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Tribal Safety Management System

Implementation Plan

Introduction

Traveling on our national roadways—whether by car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, or on foot—is a 

daily requirement for a large segment of our population, but tragically, too many road users are 

involved in crashes that leave an indelible mark on virtually every community. For Native 

Americans and others traveling through tribal lands, the risks associated with highway use are far 

higher. Thus, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Indian Health Service 

(IHS), tribes and states are working to improve highway safety on tribal lands to save lives in 

native communities.

Under the auspices of FHWA’s Office of Federal Lands Highway, a Safety Management System 

(SMS) Steering Committee has been assembled to marshal all stakeholders. The Committee 

consists of 17 members, including five tribal transportation planning representatives, 11 federal 

agency delegates, and one FHWA tribal technical assistance contractor. The committee’s 

purpose is to identify and promote resources available for a fully-coordinated transportation 

safety planning process carried out by tribes, and to improve government-to-government 

communication and consultation with the tribes to better highway safety. 

The SMS Steering Committee works from two documents, the FHWA/BIA Strategic Highway 

Safety Plan (SHSP) and an accompanying Implementation Plan, to assess and promote strategies 

that tribes can tailor to develop in-house, self-sustaining expertise to improve safety on tribal 

lands. Because tribal transportation programs and tribally-run highway safety programs are still 

in their beginning stages around the country, this Implementation Plan is intended to: aid tribal 

governments in collaborating with federal agencies and state departments of transportation 

(DOTs); pursue training to increase the capacity and expertise of tribal governments in the 

roadway safety arena; and stimulate tribal innovation through peer-to peer and best practice 

exchanges to save lives in Indian Country. Safety solutions occur at the local level, and tribes 

will need to make critical decisions on how to prioritize, staff, fund, and sustain highway safety 

projects in the future. This said, while the strategies should be part of a comprehensive highway 

safety program, they can stand alone as effective safety strategies if implemented incrementally 

while program development occurs. 

Most importantly, the Implementation Plan and Committee affirm conviction in a national 

federal Indian policy of tribal self-determination, as well as transportation safety programs that 

are tribally-driven. Federal agencies support tribal initiatives within existing authorities, and this 

approach accomplishes the requirements of tribal consultation as set forth in Executive Order 

13175. 

Strategies

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee will meet twice annually to review ongoing activities, 

accomplishments, and funding priorities. That may include reviewing Tribal Safety Plans, 

Safety Summit Reports, crash data, emerging issues, and resources to assist in executing the 

Implementation Plan. As part of the evaluation, the Committee will review national, regional 
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and state crash data trends to determine the impact that cumulative safety efforts are making in 

Indian Country.

Tribal Safety Programs

Reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries with any sustained success requires that all four 

elements of highway safety be addressed – engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency 

services. A Tribal Safety Program, whether large or small, should work to address the 4 E’s, and 

its foundation, data. Data collection and analysis provide technical staff and decision makers the 

ability to identify and prioritize safety needs. Crash data, roadway data, and citation information 

will provide a basis for developing safety plans, proposing countermeasures, and developing 

needed education programs on tribal lands. The strategies that follow in this Implementation Plan 

will support tribal governments as they develop and manage their own safety programs. 

Safety Summits, Tribal and National

Since 2008, the FHWA has sponsored a number of Tribal Safety Summits. The summits give 

Tribal leaders an opportunity to focus on and find solutions for critical road safety issues that 

take the lives of more than 700 Native Americans each year. Summits have been held in 

Arizona, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and 

Alaska. FHWA will continue to sponsor two or three Tribal Safety Summits each year. 

To ensure all aspects of safety are addressed, participants representing engineering, enforcement, 

education, and emergency medical services (EMS) rely heavily on safety data to identify 

challenges, discuss opportunities, resources, and solutions, and make commitments to advance 

traffic safety on their tribal roadways. 

While the FHWA provides technical, planning and financial assistance for the summits, the 

Tribes are encouraged to take ownership, establish goals and objectives, and work with their 

partners to achieve the summit outcomes. As such, a commitment to set individualized goals and 

timelines after each summit is the key to success. 

At the national level, FHWA will sponsor annual safety meetings including summits, workshops, 

and peer exchanges. Stemming from participants’ input at the 2009 National Tribal Safety 

Summit, FHWA plans to hold a Safety Summit bi-annually. 

Tribal Safety Plans

Tribal Safety Plans are an essential component of the Tribal Highway Safety Improvement Plans 

(HSIPs), as well as an effective planning tool for prioritizing and implementing safety solutions. 

Annually, FHWA, BIA, and NHTSA will work with at least 12 tribal governments that are 

interested in developing safety plans specific to the needs of their communities or on their 

reservations. The plan will identify and prioritize safety needs in the 4 E’s, utilize the emphasis 

areas identified in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan for Indian Lands, and include a safety 

policy statement. Continuing technical assistance will be offered to the tribal governments in 

implementing their safety plans, as requested.

Model Tribal Highway Safety Improvement Program

The overall goal of the SMS Implementation Plan is to assist in the development of selfdetermined and self-sustaining Tribal Highway Safety Improvement Programs. To this end, 
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FHWA will establish a pilot program to develop and implement safety programs at the tribal 

level and document the results. The pilot effort will solicit participation from three to five tribal 

governments depending on funding availability. Tribes selected will vary in size, geography, and 

infrastructure capabilities to make replicable the strategies in other tribal areas.

Reports will be developed and shared as tribes implement safety programs. FHWA, tribes and 

the steering committee will evaluate the pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the pilot. 

Data Collection & Use

Information about motor vehicle crashes that occur on Indian Country roadways is vital to 

identifying and remedying safety problems in tribal communities. BIA, FHWA, and NHTSA, 

with assistance from other federal and state agencies, will work with tribes to assess the 

availability and adoption of electronic crash record reporting systems for tribal and BIA police 

departments. Contractual arrangements will outlines roles, responsibilities, and considerations 

for data sharing and use among BIA, FHWA, NHTSA, tribes, and states. Also, to assist tribes in 

obtaining and using data for advanced problem identification purposes, FHWA has developed a 

contact list with state DOTs, law enforcement, and other users partners; this list is available on 

the Federal Lands Web site. 

Training

Educating and training individuals in BIA and in Tribal Governments on transportation safety is 

important to the success of improving the Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) system. The Steering 

Committee, with help from the Tribal Transportation Assistance Program (TTAP) Center at 

Colorado State University, will develop a training plan, available highway safety curricula, and a 

training schedule for interested tribes. The primary provider for highway safety training will be 

the TTAP centers, with assistance from FHWA, NHTSA, BIA, IHS, tribal partners and others.

Case Studies/Peer Exchanges

Safety Case Studies

Six case studies will be crafted on successful tribal safety projects. The case studies will cover a 

variety of areas and programs, but will emphasize the 4Es, data sharing, and safety planning. 

The case studies will be written for transportation professionals, as well as for Tribal elected 

officials. 

Peer Exchanges 

The Committee will work with the FHWA Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program 

and the Office of Safety to establish peer exchanges on tribal transportation safety. The peer 

exchanges will cover planning issues, data collection, and sharing of successful practices.

Tribal Safety Awards Program

The SMS Steering Committee will develop an annual Tribal Safety Awards Program to 

recognize successful programs and efforts at the National Tribal Transportation Safety 

Conference. The intent of this program is to highlight successful programs and encourage others 

to emulate the award winners.
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Research

The SMS instruments identify research gaps in tribal safety, which may not be identical to 

general safety research. These results can be fed back to SMS for consideration and possible

actions, including:

• Coordination with sub-committees to review research gaps and develop tribal safety 

research need statements; 

• Nomination of appropriate members to safety research panels

• Encouragement of attendance at Transportation Research Board (TRB)-sponsored 

functions, such as the annual TRB conferences and mid-year conferences

Marketing & Messaging

For Tribes

We know that Native Americans are between two and three times more likely than other road 

users to be killed in motor vehicle crashes, and that the majority of Native American highway 

deaths are preventable. However, the Committee learned that roadway safety challenges 

compete with other issues at the local tribal level, and may not be fully understood as a leading 

cause of preventable death. Thus, the SMS Committee will work to increase the awareness of 

and importance given to behavioral and infrastructure safety improvements (engineering 

solutions). 

The Committee will offer tools to aid tribal partners in reaching their membership with concise, 

memorable, and compelling behavioral safety messages that resonate with audiences (e.g. 

through native images, languages and song). Also, the SMS Committee will share available 

safety services and products with tribal decision-makers and facilitate the dedication of tribal

resources to roadway safety improvements.

For Other Partners

The ultimate goal to reduce injuries and fatalities in Indian Country hinges on identifying new 

partners to consolidate and multiply limited resources. The SMS Committee will work to 

leverage existing relationships and identify new partners, such as the Centers of Disease Control 

(CDC), to support tribally-determined safety priorities consist with their individual missions. 

Concurrently, the SMS Committee will work to improve internal communication and 

coordination, offering guidance to FHWA staff on: (1) planning and coordinating with other 

divisions, modes, and agencies; (2) effective publication styles and formats for local audiences; 

and, (3) effective distribution channels.

Other Safety Activities

Recognizing the need to be flexible as additional safety opportunities become available, the SMS 

Steering Committee and its partner agencies may identify and support other strategies not 

identified specifically in this plan, if they are consistent with the overall goal of the SMS 

Implementation Plan and have a high potential for success. Some examples may include 

conducting/supporting Road Safety Audits, Work Zone safety programs, Safe Routes to School, 

public awareness campaigns, internships, sign retroreflectivity efforts, or other activities as 

requested.
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Evaluation

National Performance Measures 

To track progress and measure success, an annual report will be prepared that details tribal safety

successes at the local and national levels. The report will utilize FARS, state, tribal, IHS and 

other relevant data and information sources to assess whether injuries and fatalities are being 

positively reduced. 

Tribal Performance Measures

Tribal performance measures, particularly those that assist tribes in development of their own 

safety programs, will be included in the report. Some of these indicators may include:

• Number of Tribes that have drafted and are working from a Safety Plan

• Number of Tribal Road Safety Audits (RSAs) conducted

• Seatbelt usage rates

• Number of Tribes with standard enforcement (primary seat belt) laws or ordinances

• Individual Tribal reductions in crash data categories

• BIA’s behavioral safety performance measures (NHTSA’s 14 Core Performance 

Measures) 

Conclusion

This Implementation Plan outlines federal activities and resources to support and bolster the 

efforts of tribal governments to establish tribally-driven highway safety priorities, plans, and 

programs to achieve our shared priority of reducing highway injuries and fatalities in Indian 

Country. This plan has been reviewed, and strives to be consistent with other safety plans, 

initiatives, and priorities by FHWA, NHTSA, IHS and BIA. These agencies endorse proven 

countermeasures to reduce highway fatalities on tribal lands and contribute their respective 

resources to support these efforts.