the treatments 

provided benefit for wet-road crashes on all road 

types, with the exception of thin HMA overlays on 

two-lane roads.

Double drum steel wheel vibratory roller machines 

smooth a newly paved roadway. Photo courtesy of 

Transtec, Inc.

Treatments Evaluated

The following treatments were considered in the 

final analysis: 

• Flexible Pavement Treatment Strategies

o Thin HMA Overlay

o Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC)

o Ultrathin Bonded Wearing Course (UTBWC)

o Microsurfacing

o High Friction Surfacing

o Chip Seal (single/double/triple)

o Slurry Seal

• Concrete Pavement Treatment Strategies

o Thin HMA Overlay

o Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC)

o Ultrathin Bonded Wearing Course (UTBWC)

o Microsurfacing

o High Friction Surfacing

o Diamond Grinding

o Grooving / Next Generation Concrete 

Surface

These treatments are commonly used by states 

throughout the U.S. However some, such as 

OGFC, are not commonly used in cold-weather 

climates where they may not perform well under 

freeze-thaw cycles.

For above pavements, this study developed reliable 

Crash Modification Factors (CMF), which are 

quantitative estimates of effectiveness in reducing 

crashes for safety countermeasures. 

Some of the key results for each treatment type 

include:

• Thin HMA Overlay: Benefit for wet road 

crashes on multilane roads and freeways, but a 

disbenefit for both wet and dry road crashes on 

two-lane roads.

• OGFS: Benefit for wet road crashes on 

freeways, but a disbenefit for dry road crashes 

on both two-lane and multilane roads

• Chip Seal: Significant benefit for wet road 

crashes on multilane roads, and small benefit 

for wet and dry road crashes on two-lane roads, 

but a disbenefit for dry-road crashes for 

multilane roads.

• Microsurfacing: Benefit for wet road crashes on 

two-lane and multilane roads, but a disbenefit 

for dry road crashes on two-lane roads. 

• Slurry Seal: Benefit for wet road crashes on

two-lane roads.

• UTBWC: Benefit for wet road crashes on 

freeways and wet and dry road crashes on twolane roads.

• Diamond Grinding: Benefit for wet and dry road 

crashes on freeways.

It is important to keep in mind that these treatments 

are not necessarily interchangeable from a 

pavement standpoint. Different treatments may be 

better suited for different climates, traffic levels, and 

underlying pavement types. 

High friction surfacing does provide substantial 

safety benefit, even when weighed against the 

higher cost of the treatment. However, this study 

does not purport to endorse such a treatment for all 

circumstances. Use should be focused on 

applications where the benefits are most clear—on 

ramps and curves—until subsequent studies can 

be conducted to evaluate the benefit for other 

applications.

To read more about the study and to learn about 

the crash modification factors and benefit/cost 

ratios identified for nine different pavement 

treatments, please visit 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/saf

ety/comprehensive/elcsi/index.cfm.
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 10

NEW SAFETY PERFORMANCE FUNCTION 

GUIDES ISSUED

By: Esther Strawder, FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA is pleased to introduce two new resources 

for State and local agencies that are implementing 

the Highway Safety Manual (HSM). These safety 

performance function (SPF) guides are the product 

of the ongoing Transportation Pooled Fund study 

TPF-5 (255) and were prepared by the University of 

North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. 

Both are designed to be used by State and local 

agency practitioners and researchers.

The SPF Decision Guide is intended to provide 

guidance on whether an agency should calibrate 

the SPFs from the HSM or develop jurisdictionspecific SPFs. The guide discusses the factors that 

need to be considered while making this decision. 

The guide is available at: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/

rsdp/downloads/spf_decision_guide_final.pdf

The SPF Development Guide provides guidance 

on developing SPFs from the HSM. The guide 

discusses the process to develop jurisdictionspecific SPFs and is also designed to be used by 

state and local agency practitioners and 

researchers. The guide is available at: http://safety.

fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/downloads/spf_development_gui

de_final.pdf

MINNESOTA CRASH MAPPING 

ANALYSIS TOOL PROVIDES ONE-STOP 

SHOP FOR CRASH DATA

By: Sulmaan Khan, P.E., State Aid for Local 

Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation

The Minnesota Crash Mapping Analysis Tool 

(MnCMAT) is an online application to help traffic 

safety professionals easily map and analyze crash 

data. The idea for the MnCMAT tool was brought 

about by members of the Minnesota County 

Engineers Association (MCEA) after they were 

shown a demonstration several years ago of a 

crash mapping tool that was developed for the Iowa 

DOT. After seeing the usefulness that the 

application displayed, Federal research money with 

a match from the MnDOT State Aid for Local 

Transportation (SALT) office was used to create a 

more versatile web-based version of the tool. This 

version included several additional features such as 

aerial images, multiple intersection selection, and 

list rankings. Acceptance testing for the new 

application was performed by users from all 4 E’s 

(Engineering, Enforcement, Education, and 

Emergency Services) in order to generate a 

product that is user friendly for all traffic safety 

professionals. The application contains data on the 

reported crashes on all public roads within the 

State for the last 10 years plus the current year. 

Crash data within the application is updated four 

times per year. 

The MnCMAT application has been a valuable tool 

for various projects that have been completed 

throughout the State such as the Minnesota County 

Roadway Safety Plans. These plans were created 

to identify a specific set of low-cost systematic 

safety projects that are linked directly to the 

causation factors associated with the most severe 

crashes on the county’s system of highways. 

Federal HSIP dollars, as well as other funding 

sources, have recently been used to implement 

several of the projects identified in the plans. 

Access to the Application 

All users must request access to the application 

through SALT’s MnCMAT website listed below. 

Users must have approval from their sponsoring 

City or County Engineer before access is granted to 

them. Currently there are nearly 500 MnCMAT 

users throughout the State.

Operation

To operate the system, the user first selects the 

desired work area by county, MnDOT district, tribal 

government, or the entire State through the screen 

shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 New project screen in MnCMAT system
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 11

The application then displays a map of the selected 

work area. The user can then display all crashes or 

select crashes within the selected area. The area 

could be a city, intersection, or any rectangle,

polygon, circle, or road segment(s) determined by 

the user. Figure 2 shows an example of crash 

selection within a user-specified rectangle.

Figure 2 Example of crashes within a user-specified 

rectangle in the MnCMAT system

The application can also filter for types of crashes, 

produce a stacked display of crashes for areas with 

multiple crashes at one specific location (Figure 3), 

and create other outputs such as data exports, 

reports, and charts of the selected crash data.

Figure 3 A stacked display of crashes by type at specific 

locations

For more information on this tool, please visit: 

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/stateaid/crashmapping.

html

For questions, please contact: 

mncmat.dot@state.mn.us

ENHANCING STATISTICAL 

METHODOLOGIES FOR HIGHWAY 

SAFETY RESEARCH – IMPETUS FROM 

FHWA

By: Roya Amjadi, FHWA Office of Safety R&D

Development of Crash Modification 

Factors Program 

The FHWA Development of Crash Modification 

Factors (DCMF) Program was established in 2012 

to address highway safety research needs for 

evaluating new and innovative safety strategies 

(improvements) by developing reliable quantitative 

estimates of their effectiveness in reducing 

crashes. 

The ultimate goal of the DCMF Program is to save 

lives by identifying new safety strategies that 

effectively reduce crashes and promoting them for 

nationwide installations. This program provides 

measures of safety effectiveness or Crash 

Modification Factors (CMFs) and benefit-to-cost 

ratios (B/C) for high-priority safety 

countermeasures through research. State 

departments of transportation (DOT) and other 

transportation agencies need to have objective 

measures for safety effectiveness and B/C ratios 

before investing in new strategies for statewide 

safety improvements. Statistical methodologies are 

heavily used for all safety improvement evaluations 

performed under the DCMF Program.

The secondary goal of DCMF Program is to 

advance highway safety and related research by 

establishing a sound foundation for developing

highway transportation-specific statistical 

methodologies in cooperation with the American 

Statistical Association (ASA) and other statistical

communities. Nearly all methodologies used in 

safety analysis have been borrowed from various 

statistical fields and have limitations in capability 

and applicability for use in highway safety research. 

There are 38 State DOTs that provide technical 

feedback for safety research to the DCMF Program 

and help to build new safety improvements for 

DCMF evaluations. These States are members of 

the Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements 

Pooled Fund Study (ELCSI-PFS) that functions

under the DCMF program. 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 12

Current State of Practice

Transportation safety has been an important part of 

the highway planning and engineering profession 

for decades, but it was not until publication of the 

Highway Safety Manual (HSM) in 2010 that 

engineers had a widely available, formal approach 

to safety analysis. Users of the HSM have been 

tasked with cost-effectively improving the safety of 

the Nation’s roadways. However, the current 

analysis tools rely primarily on observational 

studies, meaning that data are collected 

retrospectively by observing the performance of an 

existing road system where the treatment has 

already been implemented. Usually this 

observation is not made on the basis of a planned 

experiment; rather, it relies on engineering 

considerations, including safety. These types of 

studies suffer from several key issues, including 

regression-to-the-mean bias, changes in traffic 

volume, variation in crash time trends in CMF 

estimation, correlation between predictor variables 

in estimating CMFs, and other statistical anomalies.

Technical Experts Meeting

To address transportation safety professionals’ 

needs and concerns about the current state of the 

practice for conducting statistical analyses, a 

project was initiated that recently convened a 

Technical Experts Meeting on Advancing Highway 

Safety Improvement Methodologies. This meeting

involved highway safety researchers and an invited

group of professional statisticians representing 

fields such as epidemiology and biostatistics. The 

goal was to explore how applying new and 

advanced statistical methodologies could improve 

highway safety research involved with developing 

CMFs. 

The technical experts met December 11−12, 2013, 

at the National Institute of Statistical Sciences in 

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The 

Technical Experts Meeting explored current 

statistical analysis tools used in highway research,

and the invited statisticians made presentations 

about how methodologies they use can improve 

transportation research. The statistical experts 

recommended various technical approaches that 

may be used in high-level research to improve CMF 

estimation for safety improvement evaluations. 

The Product of Technical Experts 

Meeting

The project team developed a white paper 

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/saf

ety/comprehensive/dcmf/index.cfm) to disseminate 

and promote the pursuit of these approaches in 

highway safety research. 

The meeting fostered a natural alliance between 

the transportation safety research community and 

the statistics profession. Adopting the use of more 

advanced statistical analysis methodologies to 

develop SPFs and CMFs offers transportation

agencies the opportunity to improve their safety 

improvement decision-making and identify more 

cost-effective improvements.

FHWA Launches Highway Safety and EMS Connection Website!

“Saving Lives Together: The Highway Safety & EMS Connection” is a new, FHWA-sponsored website that 

offers resources and guidance to support collaboration between EMS and highway safety during the SHSP 

process. It is designed to offer greater assistance with outreach to the EMS and highway safety 

communities to educate both groups, support cross-discipline collaboration, and inspire action. This website 

explains the importance of EMS in the SHSP process and helps highway safety and EMS professionals to:

• Connect with one another

• Initiate collaboration

• Identify partnering and funding opportunities

• Share success stories

Visit the new site at: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/shsp/ems/connection/
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 13

FHWA will extend this alliance and improve safety 

outcomes by establishing a Technical Working 

Group to build on the Technical Experts Meeting 

results and to guide the effort and build the 

relationship to make the collaboration between 

safety research and statistics effective.

This white paper is the first brick in the foundation 

for future highway transportation-specific statistical 

methodologies and creating a new statistical field 

customized for highway transportation research 

and operation.

To read more about the DCMF study and to learn 

about emerging statistical methodologies for 

highway safety evaluation research, please visit: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/saf

ety/comprehensive/dcmf/index.cfm.

NEW ONLINE TECH TRANSFER 

TOOLBOX HELPS OHIO LPAS 

ESTABLISH CURVE ADVISORY SPEEDS

By: Victoria F. Beale, Ohio LTAP

Establishing the proper advisory speed for a curve 

is a critical step to ensure the safety of any

roadway. The Ohio Local Technical Assistance 

Program (LTAP) Center, through its work with Local 

Public Agencies (LPA) in conducting Road Safety 

Audits (RSA) and managing Ohio’s Township Sign 

Safety Grant program, became aware of a 

tremendous need in the local community to 

understand how the process for establishing a 

curve advisory speed works. It also saw a need for 

the LPAs to borrow the proper equipment, such as 

a Ball Bank Indicator (BBI), to perform the studies. 

To meet this need, Ohio LTAP has developed a 

new, online Tech Transfer Toolbox entitled “How to 

Perform a Curve Speed Study” and has expanded 

its equipment loan program with help from an 

FHWA Technology Transfer Grant. The toolbox is

available on the Ohio LTAP Center’s website at: 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Planning/Local

Programs/LTAP/Pages/How_to_Perform_a_Curve_

Speed_Study.aspx

Videos on the Ohio LTAP’s Tech Transfer Toolbox site 

show LPAs how to perform a curve speed study

The Tech Transfer Toolbox contains a series of 

videos that step the viewer through the process of 

performing a curve speed study using a digital BBI.

The videos were created by Ohio Department of

Transportation (ODOT) Safety Engineer, Jennifer 

Jenkins, P.E., and Raymond Brushart, Safety 

Circuit Rider for the Ohio LTAP program. Within the 

toolbox are downloadable copies of the actual 

forms used in the videos and blank forms that the

viewer can use to perform their own curve speed 

study. The toolbox also provides all of the charts 

referenced in the videos. By watching the videos, 

downloading the forms, and following the steps, an 

Ohio LPA has all of the information needed to 

conduct its own curve speed study. 

To support the Tech Transfer Toolbox, the FHWA 

Ohio Division Office assisted and supported the 

Ohio LTAP Center in receiving a Technology 

Transfer grant to purchase five additional digital 

BBIs for the Center’s equipment loan program. 

These BBIs are an integral part of the Tech 

Transfer Toolbox’s success because they give an 

LPA access to the right equipment to perform the 

curve speed study. Information on how to request a 

BBI loan is included in the Tech Transfer Toolbox. 

As a result of this cooperative effort among ODOT, 

the Ohio LTAP Center, and the FHWA Ohio 

Division Office, Ohio LPAs now have a one-stop 

shop with all of the tools needed to perform a curve 

speed study. Using the information from these 

studies, Ohio LPAs can ensure their roadway 

curves are properly signed to improve roadway 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 14

safety and keep driving Ohio’s crash rates towards 

zero deaths. 

If you have any questions about the technology 

transfer toolbox, the equipment loan program, or 

performing your own curve speed study, please 

contact Raymond Brushart, Ohio LTAP Center 

Safety Circuit Rider, at 614-387-0523 or via email 

at ltap@dot.state.oh.us

TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ACADEMY HELPS 

STATES PROMOTE SAFETY EFFORTS

By: Martha Horseman, Kentucky LTAP Director, and 

Amy Terry, Marketing, Publications, and Outreach 

Manager, KTC

The Accelerating Safety Activities Program (ASAP) 

is designed to help Safety Focus States promote 

the advancement of safety efforts with special 

emphasis on the areas of pedestrian, intersection, 

and roadway departure. The FHWA’s Office of 

Safety and Office of Technical Services reviewed 

and evaluated applications for the program and 

awarded the Kentucky Local Technical Assistance 

Program (LTAP) funds to launch a Traffic and 

Safety Academy. 

The Traffic and Safety Academy is designed to 

teach participants the FHWA’s nine proven safety 

countermeasures as well as how to address traffic 

and safety issues. The Academy is built on the 

knowledge learned through the Roads Scholar and 

Road Master Training Programs, administered by 

the FHWA LTAP program. These programs offer 

local and state governments training in road-related 

technologies, innovations, and safety protection for 

themselves and the traveling public. The series is 

designed to offer continuing education on 

maintaining local roads and streets. 

The Academy offered more hands-on instruction 

and a higher level of learning. Training was offered 

two days a month for two months, on October 29 –

30 and November 18 – 19, 2013. Attendees were 

not required to attend all four days, and some 

chose to attend on days that pertained most to their 

job functions. In total, 25 individuals attended this 

intensive training, with 19 attending all four days.

Topics the first day included low-cost safety 

improvements for rural roads; road safety audits;

and safety countermeasures for roadways, such as 

rumble strips/stripes, roundabouts, reflective 

backplates, corridor access management, and road 

diets. 

Day two topics included horizontal curve alignment, 

guardrail installation, and asset management for 

roadways. During the horizontal curve alignment 

discussion, participants were able to see and try 

out a ball bank indicator, which is available to check 

out through the LTAP’s Equipment Loan Program.

Ryan Tenges, a Safety Engineer from the FHWA 

KY Division, spoke on the Safety Edge and High 

Friction Surface Treatments. He also gave a quick 

demonstration on the Shoulder Wedge Maker 

(Safety Edge Shoe), which is available for check 

out through the LTAP’s Equipment Loan Program.

The third day was packed with more classroom 

discussion and activities. Topics included sign 

retroreflectivity, systemic safety, GIS mapping, an 

overview of average daily traffic, highway safety 

manual implementations, and examining crash 

data. Participants were able to test a sign’s 

retroreflectivity using a retroreflectometer. In 

addition, participants broke into groups and 

practiced finding their local data and analyzing 

crash data.

Luke Mantle, Road Supervisor with the Campbell County 

Road Department, tests a sign using the 

retroreflectometer.

The topics for the last day included risk 

management and depositions, pedestrian and 

bicycle safety, the Highway Safety Improvement 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 15

Plan, and the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. One 

activity allowed participants to review a scenario 

and actual deposition questions from a case study. 

This exercise demonstrated the importance of 

documenting everything on a project. 

“It’s all very beneficial information and helps in my 

job,” said Doug Boom, City of Henderson. He said it 

was good to get a refresher and to take the training 

a step further.

ROADWAY SAFETY FOUNDATION 

RELEASES

2014 ROADWAY SAFETY GUIDE: A

PRIMER FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS 

By: Cathy Gillen, Roadway Safety Foundation

The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) recently 

published the 2014 Roadway Safety Guide: A 

Primer for Community Leaders. This guide is 

designed to provide community leaders and local 

elected officials with basic information to improve 

roadway safety in their communities. Originally 

published by RSF in 2000, this updated 2014 

version includes information on new technologies 

and engineering treatments, such as modern 

roundabouts and median barriers, that have been 

revised with years of safety research and data now 

supporting their implementation.

"The guide is extremely timely right now as States 

across the country are currently in the process of 

updating their Strategic Highway Safety Plans 

(SHSPs),” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of 

the Roadway Safety Foundation. “The SHSP is

developed by each State department of transportation in a cooperative process with local, State, 

Federal, tribal and private sector safety 

stakeholders. It is a data-driven, multi-year 

comprehensive plan that establishes statewide 

goals, objectives, and key emphasis areas. We 

know the guide will be very valuable to those in the 

process of updating these safety plans.”

The guide includes helpful information such as 

checklists for identifying roadway trouble spots, 

information on building successful coalitions, and

tips on getting concerns prioritized by the people 

who are right to address them. Written for nonengineers, it draws people from all backgrounds 

into the roadway safety conversation.

For additional information on RSF or to access this 

new guide, please visit www.roadwaysafety.org.

TRANSPORTATION CABINET 

EMPLOYEES RECEIVE NATIONAL 

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTOR 

CERTIFICATION

By: Erin G. Eggen, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Traffic incidents, including crashes, disabled 

vehicles and road debris, create unsafe driving 

conditions for motorists and responders and 

account for approximately 25 percent of all traffic 

delays. Traffic Incident Management is a planned 

and coordinated program process to detect, 

respond to, and remove traffic incidents and restore 

traffic capacity as safely and quickly as possible. To 

address the challenge of responding safely to

incidents, eight Kentucky Transportation Cabinet 

(KYTC) employees were recently certified as 

National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) 

Responder course instructors

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/edctwo/2

012/firstresponder.cfm). 

This “train the trainer” course, developed through 

the FHWA’s SHRP 2 Traffic Incident Management 

Responder Training Program, is designed to create 

instructors who are able to teach responders how 

to conduct an incident response effort in a way that 

protects both motorists and responders while 

minimizing the impact on traffic flow. 

As of March 2, more than 800 responders have 

been trained through the SHRP-2 program, 350 of

them from the KYTC. The courses are specially 

designed for local law enforcement, fire and rescue, 

emergency management and towing personnel. 

Upcoming courses are offered through the 

Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of 

Kentucky. A class schedule, registration, and 

contact information are available at 

http://www.kyt2.com/training/event/traffic-incidentmanagement. 
Spring 2014: Volume 8 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 16

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

2014 National LTAP/TTAP Conference, July 21-24, 

2014, St. Louis, MO (tinyurl.com/k4nx26b).

Highlights for the 33rd annual conference include 

safety circuit rider programs; bridge issues for local 

governments; technical, grant, and proposal writing;

advisory boards; best practices, and much more. 

ITE 2014 Annual Meeting , August 10-13, 2014, 

Seattle, WA (tinyurl.com/lvrl6vp). Join your 

colleagues to participate in discussions and learn 

about topics such as bicycle traffic signs and 

signals, mainstreaming alternative intersections, 

roundabout public meetings, transportation advocacy and outreach, and balancing design and 

safety.

2014 Governors Highway Safety Association 

Annual Meeting, September 6-10, 2014, Grand 

Rapids, MI (tinyurl.com/luc9wh9). GHSA’s 2014 

Annual Meeting will explore highway safety after 

MAP-21—from congressional legislation to 

technology to new approaches and programs.

Breakout workshops topics include: teen safety, 

older driver safety, drugged driving, motorcycle 

safety, and other important highway issues.

OSIT2014: Occupational Safety in Transport 

Conference, September 18-19, 2014, Queensland, 

Australia (ositconference.com). This conference 

will feature representatives from road and 

transportation safety, aviation and watercraft, fleets, 

safety culture and management, construction 

safety, and associated fields. Themes will cover 

topics including transportation safety culture and 

management; technology for the improvement of 

safety, systems, and behavior; transportationrelated impairments and return-to-work assessment 

processes; industry logistics and transportation

safety risk; developing and evaluating safety 

programs; and transportation safety innovations, 

challenges, and opportunities.

Meet Us in Saint Louis! (Or Seattle...or Grand Rapids!)

Come join your colleagues from the FHWA Office of Safety at the 2014 National LTAP/TTAP Conference in St. 

Louis, Missouri, from July 20-24! We will be exhibiting in the expo hall, where you can learn about the latest 

offerings from the Office of Safety and meet our staff!

Can’t make it to St. Louis? No worries! We will also have tables at the ITE 2014 Annual Meeting in Seattle, 

Washington, from August 10-13 and at the 2014 Governors Highway Safety Association Annual Meeting in 

Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 6-10. We hope to see you at one or more of these meetings!

The Safety Compass Newsletter

is a publication of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 

Federal Highway Administration.

The Federal Highway Administration 

publishes the Safety Compass 

newsletter three times a year. We 

can be reached at:

FHWA Office of Safety

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

Room E71-105

Washington, DC 20590

The Safety Compass is available online at the FHWA Office of Safety website 

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

We welcome your comments and highway safety-related articles. The purpose 

of this newsletter is to increase highway safety awareness and information and 

to provide resources to help save lives.

We encourage readers 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 Tara McLoughlin at: tara.mcloughlin@dot.gov.