National Tribal Transportation Safety 

 Summit 

Summit Report

November 19, 2009

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort Phoenix, Arizona

Prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

FHWA-FLH-10-007
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of 

Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States 

Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof.

The contents of this report reflect the views of the contractor who is responsible for the 

accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the 

official policy of the Department of Transportation.

The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or 

manufacturers’ names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the 

objective of this document.
Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-FLH-10- 007

2. Government Accession No.

 

3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

 

4. Title and Subtitle

National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit Report

5. Report Date

June 2010

6. Performing Organization Code

 

7. Author(s)

Susan Herbel (Principal Investigator), Bernardo Kleiner

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

100 CambridgePark Drive, Suite 400

Cambridge, MA 02140

10. Work Unit No.

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-61-08-T-02601

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Office of Federal Lands Highway

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE

Washington, DC 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Meeting Report 

November 19, 2009

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

 

15. Supplementary Notes

FHWA: Chimai Ngo and Craig Genzlinger

16. Abstract

This report documents the National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit held November 19, 2009 in 

Phoenix, Arizona. The purpose of the national Summit was to identify key Tribal safety challenges, share

examples of successful Tribal safety initiatives, and explore programs and opportunities to improve on 

existing safety efforts at the state and national level. The ultimate goal is to reduce crash-related injuries 

and deaths within Tribal communities. 

17. Key Words

transportation safety, traffic safety, road safety, 

Native Americans, Tribes, reservation roads

18. Distribution Statement

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No of Pages

23

22. Price

 

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed pages authorized
Table of Contents

Background................................................................................................................................................. 1

Summit Purpose............................................................................................................................ 2

Defining and Prioritizing the Issues....................................................................................................... 3

Challenges Identified at State Summits ..................................................................................... 4

Prioritizing the Issues................................................................................................................... 5

Themes......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Collaboration ................................................................................................................................. 8

Data................................................................................................................................................. 9

Learning and Sharing................................................................................................................... 9

Telling the Story .......................................................................................................................... 10

Just Do It....................................................................................................................................... 11

Moving Forward...................................................................................................................................... 13

Summit Recommendations........................................................................................................ 13

Next Steps .................................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix A: Participants..................................................................................................................... A-1

Appendix B: Agenda............................................................................................................................ B-1
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

1

Background

Every year, more than 30,000 motorists die and almost 3,000,000 

are injured on our Nation’s roadways. For ages 4 to 34, motor 

vehicle-related injuries are the leading cause of death in the United 

States, and Native Americans are at particularly high risk.1

 Among 

the Native American population, motor vehicle-related injuries are 

the leading cause of death up to age 44.2

 Between 1975 and 2002, 

the number of fatal crashes on Indian reservations increased more 

than 50 percent; while nationally, the number of fatal crashes 

declined 2 percent.3

A majority of these deaths are preventable. Working together to 

achieve a common goal is a hallmark of Native American culture 

and a central purpose of Tribal Safety Summits sponsored by the 

Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Federal 

Lands Highway. Since 2008, the Office of Federal Lands 

Highway has sponsored Tribal Safety Summits in Arizona, 

Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, and New Mexico to provide

Tribal leaders and others opportunities to focus on a critical issue 

that takes the lives of more than 700 Native Americans each year. 

 Native Americans are between two and three 

times more likely to be killed in motor vehicle crashes than other 

citizens. The real figure is likely worse. Researchers and traffic 

safety experts agree Tribal roadway crash data is under reported. 

The Summits are a first step to engaging state and local Tribal 

safety stakeholders in a discussion on the nature and extent of the 

traffic safety problems on Tribal lands and methods for 

addressing those problems. To expand on these efforts, FHWA 

in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tribal 

Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), and Native American 

Tribes held a National Tribal Safety Summit on November 19, 

 

1 Subramanian R., Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a Leading Cause of 

Death in the United States, 2005, DOT HS 810 936. April 2008. U.S. 

DOT, National Center for Statistics and Analysis. 

2 Hilton J., Race and Ethnicity in Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes 

1999-2004, DOT HS 809 956. May 2006. U.S. DOT, NHTSA.

3Poindexter K., Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes on Indian Reservations 

1975-2002, DOT HS 809 727. U.S. DOT, NHTSA, May 2004.

FHWA Sponsored Tribal 

Transportation Safety Summits

Arizona: May 14-15, 2008 

Minnesota: October 29-30, 2008 

Washington: May 27-28, 2009 

Wisconsin: August 12, 2009 

New Mexico: August 18, 2009 

National: November 19, 2009 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

2

2009, in conjunction with the Annual National Tribal 

Transportation Conference (NTTC). 

 Summit Purpose 

The ultimate goal of the National Tribal Transportation Safety 

Summit was to reduce crash-related injuries and deaths within 

Tribal communities. The Summit pursued that goal by identifying 

key Tribal safety challenges, sharing examples of successful Tribal 

safety initiatives, and exploring programs and opportunities to 

improve on existing safety efforts at the state and national level. 

A list of participants is included in Appendix A and a detailed 

Summit agenda, listing all speakers and activities, is included in 

Appendix B.

The National Summit began with presentations on past state 

Tribal safety Summits, which focused on the nature of their Tribal 

safety problems, activities for addressing them, and results 

following each of the Summits. Summit attendees then 

participated in a polling exercise to prioritize the common safety 

issues facing Native Americans nationwide.

A series of presentations offered participants examples of effective 

safety solutions from around the country to learn from and 

consider for implementation within their own communities. 

Topics included data, construction, marketing, jurisdictional issues, 

sobriety checkpoints, and occupant protection. Participants were 

encouraged to learn from these existing programs and potentially 

implement similar initiatives. 

During the afternoon sessions, a panel of officials from Federal 

agencies reflected on observations and lessons learned from 

working on Tribal safety programs and issues, participation in 

other safety Summits, and the presentations from earlier in the day. 

A facilitated discussion followed between the panel and 

participants focusing on national efforts and other methods for 

enabling Tribes to achieve safer roads.

The National Summit is a first step. Follow-up within individual 

states and by Federal partners in collaboration with all Tribal safety 

stakeholders will result in further progress. 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

3

Defining and Prioritizing

the Issues

Setting the stage for the National level discussion, participants 

heard about the different FHWA sponsored state Tribal 

transportation safety Summits conducted starting in 2008. The 

state Summits have been organized by multidisciplinary planning 

committees representing a range of government agencies and 

stakeholder groups in each state. These committees develop 

unique agendas to address specific interests and perspectives in 

their states but, in general, participants at these events have been 

engaged to: 

• Identify safety needs, resources, and solutions;

• Get to know and build relationships with safety partners to 

continue to work collaboratively; 

• Share best practices and lessons learned; and

• Commit to action items to build on Summit successes. 

The first in this series of state Tribal safety Summits was held 

May 14-15, 2008, in Arizona. Participants identified and 

prioritized transportation safety issues under the categories of 

enforcement, education, infrastructure, and data. The Inter 

Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), as well as other stakeholder 

groups, went on to use the ranked priorities to guide a number 

of solutions and projects while focusing on the most pressing 

issues affecting Indian country in Arizona.

Among a variety of topics, data was a major focus at the 

Minnesota Summit (October 29-30, 2008) since many of the Tribes 

do not have adequate data management or analysis capabilities. 

Participants worked hard to overcome trust issues on data 

sharing and agreed to work with the state on data reporting and 

analysis.

Washington State held a Summit May 27-28, 2009, where, among 

other activities, participants were introduced to the State’s 

strategic highway safety plan (SHSP), Target Zero, and were 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

4

asked to aid in the process of updating Target Zero by developing 

recommendations specific to Tribal safety needs. 

The integral link between enforcement and engineering, as it 

relates to crash data and the vested interest of saving lives, was 

highlighted at the Wisconsin Summit (August 12, 2009). All 

attendees went away from the Summit with a deeper 

understanding and appreciation of the roles each of the 4Es 

plays in Tribal safety, and a stronger professional and 

organizational commitment to reach out to each other in solving 

the issues in Tribal safety. 

Participants at the New Mexico Summit (August 18, 2009) 

identified the need to develop cooperative agreements between 

the Tribes and the State to improve a variety of programs 

including data, engineering, and enforcement. Attendees also 

placed a high priority on establishing inter-Tribal coalitions to 

improve communication and cooperation.

 Challenges Identified at State Summits 

State Tribal safety Summits result in a variety of recommendations 

and action steps. At the same time, a number of common issues 

emerge reflecting shared priorities, concerns, and needs across 

Tribal communities. 

• Priority safety concerns for Native Americans include impaired 

driving, seat belts/child safety seats, lane departures, speeding, and 

pedestrian safety. Data and anecdotal experience point to 

behavioral and infrastructure safety issues for Native 

Americans, which are often the same priority areas on nonTribal roads.

• Tribal safety stakeholders report an acute lack of resources, 

including funding, personnel, and technology, limiting their 

capacity to address safety. Participants have emphasized 

limited resources manifest in deteriorating infrastructure, 

minimal support for ongoing law enforcement, and 

insufficient support for education initiatives.

• Crash data (crash numbers, locations, severity, contributing 

factors, etc.) is inadequate for most Tribal communities. Issues 

surrounding data collection, reporting, management, 

analysis, and sharing severely limit Tribes’ and partners’

abilities to conduct detailed problem identification, analysis, 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

5

countermeasure identification, and effectively target 

resources.

• Tribes face a shortage of expertise necessary for conducting safety 

evaluations, data analysis, and for developing and implementing 

effective countermeasures. Even if adequate data are available, 

many tribes lack sufficient personnel with the necessary 

safety analysis and implementation skills.

• Better communication and collaboration is needed among safety 

partners, including inter-Tribal communication on safety 

issues, collaboration with other local government units (i.e., 

counties, cities, etc.), and state and Federal agencies with 

safety resources and responsibilities.

• Jurisdictional issues complicate effective management of Tribal 

transportation safety. Jurisdiction issues involve citation and 

arrest authority for Tribal and non-Tribal law enforcement, 

penalties for traffic violations on and off Tribal roadways, 

responsibility for infrastructure maintenance and 

improvements, and emergency response to motor vehicle 

crashes.

 Prioritizing the Issues

Following the individual state Summit presentations, National 

Summit participants were posed several questions to reflect on the

common concerns. Using iClicker® technology, they voted and 

prioritized issues as a measure to inform ongoing national efforts 

to improve Tribal transportation safety. 

Question 1: What is the leading transportation safety problem facing 

Native Americans?

a) Impaired Driving

b) Seat Belts/Child Safety Seats

c) Lane Departures

d) Speeding 

e) Pedestrians

Overwhelmingly, participants identified impaired driving as the 

number one transportation safety problem, with almost two 

thirds of the vote, followed by seat belts/child safety seats with 

about twenty percent of votes, and lane departures, speeding, and 

pedestrians sharing the remaining fifteen percent. Among 

Question 1
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

6

crashes on reservations from 1982 to 2002, an estimated 65 

percent were alcohol-related, compared to 47 percent nationally.4

Question 2: What is the biggest obstacle to improving Tribal 

transportation safety?

 

a) Limited Resources (funding, personnel, technology)

b) Inadequate Data

c) Lack of Expertise

d) Lack of Communication/Collaboration

More than half of the participants indicated limited resources 

(funding, personnel, and technology) as the biggest obstacle to 

improving Tribal transportation safety. Forty-two percent were 

split between inadequate data and lack of communication/

collaboration. Four percent voted on lack of expertise. 

Question 3: What is the biggest obstacle to obtaining resources?

a) Awareness of Sources

b) Understanding Eligibility/Application Requirements

c) Personnel Time to Apply for Resources

d) Management Capacity 

Asked about the biggest obstacle to obtaining resources, 36 

percent of respondents identified lack of awareness about 

resources and another 28 percent attributed it to lack of 

understanding regarding eligibility/application requirements. 

This suggests information about sources and requirements could

be better communicated to Tribal safety stakeholders. At the 

same time, almost 20 percent indicated staff does not have the 

time to apply for resources while the remaining 17 percent 

implicated a lack of management capacity.

Question 4: What is the greatest need for improving data collection, 

management, and analysis?

a) Equipment (hardware)

b) Management/Analysis Tools (software)

c) Training in Data Collection

d) Training in Data Management/Analysis

Honing in on the issue of inadequate data, the vast majority (70 

percent) were evenly split between training in data collection

and training in data management and analysis, suggesting 

efforts need to increase understanding and expertise of both law 

 

4

Ibid.

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

7

enforcement responsible for collecting crash data and program 

staff responsible for maintaining and working with data for 

problem identification and project development. Almost a 

quarter (22 percent) indicated Tribal safety stakeholders need 

better data management and analysis tools (software), while only 

7 percent indicated they need the equipment (hardware).

Question 5: What inter-jurisdictional issue poses the most difficult 

challenge in terms of Tribal/state/Federal collaboration?

a) Traffic Law Enforcement

b) Inconsistent Traffic Codes

c) Roadway/Right-of-Way Ownership and Maintenance 

Responsibility

d) Responsibility for Emergency Response

Asked which inter-jurisdictional issues pose the most difficult 

challenge, 40 percent voted for traffic law enforcement 

jurisdiction, while almost 30 percent voted for roadway/right-ofway ownership and maintenance responsibility. Another 18 

percent named inconsistent traffic codes and 13 percent voted for 

jurisdiction for emergency response. Jurisdictional boundaries 

and relationships vary widely around the country. Depending on 

context, these issues could be addressed collectively through 

broad agreements between Tribal and non-Tribal governments, 

but may also call for more models or examples of noteworthy 

practices specific to individual topics.

Question 5
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

8

Themes

Several themes for improving Tribal transportation safety 

emerged from Summit presentations and participant comments. 

The themes included collaboration, data, learning and sharing, telling 

the story, and just do it. 

 Collaboration

The participants at the National Summit represented multiple 

disciplines, various levels of government, and different public 

and private organizations involved in Tribal transportation safety 

efforts around the country. Presentations offered a variety of 

promising examples of collaboration among different groups, 

such as conducting multidisciplinary road safety audits and 

developing strategic highway safety plans (SHSP). Minnesota 

discussed the great relationships between Tribal and state 

engineers. A Governor’s Executive order in Wisconsin commits 

the state to working on a government-to-government relationship 

with the eleven Federally recognized Tribes. 

The Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana has found crossdeputization for Tribal, state, county, and city law enforcement a 

effective measure. Negotiations went all the way up to the 

Governor’s office and BIA to clarify the issues of jurisdictional 

authority, sovereign immunity, liability, standards and 

extradition. These agencies came together and entered a

cooperative agreement through which select Tribal and nonTribal officers receive a special law enforcement commission card 

and a pin designating their status with the same citation and 

arrest authority. Cultural diversity education for non-Tribal 

officers is mandatory and troopers, patrolmen, deputies, and 

Tribal police meet quarterly to discuss issues. The BIA has agreed 

all officers commissioned will be treated as Federal employees 

when liability is an issue. The Fort Peck program offers an 

example of collaborative efforts improving the enforcement of 

traffic safety laws in and around Tribal roadways.

Fort Peck Cross Deputization

Montana Highway Patrol 

Fort Peck Dept. of Law & Justice 

Roosevelt Co. Sheriff’s Office 

Wolf Point City Police Dept. 

Poplar City Police Dept. 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

9

 Data

Data is a signature topic in the series of Tribal safety Summits and 

was again echoed at the National Summit. Speakers and 

participants stressed data-driven processes are foundational for 

good performance management; a topic likely to receive attention 

in the Federal reauthorization of the transportation bill. Crash 

data related to Tribal safety is often inadequate and many 

stakeholders are making efforts to improve data collection, 

management, and analysis. Arizona convened a statewide tribal 

Data Round Table to characterize the existing traffic record 

sources and surveillance systems at the tribal, Federal, and state 

levels. New Mexico is looking at crash data to identify counties 

with the highest incidence of alcohol impaired driving to target a 

safety marketing campaign for Native Americans.

The Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation in Wisconsin is collecting 

and mapping crash data using GIS/GPS technologies. The 

project is converting tabular crash data and to spatial 

demonstrations to find cluster areas of motor vehicle crashes, 

fulfill eligibility requirements to access grants for hazardous 

elimination safety programs, and cross-reference seat belt use 

surveys with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of crashes 

and save lives. The Tribe also has partnered with the county. 

They meet monthly to review and discuss data and safety issues. 

Judges, injury prevention professionals, law enforcement, and 

others are included as well. 

 Learning and Sharing

Convening Tribal safety stakeholders to share and learn from one 

another’s experiences is a central tenant of the Summits. Topics 

for presentations are selected to demonstrate real world projects 

Tribes and their partners have implemented, such as activities of 

the Fond du Lac Injury Prevention Program in Minnesota. Using 

funding provided through an IHS/Tribal cooperative agreement 

the Tribe supports a Students Against Destructive Decisions 

(SADD) program, driver’s education, a child car seat/booster seat 

program, and a brain injury prevention project. Summit breakout 

groups and information networking sessions provide participants 

with an opportunity to discuss their experiences, challenges, and 

successes in more detail.

The intention is for learning and sharing information and other 

resources to continue after the Summits. Participants take the 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

10

information from the Summits and continue to share it with other 

stakeholders to move the process forward. Notes captured 

during the Washington Summit were carried forward and 

considered during the annual Centennial Accord (CA) on June 23, 

2009. The CA is an annual meeting between the Governor and 

Tribal leaders involving 29 Federally recognized tribes. The 

following four CA action items resulted from the discussion: 

1. Washington DOT and Washington Traffic Safety Commission 

(WTSC) will develop a one-page briefing paper on the BIA 

Traffic Safety Grant Program issues and initiate a request to 

U.S. DOT to evaluate the program for potential 

improvements.

2. WTSC and TTAP will work to increase Tribal involvement in 

the update of Target Zero, the State’s strategic highway safety

plan. 

3. WTSC will continue to hold Tribal Advisory Committee 

meetings.

4. WTSC will continue to work with Tribal law enforcement 

groups to invest the WTSC block grant.

 Telling the Story

An important element of Tribal safety efforts is telling the stories 

about those affected by motor vehicle crashes. Presentations at 

these Summits reflect a strong commitment to putting a human 

face on the safety issue. Many use data to develop the story. 

Heavy emphasis is placed on youth. Bridge improvement efforts 

by the Oklahoma DOT and Osage Nation focus on, among other 

issues, school buses and the safety of children traveling to and 

from school. Data analysis by the Lac Courte Oreilles found over 

half of alcohol-related crashes involved drivers under 27 years old 

(36 percent under 21 years old) and 43 percent occur within two 

miles of a bar.

New Mexico DOT’s marketing campaign is an example of 

culturally sensitive messages through videos, television and radio 

spots, print materials, etc. The “Save a Life, Save a Nation” and “I 

Care Campaign” promote the simple message drunk driving is a 

problem every member of the community has a stake in solving. 

Targeting Native Americans, these campaigns use positive 

culturally appropriate and Tribal specific messages rather than 

scare tactics, and they feature highly recognizable members of the 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

11

community to create legitimacy in the eyes of the audience. The 

New Mexico Tribal marketing effort has five major priorities: 

1. Create a permanent public awareness committee to address 

DWI in collaboration with Native American groups in New 

Mexico, counties, and state agencies. Involve the media, 

television, and newspapers. 

2. Raise awareness in local DWI planning councils. 

3. Join efforts with Tribal Justice to improve efforts. 

4. Join efforts with prevention groups. 

5. Increase awareness of the importance of having Native 

Americans in all areas of law enforcement.

 Just Do It

A final theme echoed across the Tribal safety Summits has been an 

emphasis on working around obstacles and acting now because 

safety cannot wait. Stakeholders continue to stress the 

importance of data improvements and data-driven processes; 

however, much is already known about the problems, what 

works, and what does not. Action cannot wait for perfect data to 

be available because the stakes are too high. Tribal safety 

stakeholders must explore ways of pushing through the layers of 

bureaucracy, getting control of or influencing the “purse strings,”

and garnering the political will. 

The San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona recognized the dire need 

to address alcohol impaired crashes. To implement sobriety 

checkpoints, the tribe researched data online and contacted other 

tribes to learn what others had done/experienced with DUI 

checkpoints. They worked to establish a memorandum of 

understanding (MOU) with the Arizona Department of Public 

Safety certifying both state and Tribal officers and created an 

incentive program recognizing most reservations are shortstaffed, and officers are already working overtime. With limited 

resources, the DUI Coordinator offered to cook dinner for officers 

before every checkpoint event, a measure greatly appreciated. 

Since the program began in 2005, the Tribe has accomplished a 31

percent decrease in motor vehicle crashes resulting in injuries 

and/or fatalities, a 32 decrease in overall police reported crashes, 

a 27 reduction in nighttime crashes, and a 51 percent increase in 

DUI arrests. Officers are enthusiastic about being out there to 

save lives. Two officers received awards at the first annual 

banquet, but the number has since risen to 11. Following a

five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and 

“All that it takes is all that you’ve got, 

and all that you’ve got is all that it 

takes.” 

- Lac Courte Oreilles safety motto
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

12

Prevention (CDC), the Tribe used its own resources to fund 

another full year because of the program’s successes. They are 

searching for additional resources to expand the focus on 

improving safety belt use.
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

13

Moving Forward

Focusing on the ultimate goal of reducing crash-related injuries 

and deaths within Tribal communities, the primary objective for 

the national Summit was to provide participants with a forum for 

sharing experiences and ideas about national, state, and local 

efforts to improve Tribal transportation safety. Participants voted 

on issues during the first part of the Summit, made presentations 

on state Summits and tribal safety initiatives, discussed and 

offered suggestions to a panel of representatives from national 

level agencies with Tribal safety responsibilities (FHWA Office of 

Federal Lands Highway, FHWA Office of Safety, NHTSA, BIA, 

and TTAP). 

 Summit Recommendations

Participant comments during discussion with the Federal panel 

demonstrated the commitment of Tribal safety professionals and 

leadership to pursue safer roadways, but also reflected earlier 

statements about the need for assistance and understanding of

available resources and measures for accessing them. Specific 

recommendations to the panel included the following: 

• Develop some kind of slogan, other than Safety Management 

System (SMS) to unify Indian Country on safety awareness. 

• Develop a BIA program appropriate for states and tribes to 

use for cross-jurisdictional certification, i.e., some sort of class 

officers could take to earn credentials for cross-jurisdictional 

law enforcement. 

• Develop some best practices materials to share across Indian 

Country reflecting successful Tribal safety initiatives, 

including those presented at these Summits.

• Conduct some sort of TRB synthesis project about road safety 

audits (RSA). (FHWA pointed out a joint report is available 

from the Offices of Federal Lands Highway and Safety: 

http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/irr/safety/audits.htm). 

• Improve coordination among FHWA, NHTSA, BIA, IHS, and 

other relevant national agencies on Tribal safety efforts.
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

14

A final vote by participants indicated an interest in continuing 

with similar Summits on a regular schedule with half voting for a 

National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit every two years 

and 42 percent voting for a Summit every year.

 Next Steps

As emphasized at the beginning of the Summit and throughout, 

an important component of any future direction should be to 

continue to foster partnerships and multidisciplinary 

collaboration. Federal representatives and the SMS Steering 

Committee members reiterated their commitment to improving 

Tribal transportation safety and will use results from the Summit

to guide continuing support for Tribal safety efforts.

States and Tribes are encouraged to implement the

recommendations and conduct additional safety Summits to 

continue collaborative efforts at the state and local level. 

Participants should inform the Tribal Elders, leaders, and other 

safety stakeholders in their communities about the Summit results 

and lessons learned to determine future directions in 

transportation safety education, enforcement, infrastructure, and 

data.

More information about resources available from the State, 

regional, and Federal partners involved in the Summit can be 

found at:

TTAP: http://www.ewu.edu/ttap

FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway: 

http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/irr/safety

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

BIA: http://www.doi.gov/bia

NHTSA: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov

The Safety Management System (SMS) 

Steering Committee includes 

representatives from Tribes, FHWA, 

BIA, NHTSA, and Indian Health 

Services (IHS). The Committee meets 

semiannually, coordinates efforts 

among agencies, and oversees 

direction and implementation of the 

SMS Implementation Plan, which 

identifies items to address over the next 

three to five years through 

implementation at both the national and 

Tribal levels, including: 

• Development of Tribal Specific 

Safety Plans; 

• Safety Data Collection and Analysis; 

• Education and Training; 

• Development of Safety Programs 

and Funding Sources List; 

• Establishing a Tribal Safety Program; 

• Measuring Success; and 

• Conducting Safety Summits. 

Question 6: How often should a National Tribal 

Transportation Safety Summit be held?
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

A-1

Appendix A: Participants

Name Affiliation E-Mail Telephone

Linda Aitken Minnesota DOT linda.aitken@state.mn.us 218-547-0060 

Carleton Albert Pueblo of Zuni calber@ashiwi.org 505-782-7028 

Beth Alicandri Federal Highway Administration beth.alicandri@dot.gov 202-366-6049 

Frances G. Antone Tohono O’odham Nation frances.gantone@tonation-nsn.gov 520-562-6302 

Norman A. Arriola Ketchikan Indian Community narriola@kietrbie.org 907-228-4923 

Leroy Ashcraft Gila River Indian Community 520-562-6110 

Julianne Baltar All Nations Trib. Trans. Cons. jbaltar@anttc.com 907-842-1421 

Nathan Banks Federal Highway Administration nathan.banks@dot.gov 602-379-3646 

Rusty Barber Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe rbarberleo@yahoo.com 715-634-8934 

John Baxter Federal Lands Highway john.baxter@dot.gov 202-366-9494 

Steve Becker Alaska TTAC steve.becker@alaska.edu 907-474-5096 

Brenda Begay White Mountain Apache Tribe bbegay@wmat.us 920-338-2474 

Henry Begay BIA-WNA DOT henry.begay@bia.gov 928-283-2223 

Barney Bigman San Carlos Apache Tribe Bigmanb7@hotmail.com 928-475-3222 

Brett Blackdeer Ho-Chunk Nation Brett.blackdeer@ho-chunk.com 608-387-9718 

Angela Blind Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes Roads ablind@c-a-tribes.org 405-422-7468 

Debbie Bray QuilCeda Village dbray@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov 425-754-2294 

Marrella Brink Association of Village Council Presidents mbrink@avcp.org 907-543-7328 

Grant Buma Colorado River Indian Tribes crith2o2@rraz.net 928-669-1313 

Lorenzo Burbank Apache County District II 928-755-3881 

Calvin Castillo BIA-Navajo Region DOT calvin.castillo@bia.gov 928-729-7222 

Curtis R. Cesspooch Ute Indian Tribe 435-722-5141 

Georgia Chakiris National Highway Traffic Safety Administration georgia.chakiris@dot.gov 817-878-3653 

Ben Chaney Muscogee Creek Nation bchaney@muscogeenation-nsn.gov 918-732-7907 

Phillip Chimburas Ute Indian Tribe PhillipC@utetribe.com 435-722-5141 

Rodney Class-Erickson Southern Ute Indian Tribe rerickson@southern-ute-nsn.com 970-563-0100 

Stanley Clitson Kayenta Chapter sclitso@hotmail.com 928-221-1645 

Megan Cotton Wisconsin DOT cottonm@wsdot.wa.gov 360-705-7025 

Esther Corbett Inter Tribal Council of Arizona esther.corbett@citcaonline.com 602-258-4822 

Cinco Cronemeyer Bureau of Indian Affairs cinco.cronemeyer@bia.gov 503-872-2872 

Roger Curley Apache County District II

Clarence Daniel Association of Village Council Presidents clarence@acf.org 907-543-7337 

Misty Dayzie Burns Paiute Tribe mdayzie@azdot.gov 602-712-7029 

Kenton Dick Caddo Nation Kenton.dick@burnspainte-nsn.gov 541-573-5562 

Cheryl Dutton Gila River Indian Community cdutton@caddonation.org 405-247-9000 

William Felix Bureau of Indian Affairs 520-705-7332 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

A-2

Name Affiliation E-Mail Telephone 

Jose F. Figueroa, Jr. Fort Peck Tribes Law and Justice actionfigurer@hotmail.com 406-768-8001 

Mike Finn Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin mfinn@oneidanation.org 920-869-1059 

Gregory Fisher Colorado River Indian Tribes gfisherz@yahoo.com 928-669-1358 

Myrtis Francis Apache County District II 928-755-3883 

Julie Frazier Tohono O’odham Nation Planning julie.frazier@tonation-nsn.gov 520-383-5546 

Robert Frazier BIA DOT robert.frazier@bia.gov 505-563-3319 

Thomas Fronk BIA thomas.fronk@bia.gov 612-725-4553 

Larry Galupe Tule River Tribal Council planning@tulerivertribe-nsn.gov 559-359-4932

Rick Galloway Kalispel Tribe rick_go_on@msn.com 509-536-4033 

Royce Gchachu Pueblo of Zuni rghach@ashiwi.org 505-782-7116 

Virginia Gene Gakona Village Council 907-822-4406 

Craig Genzlinger Federal Lands Highways craig.genzlinger@dot.gov 406-441-3910 

Cathy Gillen, RSF Roadway Safety Foundation cathygillen@roadwaysafety.org 202-857-1203 

LeRoy Gishi Bureau of Indian Affairs leroy.gishi@bia.gov 202-513-7711 

Marshall Gover Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma mgover@pawneenation.org 918-762-2048 

Susan Grosser FHWA, Office of Planning susan.grosser@dot.gov 202-366-2825 

Aung Gye FHWA aung.gye@dot.gov 202-366-2167 

John Harper Arizona DOT jharper@azdot.gov 928-779-7542 

Susan Herbel Cambridge Systematics, Inc. sherbel@camsys.com 202-494-5539 

Art High BIA, Branch of Transportation arthur.high@bia.gov 907-723-7853 

Bob Hollis Federal Highway Administration robert.hollis@dot.gov 602-379-3696 

Cherilyn Holter Hydaburg Cooperative Assc. kyuwaay.jaadaa@gmail.com 907-285-3664 

Chuck Howe Arizona DOT chowe@azdot.gov 928-779-7591 

Dorothea Hubbard Apache County District II 928-755-3883 

Barry Jensen Ute Indian Tribe barryj@utetribe.com 435-722-5141 

Jonathan Johnson Apache County District II 928-755-3883 

Mickey Julian Comanche Nation Private Drives mickeyj@comanchenation.com 580-492-3304 

Karen King Federal Highway Administration karen.king@dot.gov 602-382-8965 

Greg Kisto Gila River Indian Community 520-562-0950 

Kyle Kitchel FHWA-FLH kyle.kitchel@dot.gov 360-619-7951 

Bernardo Kleiner Cambridge Systematics, Inc. bkleiner@camsys.com 301-347-9123 

Holly Kostrzewski Fond du Lac Injury Prevention hollykostrzewski@fdlrez.com 218-878-3759 

Arden Kucate Pueblo of Zuni akucate@ashiwi.org 505-782-7025 

Herby J. Larsen BIA Navajo Region DOT herby.larsen@bia.gov 505-863-8255 

Don Levato Jicarilla Apache Nat. Cont. Rd 575-759-3246 

Harry Lewis Gila River Indian Community 520-562-0950 

Greg Littlejohn Ho-Chunk Nation Legislature greg.littlejohn@ho-chunk.com 715-284-9343 

Jim Longley Nisqually Tribe longley.jim@nisqually-nsn.gov 360-456-5221 

Dr. Zeenat Mahal Inter Tribal Council of Arizona zeenat.mahal@itcaonline.com 602-258-4822 

Alyssa Macy Wisconsin DOT alyssa.macy@dot.wi.gov 608-266-3761 

Amber Marlow Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College marlowa@lco.edu 715-634-4790 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

A-3

Name Affiliation E-Mail Telephone 

Albert Mendoza Gila River DOT 520-562-0950 

Bob Mickelson Inter Tribal Council of Arizona rmickelson37@msn.com 623-825-0493 

Giovanni Migliaccio University of New Mexico GCM@unm.edu 503-277-7848

Mark Milstone Aecom mark.milstar@aecom.com 602-337-2525 

Tilford Montoya Jicarilla Contract Roads 575-759-3256 

Barak N. Myers Cherokee DOT baramyes@nc-cherokee.com 828-497-1894 

Chimai Ngo FHWA chimai.ngo@dot.gov 202-366-1231 

Richard J. Palmer Sr White Mountain Apache Tribe rpalmer@wmat.us 928-338-2530 

Layne Patton FHWA layne.patton@dot.gov 602-382-8974 

Stacy Peynetsa Pueblo of Zuni wspeyn@ashiwi.org 505-782-7029 

Juan Ramirez Gila River Indian Community 520-562-0950 

Sonya Reeder Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes sreeder@c-a-tribes.org 405-422-7468 

Chris Robideau Red Plains Professional, Inc. chris@red-plains.com 505-220-4547 

Richard Rolland Northwest TTAP rrolland@ewu.edu 509-359-6829 

Myra Rothman Arizona DOT mrothman@azdot.gov 928-779-7510 

Gwen Salt National Congress of American Indians gsalt@ncai.org 202-966-7767 

Marion Salvador Pueblo of Acoma msalvador@puebloofacoma.org 505-552-5190 

Jimmy Sam OST Transportation jsam@gwtc.net 605-867-5376 

Dolores Savala Kaibab Ban of Paiute Indians dsavala@ kaibabpaiute-nsn.gov 928-643-8330 

Laura Rae Savala Kaibab Ban of Paiute Indians lsavala@kaibabpaiute-nsn.gov 928-643-8331 

Greg Schertz FHWA - FLH greg.schertz@dot.gov

Matt SeeWalker Northern Plains TTAP mseewalker@uttc.edu 701-255-3285 

Melvin Serafin Jicarilla Apache

Dawn Sherk White Earth Reservation dawns@withearth.com 218-933-3263 

Simon Shima Pueblo of Isleta DUI90011@isletapueblo.com 505-724-9238 

Michele Siedenburg Northwest TTAP msiedenburg@uttc.edu 509-359-6828 

Wilbur Smith Apache County District II 928-755-3883 

Stephanie Stoermer FHWA Resource Center stephanie.stoermer@dot.gov 720-963-3218 

Ricardo Suarez FHWA/CFLHD ricardo.suarez@dot.gov 720-963-3448

Warren Thomas Apache County District II 928-755-3881 

Burny Tibbetts White Earth Reservation burnyt@whiteearth.com 218-933-3263 

Fawn Thompson Federal Highway Administration fawn.thompson@dot.gov 404-562-3917 

Karen Timpone Federal Highway Administration karen.timpone@dot.gov 202-366-2327 

Dennis Trusty Northern Plains TTAP dtrusty@uttc.edu 701-255-3285 

Chuck Tsoodle Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma chucktsoodle@yahoo.com 580-654-2052 

Clarence Tsosie BIA, Navajo Region, DOT clarence.tsosie@bia.gov 505-863-8276 

Debbie Wathogoma Yavapai-Apache Nation dwathogoma@yan-tribe.org 928-649-7127 

Denea White Seminole Nation of Oklahoma dwhite@seminolenation.com 405-257-7295 

Gerald Wilson Apache County District II 928-755-3883 
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

B-1

Appendix B: Agenda

TribalTransportation Safety Summit

Thursday November 19th

8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.: Welcome and Introduction

Video – Protecting Our Future (WA) 

Welcome and Introductions Moderator – Ron Hall, Director

 Tribal Technical Assistance Program

 Colorado State University

 

 Tribal Leader – Frances G. Antone, 

Tohono O’odham Nation 

8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: Defining the Issues 

(Issues and recommendations identified at Summits)

Arizona Esther Corbet, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona

Minnesota Linda Aitken, Minnesota DOT

Washington Kirk Vinish, Lummi Tribe

 

Wisconsin Alyssa Macy, Wisconsin DOT

New Mexico Robert Archuleta, New Mexico DOT

10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Break

10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.: Participant Voting on Issues

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Effective Solutions

 

Crash Data Amber Marlow, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa 

Community College, Wisconsin

Construction Jay Adams, Oklahoma DOT

Marketing Safety Robert Archuleta, New Mexico DOT
National Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

B-2

Jurisdictional Issues Jose Figueroa, 

Fort Peck Tribes Law and Justice, Montana

Sobriety Checkpoints Christine Reede, San Carlos Apache Tribe, Arizona

Occupant Protection Holly Kostrzewski, 

Fond du Lac Injury Prevention, Minnesota

12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Lunch

1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.: All It Takes Is Everyone

WA Centennial Accord Megan Cotton, Washington DOT

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Resources and Opportunities

FHWA Office of Federal John Baxter, Associate Administrator

Lands Highway

FHWA Office of Safety Beth Alicandri, Office of Safety

NHTSA Georgia Chakiris, Region 6

BIA LeRoy Gishi, Division of Transportation

3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: A Strategy to Face the Challenge

Facilitated discussion, between the panel and 

participants about developing a national strategic 

plan for tribal transportation safety and how the 

state DOTs, highway safety offices, and Federal 

agencies can help tribes achieve safer roads and 

reduced motor vehicle crashes.

 Susan Herbel, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 

4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Final Thoughts and Conclusions

TTAP Ron Hall, Director, 

 Tribal Technical Assistance Program 

 Colorado State University