Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 1 

A Message from FHWA Associate 

Administrator for Safety Beth Alicandri

The Long View – The FHWA 2019-2022 Strategic Plan

The mission of the Federal Highway Administration is to 

enable and empower the strengthening of a world-class 

highway system that promotes safety, mobility, and 

economic growth, while enhancing the quality of life of all 

Americans. FHWA will work closely with our partners and 

stakeholders to continue our quest to eliminate traffic-related 

deaths on our Nation’s highways and roads. To help guide 

us toward zero deaths, early last fall the agency issued the 

FHWA Strategic Plan FY2019-2022. 

In addition to reiterating the agency’s mission, the Strategic Plan outlines 

FHWA’s values, strategic goals, and strategic objectives, aligning our efforts 

with the strategic goals for safety, infrastructure, innovation, and accountability 

in the FY 2018–2022 USDOT Strategic Plan. Developed to complement and 

support the USDOT Strategic Plan, the FHWA Strategic Plan also describes 

key programs, initiatives, and performance measures associated with each of 

the FHWA strategic goals and objectives. 

At the Office of Safety, our highest priority goal is to reduce transportationrelated fatalities and serious injuries across the transportation system, and this 

new plan will help us accomplish that as we continue to advance performance‐

driven highway safety management practices and further advocate for the 

deployment of innovative safety countermeasures. We will reach our goal by: 

• Doubling down on what works through proven, evidence-based strategies

and solutions such as the new EDC-5 Reducing Rural Roadway Departures 

resources (see page 3) and the new tools for improving vulnerable road 

user safety (see page 5) and intersection safety (see page 12).

• Advancing life-saving technology in vehicles and infrastructure, such as

using connected and autonomous vehicles to reduce roadway departure 

crashes (see page 20) and using high-friction surface treatments to keep 

vehicles on the road (see page 10). 

• Prioritizing safety by adopting a safe systems approach and creating a

positive safety culture (see page 9).

If you haven’t yet reviewed the many resources that support State, local, 

Tribal, and other safety partners’ efforts in these areas, I encourage you to do 

so today by reading the related stories on the pages referenced above. To 

learn more about FHWA’s strategic goals, we invite you to download the new 

FY 2019-22 FHWA Strategic Plan. 

A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1

In This Issue:

2018 Safety Discipline Conference Summary.... 2

Roadway Departure Crashes

EDC5 Focuses on Rural Road Safety ............ 3

Vulnerable Road Users

STEP, States Develop Action Plans for Ped 

Safety at Uncontrolled Crossings...................... 5

New! FHWA Ped/Bike Resources Now 

Available! ........................................................ 6

Learning Together

Systemic Safety Analysis Workshop Now 

Available! ........................................................ 7

Education Paves the Way to the Future......... 7

Vision Zero, Safe Systems, and Traffic Safety 

Culture............................................................ 9

Federal Aid Programs

ASAP Funds HFST Open House in AL ........ 10

New Guidance: 100 Percent Federal Funding 

for Truck Parking Projects .............................11

Safety Data and Analysis

ICE Is Nice: Tools To Support Intersection 

Control Evaluations .......................................12

EDC Update: Making Decisions More Datadriven.............................................................13

FHWA Enhances the SHRP2 RID to Improve 

Data Utility .....................................................14

Updates from States and Localities

Circling Around on the First “National 

Roundabouts Week”......................................17

RI Completes its Largest Roundabout to 

Date...............................................................19

New Resource Roundup

IHSDM Update: Release 14.0.0 Now 

Available! .......................................................20

FHWA Report Explores the Use of CAVs to 

Reduce RwD Crashes ...................................20

Jurisdiction-wide Speed Management Plans 

Save Lives .....................................................21

Noteworthy Practices for Rail-Highway 

Crossings and HRRR ....................................22

Announcements and Events ......................23

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Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 2

2018 SAFETY DISCIPLINE CONFERENCE SUMMARY

By: Rosemarie Anderson, Lincoln Cobb, Felix Delgado, Thomas Elliott, Alan Ho, Karen King, Juan Balbuena-Merle, Isbel 

Ramos-Reyes, Jessica Rich, and Keith Sinclair, FHWA 

In early August, highway safety practitioners from 

across the country came to Baltimore, Maryland, for 

the 2018 Safety Discipline Conference. For 2 days, 

about 100 Federal employees from across the 

organization (headquarters staff, divisional staff, 

Federal lands staff, and staff from Turner Fairbank 

Highway Research Center) convened to share 

information on highway safety-related topics 

through presentations, workshops, and informal 

networking.

The conference kicked off with a message from 

then FHWA Acting Executive Director Cheryl 

Walker and Associate Administrator for Safety Beth 

Alicandri highlighting the important role safety plays 

in the overall FHWA mission of eliminating fatalities 

and injuries on the roadways. After a networking 

session, participants broke into technical sessions 

based on a variety of topics across the safety 

discipline, including State safety reporting, highway 

design and infrastructure, funding, innovations in 

connected and automated vehicles, pedestrian and 

bicycle safety, and speed management, all 

developed by teams of subject matter experts.

Additionally, throughout the conference, 

participants were randomly assigned to teams to 

solve an assigned challenge. The three challenges 

included: 

1. Programs Track – Thinking beyond the HSIP / 

SHSP by injecting safety everywhere.

2. Infrastructure Track – Identifying the role of 

infrastructure in facilitating safe and efficient 

deployment of automated vehicles.

3. Innovation Track – What should be the next big 

step in safety?

Following the conference, the challenge teams 

presented their solutions in a series of webinars 

from October through December. These solutions 

included ideas on how safety can be incorporated 

into the areas of programs, infrastructure, and 

innovation.

The triennial Safety Discipline Conference allows 

staff to join together with peers, brainstorm 

potential solutions, and exchange ideas and 

information on topics related to their areas of 

expertise and interest throughout the safety 

discipline. The next in-person safety conference is 

anticipated to occur in 2021.

Summit facilitators introduced an element of fun by 

encouraging attendees to toss the beach ball to the 

person who had the floor to ask or answer a 

question. Source: FHWA

Field Safety Engineer attendees at the 2018 Safety 

Discipline Conference. Source: FHWA
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 3

SAFETY FOCUS AREA: ROADWAY DEPARTURE CRASHES

EDC5 AIMS TO BAT ONE OUT OF THE 

PARK WITH FOCUS ON RURAL ROAD 

SAFETY

By: Cate Satterfield, FHWA Office of Safety, CoLead for EDC-5 Reducing Rural Roadway 

Departures

While less than 20 percent of the U.S. population 

lives in rural areas, NHTSA data shows that more 

than half of roadway fatalities occur on rural roads.1

Further, fully two-thirds of these rural fatalities 

involved a roadway departure (RwD), where a 

vehicle crosses a center line, an edge line, or 

otherwise leaves its travel lane. This means that 

not only are deaths on rural roadways severely 

overrepresented, so are fatalities and serious 

injuries related to RwD crashes—quite a curveball!

To address this considerable safety issue on the 

Nation’s rural road systems, FHWA has selected 

“Reducing Rural Roadway Departures” as 1 of the 

10 innovations that are the focus of round 5 (2019-

2020) of the Every Day Counts (EDC-5) initiative.

“We want States, locals, Tribes, and Federal 

agencies to consider that they can do more, and we 

want to show them how a data-driven systemic 

approach can help them proactively reduce the risk 

of future crashes,” said Karen Scurry, FHWA Office 

of Safety HSIP Program Manager and a core 

member of the team for this EDC effort.

“When a batter comes up to the plate, he puts on a 

batter’s helmet,” said Dick Albin, the FHWA 

Resource Center Co-Leader for the EDC effort,

who turned to a baseball analogy to emphasize the 

importance of factoring the element of risk when 

addressing safety. “That batter may have never 

been hit with a pitch, but he knows this is a highrisk location—he’s facing a baseball traveling 

nearly 100 mph—and there is potential for life 

changing consequences, so he takes this 

precaution of wearing a helmet. Similarly, the 

systemic approach to safety looks for high-risk 

locations where countermeasures can be applied to 

reduce the potential risk of a crash.”

The Systemic Approach to Roadway 

Departures

Agencies can use a variety of tools to analyze and 

prioritize the locations and countermeasures that 

will be most effective in keeping vehicles in their 

travel lanes, reducing the potential for crashes 

when vehicles do leave the roadway, and 

minimizing the severity of those crashes that do 

occur. The systemic or risk-based approach 

identifies treatment locations based on a set of 

common risk factors rather than solely based on 

crash data. This is an important consideration since 

many rural roadways have lower average daily 

traffic rates than urban areas do, and crash data do 

While less than 20 percent of the U.S. population lives in 

rural areas, NHTSA data shows that more than half of 

roadway fatalities occur on rural roadways.

Urban

49% Rural 

RwD

34%

Rural 

Other

17%

FHWA and EDC-5 have identified proven 

RwD countermeasures that can help States 

improve their game when it comes to rural 

road safety:

• Barriers reduce the severity of crashes 

that occur on your roadways.

• Clear zones reduce the potential for a 

crash when a driver leaves their lane.

• Rumble strips help keep drivers in their 

lane.

By systemically applying these “heavy 

hitters,” local agencies will find they are 

covering all the bases when it comes to 

reducing RwD crashes! 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 4

not always indicate concentrations of RwD crashes. 

Further, agencies can develop safety action plans 

for addressing high-risk locations systemically even 

if they have limited data. By addressing locations 

with high risk rather than all roads, the limited funds 

available can be used most effectively. 

From October-November 2018, FHWA conducted a 

series of five regional EDC summits where 

innovation champions from around the country 

came to learn about deploying innovations;

exchange ideas with their State, local, and industry 

counterparts; and provide feedback to FHWA on 

the support and resources needed to adopt the 

innovations.

Beginning in 2019, FHWA will begin working to 

provide training, technical assistance, and 

resources to assist agencies with their rural 

roadway departure strategies. In many cases that 

will probably begin with developing Rural Road 

Safety Action Plans that are in sync with the State’s 

Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). Many 

Tribes and some counties already have plans in 

place and are reaping the safety benefits as a 

result. These plans often provide the justification 

that makes it easier to access available funding. 

For instance, Highway Safety Improvement 

Program (HSIP) funds are available for use on all 

public roads. Minnesota and Washington are two 

States that have set the bar high, proportionally 

allocating HSIP funds to the types of agencies that 

are facing high rates of severe crashes, rather than 

using them exclusively on the State system. 

Training will also be available on how to conduct a 

systemic safety analysis using the data and 

information that agencies have available, even if it 

is limited. Other outreach efforts will focus on the 

correct installation of low-cost countermeasures 

such as chevrons on curves. Train-the-trainer 

courses and resource packages will focus on ways 

to involve champions with better connections to 

these agencies, such as Local and Tribal Technical 

Assistance Programs (LTAP/TTAP). 

“Our goal is for agencies to make informed 

decisions about when and where to apply 

countermeasures, sort of like lining up the right 

pinch hitter,” Satterfield joked. “But in all 

seriousness, our goal is to help agencies reduce 

roadway departure fatalities and injuries on rural 

roads. The NHTSA’s Fatal Analysis Reporting 

System (FARS) indicates that nearly 12,000 people 

annually drive onto a rural roadway but don’t make 

it home because they are killed in a roadway 

departure crash. Everybody can do more, and 

sometimes the way we can do that is by making 

more effective use of the data and resources we’ve 

got.” 

Interested in learning more or getting started using 

the EDC5 “Reducing Rural Roadway Departures”

innovation? Please contact your FHWA Division 

Office Safety Specialist today!

______________

1 NHTSA, “Traffic Safety Facts – 2016 Data – Rural/Urban 

Comparison of Traffic Fatalities.” DOT HS 812 521, April 2016. 

Available at: 

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812

521

FHWA’s Dick Albin and Tori Brinkly “pitch” the new 

Reducing Rural Roadway Departures innovation at an 

EDC5 Regional Summit.

Available to attendees at the regional summits, a set of 

All-Star Roadway Departure Counter-measures are 

featured on Trading Cards that offer a quick explanation 

of their use and effectiveness. Gum included!
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 5

SAFETY FOCUS AREA: VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

STEP, STATES DEVELOP ACTION

PLANS FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AT 

UNCONTROLLED CROSSINGS

By: Becky Crowe, FHWA Office of Safety

Over the past 12 months, the leadership of 22 State 

departments of transportation (DOTs) met with 

representatives from FHWA in a series of 1-day, 

face-to-face meetings to develop policy, planning, 

design and programmatic recommendations for 

improving pedestrian safety at uncontrolled 

locations. These States sought to advance 

implementation of the countermeasures promoted 

by the FHWA Safe Transportation for Every 

Pedestrian (STEP) program. STEP, an innovation 

of Every Day Counts, supported these one-day 

meetings to develop recommendations later 

compiled into State-specific action plan reports. 

The States are distributing or posting their reports 

as they are finalized. 

Some States are beginning implementation, while 

others will consider incorporating recommendations 

and information from the action plans into future 

policy updates. For example, the MaineDOT is 

creating a pedestrian countermeasure toolbox, a 

recommendation in the State’s action plan. When 

implemented, the recommended actions will help 

reduce the number and rate of pedestrian crashes, 

fatalities, and injuries on State highways. If 

emulated by local transportation agencies, these 

benefits may also be realized on local roads. The 

following actions are recommended for inclusion in 

most action plans:

1. Overarching policy related to safety.

2. Marked crosswalk installation, location, 

prioritization, and countermeasure selection.

3. Facility design manual updates and expansion. 

4. Resurfacing.

5. Training and technical assistance. 

The following is a list of recommendations reflective 

of the results of the one-day meetings. Frequently, 

the recommendations also included a timeline and

identification of who from the DOT would be

responsible for implementation.

• Overarching policy related to safety. State DOTs 

recognized that the commitment to pedestrian 

safety needs to be reflected in all policies, 

projects, and programs. Strategically, this means 

looking for opportunities to include guidance for 

improving pedestrian safety whenever DOT 

policy, planning, and design documents are 

revised. It also requires that State funding 

sources need to be eligible to be used for 

pedestrian safety improvements. Here is an 

example of a typical policy recommendation:

The commitment to safety, as articulated in 

the DOT Vision, Mission, and Goals 

statement, should be reflected in all DOT 

policies, projects, and programs. This 

includes giving priority to funding safety 

projects and using best design practices 

when making improvements.

• Marked Crosswalk Location, Identification, 

Prioritization, and Countermeasure Selection. 

When State DOTs met, they quickly recognized 

that they needed to embark on a series of 

sequential steps to reduce crashes involving 

pedestrians at uncontrolled locations with 

marked crosswalks. They also recognized that 

while they were already taking some actions, 

additional steps would support efforts to reduce 

pedestrian crashes (each State was different). 

Example steps and recommendations include:

o Crash Tracking and Analysis: Continue to 

collect and map pedestrian-involved crashes 

on a yearly basis to identify high-crash 

locations and corridor segments. Develop 

crash maps and make them available to all 

DOT divisions so that the divisions can take 

the map data into consideration when 

prioritizing projects and programs in each 

region.

o Guidelines on installing marked crosswalks: 

Review and update (and in some cases 

create) DOT guidelines on installing marked 

crosswalks at uncontrolled locations.

o Inventory of marked crosswalks: Identify and 

complete a detailed inventory of marked 

crosswalks at uncontrolled locations on State 

roads.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 6

o Countermeasure Identification: Upon 

completion of the inventory of marked 

crosswalks at uncontrolled locations, select 

appropriate STEP countermeasures.

o Prioritization: Using NCHRP 803 (or another 

existing methodology), prioritize locations for 

improving pedestrian facilities at uncontrolled 

locations. Agencies should give 

consideration to dividing recommended 

improvements into three types of 

interventions: simple measures, moderately 

complex measures, and complex measures. 

The more complex the measure, the more 

time, money, and coordination among 

different divisions may be required.

• Facility Design. Most of the DOT design manuals 

reviewed for the action plan meetings were silent 

on one or more of the recommended STEP 

countermeasures, and in other cases included 

out-of-date design guidance. Subsequently, the 

recommendations that came out of the one-day 

meeting were very specific to each 

countermeasure, focusing on using best 

practices and updating appropriate DOT 

manuals. Frequently, specific but common DOT 

manuals were often identified for revision; for 

example:

It is anticipated that the following 

documents will be revised within the next 

3 to 5 years:

o Roadway Design Manual

o Traffic Engineering Standards and 

Specifications

o Roadway Design Standards and 

Specifications

• Resurfacing: DOTs recognized that 

implementing pedestrian improvements, 

including Road Diets, as part of resurfacing 

projects is a cost-effective way to reduce 

pedestrian injuries and fatalities. They also 

recognized the timing challenges that this 

created. Here is a typical example of a 

resurfacing recommendation:

Continue moving toward a 2-year cycle 

for the resurfacing program as a strategy 

for implementing the countermeasures in 

this plan, identifying the institutional 

changes needed to insure everyone 

supports this revised approach. 

• Training: Most of the DOTs recognized that they 

need to continue to look for opportunities to bring 

in training courses; especially courses on how to 

plan for and design pedestrian networks and 

countermeasures. Training should include new 

employees as well as engineers, planners and 

project managers. Several States also 

recognized the need to look for opportunities to 

provide training at statewide conferences and 

traffic safety forums. 

• Technical Assistance: Finally, most of the DOTs 

expressed an interest in receiving FHWA 

technical assistance in the form of best 

practices, examples from other States, in-depth 

review of existing guidelines, problem solving 

along specific corridors, and additional training. 

For more information about STEP, visit the EDC4 

STEP Program Page or contact Becky Crowe at 

rebecca.crowe@dot.gov.

NEW! FHWA PED/BIKE RESOURCES 

NOW AVAILABLE!

Learn How to Develop Scalable Risk 

Values and Assess Exposure to Risk

By: Tamara Redmon, FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA and other agencies within the U.S. DOT are 

working together to assist States and localities in 

improving the safety and connectivity of their 

bicycling and walking networks. One of the key 

issues faced by stakeholders is assessing the 

degree to which exposure to risk changes over time 

or by location or region. 

To help practitioners address this issue, FHWA 

recently published the Guide for Scalable Risk 

Assessment Methods for Pedestrians and 

Bicyclists, which outlines eight sequential steps for 

developing risk values and describes the scope and 

nature of each step, including guiding principles. 

Practitioners can use these scalable risk 

assessment methods to evaluate pedestrian and 

bicyclist risk at different geographic scales to inform 

program and project funding decisions.

An accompanying spreadsheet tool to estimate 

statewide and metropolitan planning organization 

(MPO) area non-motorized exposure, which is 

based on combined data from the American 

Community Survey and the National Household 

Travel Survey, will soon be available online. In the 

meantime, the tool can be obtained by contacting 

Tamara Redmon at tamara.redmon@dot.gov.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 7

FHWA is also providing technical assistance 

through mid-2020 for States, cities, communities,

and MPOs interested in implementing these risk 

assessment and exposure estimation approaches. 

In 2017, FHWA also published an online Synthesis 

of Methods for Estimating Pedestrian and Bicyclist 

Exposure to Risk. This report summarizes a variety 

of methods that safety practitioners may use to 

estimate and evaluate exposure to risk in 

pedestrian and bicyclist safety analyses.

FHWA hosted and recorded a webinar on 

October 10 to showcase and explain the Guide and 

spreadsheet tool. The webinar outlined and 

described three basic exposure estimation 

approaches for pedestrians and bicyclists: 1) site 

counts, 2) travel demand estimation models 

(several different types), and 3) travel surveys. 

Panelists from the Texas A&M Transportation 

Institute (TTI), the University of Michigan 

Transportation Research Institute, and the FHWA 

shared the new guidance and spent time 

responding to discussion questions from attendees. 

For more information on the guide, training, or 

technical assistance, contact the project’s Principal 

Investigator Shawn Turner (of TTI) at sturner@tti.tamu.edu or Tamara Redmon at

tamara.redmon@dot.gov.

LEARNING TOGETHER

SYSTEMIC SAFETY ANALYSIS 

WORKSHOP NOW AVAILABLE!

By: Karen Scurry, FHWA Office of Safety

The Systemic Approach to Safety involves 

implementing improvements widely across a 

network based on the identification of high-risk 

roadway features correlated with specific severe 

crash types. The systemic approach provides a 

comprehensive method for safety planning and 

implementation that supplements and complements 

traditional site analysis. It helps agencies broaden 

their traffic safety efforts and consider risks as well 

as crash history when identifying locations to make 

low-cost safety improvements.

FHWA is now offering a systemic safety analysis 

workshop, a four-hour, instructor-led course that 

leads practitioners through the systemic safety 

analysis process presented in the Systemic Safety 

Project Selection Tool (SSPST). The course 

provides an overview of the Systemic Approach to 

Safety analysis process and gives safety 

practitioners a high-level understanding of the 

SSPST and the resources needed to apply the tool. 

The instruction focuses on the benefits of the 

systemic approach to safety as well as how to 

correctly apply the methodology to identify systemic 

safety improvement projects through interactive 

exercises and case studies.

By participating in this course, safety program 

managers and practitioners will: 

• Gain a high level understanding of the systemic 

approach to safety

• Understand and apply the 4-step systemic safety 

planning process 

• Understand the resources required to conduct 

systemic safety analysis

• Develop the desire and determination to start or 

continue systemic safety planning efforts within 

their agency. 

Safety professionals looking to develop local road 

safety plans or advance systemic safety projects 

through their Highway Safety Improvement 

Program are invited to inquire about training for 

your agency or jurisdiction. To find out more or to 

host a workshop, please contact Karen Scurry in 

the FHWA Office of Safety at 

karen.scurry@dot.gov or 202-897-7168. 

EDUCATION WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR 

A SMART, SUSTAINABLE, AND 

EQUITABLE FUTURE THROUGH THE 

NATIONAL HIGHWAY INSTITUTE

By: Thomas S. Elliott, NHI Training Program Manager, 

and Mary Burke, CHIEF Inc.

We’re seeing a seismic shift in the way education is 

thought about worldwide. For modern employees to 

keep up with the rapid pace of technological 

innovation, education must extend beyond 

graduation. Employers everywhere want to ensure 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 8

that workers possess the skills necessary for job 

performance and that their workforce shares a 

commitment to continuous education.

Gone are the days where one can check the box on 

school and settle in to a professional position for 

decades. In this new skills-based economy, 

everyone in the workforce must keep up with the 

steep learning curve of a constantly evolving tech 

landscape. Luckily, the educational ecosystem is 

evolving too—particularly for adult learners. 

The traditional classroom is no longer the only, or 

even first option, for many professionals. With over 

97 percent of the U.S. population between the ages 

of 18-49 having access to the internet,1 it’s no 

surprise corporate eLearning has grown by 900 

percent2 in the last 16 years. In fact, it is predicted 

that by 2019, 50 percent of all education will be 

delivered online,3 and transportation professionals 

are contributing to this growing trend. At the 

National Highway Institute, the number of distance 

learning participants has risen year over year and 

as a result, online participants outnumber 

classroom participants. 

Why is this movement particularly relevant to 

transportation professionals? Technology-driven 

innovation means a shorter shelf life for skills and a 

tightening labor market. With transportation 

professionals located in every corner of the country, 

access to physical training centers isn’t always 

possible.

Additionally, for some specialty topics there may 

only be a handful of subject matter experts in the 

country. The cost of sending personnel to a training 

course outside of their locality can be prohibitive,

but the need for investment in innovation is crucial. 

That’s why the Web-based training NHI offers is a 

key part of ensuring a “smart, sustainable, and 

equitable future” for transportation all professionals. 

By offering ongoing, easy access to learning 

opportunities we’re helping bolster the skills of the 

transportation workforce—and the safety of our 

Nation’s infrastructure system at large. After all, 

necessity is the mother of invention. In a recent 

LinkedIn poll, 68 percent of employees indicate 

they prefer to learn at work,4 58 percent prefer to 

learn at their own pace, and 49 percent prefer to 

learn at the point of need. That’s why NHI is 

constantly looking for new ways to support our 

audiences by offering a variety of instructor-led and 

Web-based training and looking forward to debuting 

our new Learning Management System in 2019. 

But we won’t stop there. With new advancements in 

the realms of mobile “bite sized” and app-based 

learning, gamification, AI/VR, and mixed reality, the 

sky is really the limit in making sure all 

transportation professionals get access to the 

ongoing training their careers—and the digital 

world—demands.

Interested in taking web-based safety training? 

Browse NHI’s safety course offerings, and don’t 

forget to attend our TRB Live! session to hear more 

about what NHI is doing to lead transportation’s 

training arm. 

___________________

1 Statista.com, "Share of adults in the United States who use 

the internet in 2018, by age group." Available at: 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/266587/percentage-ofinternet-users-by-age-groups-in-the-us/. Accessed 11 Oct. 

2018.

2 eLogic Learning, "15 eLearning Trends and Statistics to 

Know for 2017," March 2, 2017. Available at: 

https://elogiclearning.com/15-elearning-trends-and-statistics-toknow-for-2017/. Accessed October 11, 2018.

3 iMod Education, "The Popularity of Online Courses & ELearning in 2016 Based on Trends & Statistics," July 27, 2016. 

Available at: https://www.imodeducation.com/popularity-onlinecourses-e-learning-2016-based-trends-statistics/. Accessed 

October 11, 2018.

4 LinkedIn, “New Report shows talent development is playing 

an increasingly strategic role in today’s economy," February 

27, 2018. Available at: 

https://news.linkedin.com/2018/2/linkedin-workplace-learningreport-2018. Accessed October 11, 2018.

Workplace Learning Trends in 2018. Source: Origin 

Learning, Inc.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 9

HOW ARE VISION ZERO, SAFE SYSTEM,

AND TRAFFIC SAFETY CULTURE 

RELATED?

By: Nicholas J. Ward and Jay Otto, Center for 

Health and Safety Culture, Montana State 

University, and Brent Jennings (Ret.), Idaho Office 

of Highway Safety

The recent increase in traffic fatalities on U.S.

roads reminds us all of the need to increase our 

efforts to improve traffic safety.1 As many States

and localities adopt a vision of zero fatalities (and 

serious injuries), increasingly greater attention is 

being given to applying a safe systems approach to

traffic safety that requires a change in the culture—

both amongst road users and traffic safety 

stakeholder agencies. Any yet, there is perhaps 

some uncertainty and confusion about how these 

different concepts relate to each other: Vision Zero, 

safe systems, and traffic safety culture. This article 

offers a discussion of the relationships amongst 

these concepts. By creating a shared 

understanding of these relationships, we can hope 

to apply these concepts more effectively to reach 

our traffic safety goals.

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic 

fatalities and serious injuries. It declares that “zero”

is the only acceptable number of traffic fatalities 

and serious injuries. This vision is motivated by the 

widely shared value of protecting the health and 

safety of every road user, motorized and 

nonmotorized alike. Vision Zero makes explicit that 

death and injury from traffic crashes are 

unacceptable in our society.

The safe systems concept refers to an intentional 

approach for achieving Vision Zero. It recognizes 

that humans make mistakes, and we can only 

achieve Vision Zero by integrating safety 

improvement efforts amongst all traffic safety 

stakeholders (road designers, vehicle 

manufacturers, policy makers, enforcement 

agencies, families, workplaces, schools, etc.) to 

create a safe system. A safe systems approach is 

one in which practitioners work to design, build, and 

maintain a transportation system that promotes 

safe road user behaviors (human factors) and 

protects all road users from physical harm 

(forgiving systems). All stakeholders in this system 

are responsible for reducing crashes (shared 

responsibility).

The U.S. DOT defines a safety culture as the 

shared values, actions, and behaviors that 

demonstrate a commitment to safety over 

competing goals and demands. Traffic safety 

culture encompasses the values, assumptions and 

beliefs that influence road user behaviors and

stakeholder actions. Communities with a robust 

safety culture have citizens who 

understand the risks associated 

with transportation and choose 

to make safe choices when 

using the transportation system. 

The FHWA also recognizes that transportation 

agencies have an organizational safety culture. The 

extent to which safety is valued and pursued by 

transportation agency indicates the strength of that 

organization's safety culture.

As social beings, we are naturally motivated to 

choose behaviors consistent with the culture of the 

groups with whom we identify. Thus, our behaviors 

Vision Zero is our target. Safe systems is our approach for reaching 

that target. Safety Culture includes the values, beliefs, and attitudes 

shared by stakeholders that ensure we succeed together.2

Illustration of the safe systems approach.

Source: Based on https://roadsafety.gov.au/nrss/safesystem.aspx
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 10

and actions are influenced by our shared culture 

with the groups to which we belong (families, 

friends, workplaces, agencies, communities, etc.). 

In this case, our goal is to cultivate a strong and 

consistent safety culture that promotes safe road 

user behavior. By growing a strong safety culture, 

safe road user behavior is reinforced and sustained 

by the social environment.

Vision Zero and the safe systems approach are 

also based on a specific set of values, 

assumptions, and beliefs. For example, Vision Zero 

values safety above all other priorities. The belief 

underlying the safe systems approach is that Vision 

Zero can only be achieved by integrating traffic 

safety efforts that include growing a strong safety 

culture to motivate the integration of safety efforts, 

applying appropriate speed management policies, 

and engineering safer roads and vehicles. At the 

core of Vision Zero is the need for safe behavior by 

all road users. Thus, an important function of 

safety culture is for transportation stakeholders to 

measure road user culture and develop strategies 

that transform this culture to encourage and sustain 

safer behaviors. Necessarily, this will result not only 

in road users choosing to be safer themselves, but 

also helping other people become safer too. 

To be implemented successfully, the safety 

culture among public stakeholders must align with 

these same values and beliefs, and stakeholders 

must recognize that traffic safety culture is a key 

component of the safe systems approach. A strong 

safety culture within a DOT is necessary to 

motivate the allocation of resources and planning 

needed to support the full range of innovative 

strategies that align with Vision Zero. Thus, growing 

a strong safety culture ensures that safety is 

considered during the process of making decisions 

about any portion of the roadway transportation 

network. It also creates a context for the 

acceptance of Vision Zero and the safe systems 

approach. 

To assist transportation agencies with the growth 

and alignment of a safety culture, the Montana 

State University’s Center for Health and Safety 

Culture (CHSC) is starting a collaborative project 

with a cohort of State DOTs and other stakeholder 

organizations. The goal is to help these 

organizations to grow a strong and innovative 

organizational safety culture, which encourages 

new resources and novel strategies to work 

towards the elimination of fatal and serious injury 

crashes. A cohort approach distributes costs and 

leverages shared learning so the project is more 

cost-effective for participating agencies. Interested 

organizations are invited to contact Brent Jennings 

at borisjennings@gmail.com or 208-859-5459.

________________

1 National Safety Council, “2017 Estimates Show Vehicle 

Fatalities Topped 40,000 for Second Straight Year,” (n.d.). 

Available at: https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/safetytopics/fatality-estimates (accessed November 14, 2018).

2 For more information on Safe Systems, see 

https://www.transportation.gov/utc/new-safety-utc-envisionssafe-systems-approach-us-roadways; on Vision Zero, see 

http://www.towardzerodeaths.org); and on Traffic Safety 

Culture, see https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/zerodeaths/.

SUPPORTING THE STATES AND TRIBES: FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS

ASAP FUNDS HFST OPEN HOUSE IN 

ALABAMA

By: Joseph Cheung, FHWA Office of Safety

The Accelerating Safety Activities Program

(ASAP) specifically supports the goal of promoting 

safety innovation through training, outreach, and 

education focusing on roadway departure, 

intersection, pedestrian, and bicycle safety. The 

program also promotes partnerships between the 

FHWA, State, and local transportation agencies, 

and Local and Tribal Technical Assistance 

Programs. Currently, ASAP funding is limited to the 

23 States that are eligible to participate in the 

Focused Approach to Safety. 

This is the 12th consecutive year in which ASAP is 

assisting States with implementing innovations in 

safety. The program has awarded a total of 11 

projects from 8 States for FY 2018. Among the 

grant awardees is the Alabama DOT, which 

received grant funding to conduct two High Friction 

Surface Treatment (HFST) demonstrations and 

follow-on open houses to showcase the HFST 

treatment for State and local DOTs. Each of the 

HFST demonstrations and open houses started 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 11

with an overview of the HFST technology followed 

by an HFST installation at the selected site. 

Demonstrations concluded with a question and 

answer session.

The first location to receive treatment is near the 

intersection of Maysville Road and Cooper Drive in 

Madison County near the City of Huntsville. This 

site experienced at least 10 crashes in the past 5 

years, 2 of which caused incapacitating injuries. For 

this installation, Madison County government 

funded the milling and resurfacing activities needed 

to prepare the road for the HFST treatment, while

the ASAP grant is funding the actual HFST 

treatment and the demonstration activities. 

Pointing to a 90 percent reduction in crashes 

experienced at locations in Georgia where the 

treatment was applied, Madison County 

Commissioner Craig Hill is hopeful that installing 

HFST will result in similar crash reductions in 

Alabama.

The second location that received an HFST 

treatment is north of Tuscaloosa on SR-171 at MP 

5 at Prewitt Loop Road. As shown in the location 

maps below, this site has also experienced multiple 

crashes with varying degrees of severity. The 

demonstration of the HFST installation impressed 

the District Chief Engineer, who indicated that two 

additional locations will be evaluated for potential 

HFST installation.

NEW GUIDANCE: 100 PERCENT 

FEDERAL FUNDING SHARE FOR TRUCK 

PARKING PROJECTS

By: Jeff Purdy, FHWA Office of Freight Management and 

Operations

Commercial motor vehicle parking shortages are a 

national safety concern. Section 1401 of the 

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century 

(MAP-21, Pub. L. 112–141 July 6, 2012), 

commonly referred to as “Jason’s Law”—named in 

memory of truck driver Jason Rivenburg, who was 

murdered in 2009 while parked at an abandoned 

gas station because he could not find safe parking 

—was established to provide a “national priority on 

addressing the shortage of long-term parking for 

commercial motor vehicles on the National 

Highway System to improve the safety of motorized 

and non-motorized users and for commercial motor 

vehicle operators.”

Truck parking is an eligible activity under a number 

of Federal-aid Programs, including the National 

Highway Performance Program, the Surface 

Transportation Block Grant Program, the National 

Highway Freight Program, and the Highway Safety 

Improvement Program. Additional guidance has 

been released for 23 U.S.C. 120(c), which allows a 

100 percent Federal share for safety rest areas 

located on a segment of highway that the FHWA 

Division Administrator determines to have a 

shortage of rest areas.

FHWA recommends the States use a data-driven, 

systemic process to identify highway corridors that 

have a shortage of safety rest areas and are at risk 

for crashes related to driver fatigue. Potential 

project locations may also include areas with large 

numbers of trucks parking in illegal or unsafe 

locations that create hazards to other motorists. 

The analysis should support additional rest areas 

as an appropriate countermeasure to mitigate 

commercial motor vehicle-related crashes or 

fatigue-related crashes. The Jason's Law Truck 

Parking Survey and Comparative Analysis along 

with State Freight Plans, truck parking plans, crash 

data, and commercial motor vehicle enforcement

data are good sources of information for making 

this determination. To be eligible for HSIP funds, 

The Accelerating Safety Activities Program 

(ASAP) supports the goal of promoting safety 

innovation through training, outreach, and 

education focusing on roadway departure, 

intersection, pedestrian, and bicycle safety. An 

announcement with the FY 2019 ASAP 

application and award dates will be issued after 

our new ASAP Web page, at 

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/asap, goes live on 

February 1, 2019.

The second location slated to receive an HFST treatment is 

north of Tuscaloosa on SR-171 at MP 5 at Prewitt Loop Road.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 12

the project must also be consistent with the State’s 

Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

For more information on this guidance or other 

resources on safe truck parking, please visit the 

FHWA Office of Freight Management and 

Operations Truck Parking page, or contact Jeff 

Purdy at jeffrey.purdy@dot.gov. 

BY THE NUMBERS: SAFETY DATA AND ANALYSIS

ICE IS NICE: TOOLS TO SUPPORT 

INTERSECTION CONTROL EVALUATIONS

By: Pete Jenior, Kittelson & Associates, Inc., Kevin 

Chiang, KLS Engineering and Jeffrey Shaw, FHWA

Office of Safety

A growing number of states are adopting 

Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) policies so 

that they can more consistently consider innovative 

intersection solutions on a project-by-project basis. 

ICE policies provide a framework with which to 

objectively evaluate different intersection and 

interchange ramp-terminal forms, including 

roundabouts and other innovative designs such as 

restricted crossing U-turns (RCUTs) and diverging 

diamond interchanges (DDIs). Nearly a dozen 

States have implemented ICE policies, including 

the early-adopter States of California, Washington, 

Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgia, and 

Florida. Among the notable benefits of ICE policies 

is the ability to explicitly consider safety 

performance in the early scoping stages of a 

project.

Designers must consider many performance 

measures before they ultimately choose a preferred 

intersection form. Safety and traffic operations are 

two important factors to consider, but they are 

among the most challenging for practitioners to 

analyze. Many commercial traffic operations 

analysis software packages do not explicitly 

analyze emerging control strategies—especially 

innovative intersections—and the process of 

selecting and applying appropriate crash 

modification factors (CMFs) for some intersection 

forms can be time consuming. 

While existing ICE policies take different 

approaches and involve varying processes, at their 

core, these policies involve objective analysis of 

individual intersection forms under consideration. 

Through its Transportation Pooled Fund Study 

Program, the FHWA recently developed two tools

to help States implement ICE—an updated 

Capacity Analysis for Planning of Junctions (CAPX) Tool and a new Safety Performance for 

Intersection Control Evaluation (SPICE) Tool. 

Taken together, the CAP-X and SPICE Tools will 

further streamline efforts to consider innovative 

intersections routinely. 

The CAP-X Tool

The updated CAP-X Tool enables planning-level 

traffic analyses for 23 conventional and innovative 

intersection forms. The only required user inputs 

are a peak-hour turning movement count and the 

basic lane configuration of each intersection/

interchange form. CAP-X uses critical lane volume 

analysis to evaluate signalized intersections 

(including innovative forms), planning-level 

techniques from the Highway Capacity Manual

(HCM) Planning and Preliminary Engineering 

Applications Guide (NCHRP Report 825) to analyze 

stop-controlled intersections, and HCM methods to 

evaluate roundabouts. With these planning-level 

techniques, users can quickly compare the traffic 

operations feasibility of different intersection and 

interchange forms. 

The updated CAP-X includes new data entry 

screens, customizable report screens, analysis 

capability for several new intersection and 

interchange forms, and assessments of pedestrian 

and bicycle comfort and quality of service at each 

intersection/interchange form. Collectively, these 

updates make CAP-X easier to use and enable the 

tool to produce customized reports and outputs that 

are useful and informative to users. 

The SPICE Tool

The SPICE Tool uses Highway Safety Manual

(HSM) methodologies to analyze 17 conventional 

and innovative intersection forms. The tool 

incorporates safety performance functions (SPFs), 

when possible, and uses HSM Part D CMFs for 

intersection/interchange forms for which no 

nationally established SPFs are available. The 

CMFs selected for roundabouts and innovative 

intersections are based on nationally applicable, 

high-quality research. HSM analysis is often 

challenging in the early project planning stages 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 13

because some inputs required to compute SPFs 

and associated adjustment factors (i.e., Part C 

CMFs) may not be known. As a result, the SPICE 

Tool uses default values for inputs that have a 

relatively small effect on crash prediction. The 

SPICE Tool allows for use of locally developed 

calibration factors, and advanced users can replace 

the HSM SPFs with locally developed SPFs. 

Both tools are spreadsheets with macro code 

performing some computations. Because these

tools are open-source, users can modify and 

customize any of the calculations and 

functionalities. Both tools may be downloaded at no 

cost from the FHWA website.

Expanding Innovative Intersection 

Design

Efforts to mainstream and accelerate the 

installation of innovative intersections will continue 

due to the proven safety benefits of these 

configurations. The growth of roundabouts in recent 

decades offers a glimpse of the potential for overall 

innovative intersection growth. The first U.S. 

roundabout was constructed in 1990;1 by 1998, 

approximately 38 had been built,2 and by 2017 that 

number had grown to more than 4,400.

3 Many 

States have now mainstreamed roundabouts to the 

point that they are routinely considered for new and 

modified intersections. 

The same progress will likely occur with all 

innovative intersections. Easy-to-use analytical 

tools that help practitioners consider innovative 

designs will contribute toward that progress. States 

that have had ICE polices in place for several years 

have already seen an increase in the number of 

innovative intersections constructed, leading 

directly to our most important goal—fewer people 

killed or injured at those intersections. 

For more information about ICE and the SPICE and 

CAP-X tools, please contact Jeff Shaw at 

jeffrey.shaw@dot.gov or visit the FHWA’s 

Intersection Control Evaluation page. 

________________

1 Pochowski, Alek, Andy Paul, and Lee Rodegerdts. NCHRP 

Synthesis 488: Roundabout Practices. Transportation 

Research Board, Washington, DC, 2016. 2 Rodegerdts, Lee et al. NCHRP Report 672: Roundabouts, An 

Informational Guide, 2nd Edition. Transportation Research 

Board, Washington, DC, 2010. 3 Rodegerdts, Lee. “Status of Roundabouts in North America,” 

poster presented at the Fifth International Roundabout 

Conference, Green Bay, Wisconsin, May 2017. 

EDC UPDATE: MAKING DECISIONS 

MORE DATA-DRIVEN

By: Jerry Roche, FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA’s EDC-4 Data-Driven Safety Analysis 

innovation team has been busy delivering technical 

assistance this fall, helping transportation agencies 

across the country make more data-driven 

decisions within their policies and procedures. 

Here’s just a snapshot of some of the recent 

activities. 

City of Pittsburgh, PA

Staff in the city’s newly formed Department of 

Mobility and Infrastructure have invested in growing 

the available multimodal transportation facilities, but 

wanted to improve their understanding of the safety 

concerns facing non-motorized users to better 

prioritize investments. The assistance provided 

through this effort helped the city develop a 

framework for conducting safety analysis using a 

combination of crash history and risk-based 

characteristics at: 

• High-Pedestrian Crash Locations – Locations 

with a recent history of pedestrian crashes. 

• High-Risk Pedestrian Corridors – Locations with 

high-risk factors for pedestrian safety in areas of 

high equity concerns. 

• High-Need Pedestrian Corridors – Locations with 

high motor vehicle traffic volumes with few or 

infrequent pedestrian improvements.

• Key Walking Streets – Business districts located 

within walking distance of frequent transit 

service. 

These safety analyses will also support the

development of a city-wide Pedestrian Safety 

Action Plan (PSAP), the first phases of which 

kicked off in 2018.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Traditionally, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet 

(KYTC) employed a critical crash rate method for 

network screening as a part of its project 

identification and prioritization process. KYTC had 

a desire to better estimate the potential safety 

performance of generalized projects prior to the 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 14

development of design-level details. The DDSA 

team provided technical assistance and helped 

develop a method for KYTC to rank sites across 

facilities using a combination of critical crash rates 

and safety performance functions. The team also 

helped develop “planning-level” crash modification 

factors (CMFs) to estimate the potential safety 

effects of projects in the planning process. These 

planning-level CMFs were developed based on 

previous work performed by the Virginia and North 

Carolina DOTs.

Tennessee Department of 

Transportation 

Historically, Tennessee Department of 

Transportation (TDOT) has used a safety 

management process that relied on traditional 

analytical methods, including the use of observed 

crash frequencies and rates to identify locations 

that have higher-than-normal crash experience. 

The methods are akin to those described in the 

Highway Safety Manual as being prone to 

regression to the mean. A recent FHWA research 

effort1 provided evidence that more-rigorous DDSA 

methods were in fact more reliable in identifying 

locations that could benefit most from additional 

safety investments. TDOT expressed a desire to 

further incorporate DDSA throughout their project 

development process and requested assistance in 

developing an implementation plan to achieve this. 

The DDSA team worked with TDOT to conduct a 

workshop that included sessions with each relevant 

business unit (planning, strategic investments, 

design, operations, maintenance, environment, and 

safety). The workshop had four primary objectives: 

1. Develop improved analyses in a formal safety 

management process. 

2. Support, expand, and formalize TDOT’s data 

governance over safety data.

3. Develop data-driven safety analyses supporting 

design activities. 

4. Incorporate data-driven safety analyses into 

other TDOT business processes. 

Tasks to accomplish these objectives will be 

developed in late 2018 and documented in the 

forthcoming implementation plan.

If your agency is interested in DDSA technical 

assistance, or if you have questions about how to 

use data-driven safety analysis to improve your 

agency processes, please contact Jerry Roche at 

jerry.roche@dot.gov or John McFadden at 

john.mcfadden@dot.gov. We also encourage you 

to visit the DDSA web page to access an array of 

resources that will help you improve your agency’s 

approach to predictive and systemic analysis.

_______________

1 FHWA. Reliability of Safety Management Methods: Network 

Screening. FHWA-SA-16-037. Washington, DC, 2016. 

Available at: 

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/downloads/fhwasa16037.pdf

FHWA ENHANCES THE SHRP2 RID

TO IMPROVE DATA UTILITY AMONG 

SAFETY RESEARCHERS

By: Yusuf Mohamedshah, FHWA Office of Safety 

Research and Development

Congress authorized the second Strategic Highway 

Research Program (SHRP2) under the Safe, 

Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 

Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA- LU),

Section 5210 (Public Law 109-59) to address highly

pressing needs related to the Nation’s highway

system, including the reduction of highway deaths

and injuries. The SHRP2 program is the central 

element of the roadway safety community’s 

response to Congress’ instruction. SHRP2 focused 

on the collection of two truly unique, rich, and 

massive data sets to provide safety researchers the 

opportunity to delve into the relationships between 

human behavior and safety on the road: 

• SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS). The 

NDS comprises data from the vehicles of more 

than 3,500 volunteers. These vehicles were 

heavily instrumented with a number of sensors 

as well as both still and motion cameras. (More 

than 1 million hours of video is included in the 

NDS data set.) For up to 2 years, all of that data 

was recorded whenever the vehicle was running. 

The NDS consists of an extensive collection of

detailed information capturing in-depth insights 

into the driver, vehicle, trip, and the roadway.

Overall, the NDS data represents an 

unprecedented environment for advanced lifesaving research.

• Roadway Information Database (RID). 

Although the NDS is understandably exciting for 

most researchers, there is another aspect of the 

overall SHRP2 data program that provides 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 15

crucial information for researchers, although it 

might not seem as “glamorous” or as extensive 

as the NDS. It is the Roadway Information Data, 

or RID, which is a compilation of the roadway 

data for each of the NDS trips taken by the more 

than 3,500 NDS volunteers. The RID is useful on 

its own for many research questions; however, it

also offers the opportunity for researchers to 

cross-link information about the road 

environment with the behavioral data garnered 

by the NDS, magnifying the research value of 

each data set. 

Enhancing the RID

The RID consists of two general types of data:

1. New roadway data collected consistently

across six study sites (see Figure 1) by

mobile data collection vehicles. After it 

was collected, this data was then 

validated and quality checked to 

ensure it met project specifications.

2. Existing data acquired from State

DOTs and other public sources (e.g.,

FHWA, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration).

The RID data covers approximately 12,500

centerline miles across the study sites 

and, in addition to the roadway 

characteristics and features, includes a

high-definition video-log. The acquired

public data covers approximately 200,000

centerline miles. In addition to the State

roadway inventory files, it includes

supplemental data on traffic volumes, 

weather, work zones, crash histories, and safety

laws.

The new roadway data collected for each study site 

are in Arc/GIS format, so using and processing the 

data requires expertise in manipulating data using 

Arc/GIS software. To make the RID more userfriendly, the SHRP2 RID team developed a set of

enhancements to make it easier for researchers 

who are not experts in Arc/GIS to be able to use 

the data effectively.

Reduced Datasets

The following reduced datasets will enhance and 

simplify the use of RID for researchers conducting 

data analysis and extraction:

• The Speed Limit Dataset consists of speed 

limits merged from mobile data collection, Stateprovided data, Highway Performance Monitoring 

System data, and ESRI Links data. The merged 

dataset provides a single speed limit for each 

route based on a data source hierarchy. The 

hierarchy is established such that the values 

from mobile data are considered the most 

accurate, followed by State-provided data, 

HPMS data, and Links data. 

• The Horizontal Curves Dataset summarizes 

roadway attributes along a curve, allowing for a 

quick way to query the curve segments based on 

roadway attributes. Typically, this process 

requires an experienced user to perform multiple 

dynamic segmentations (description below) to 

merge data from lanes, signs, grades, and 

shoulder features data. 

• The Lanes Dataset provides the total number of 

lanes in both directions of travel. The original 

data in the RID was collected separately for 

each direction of travel. For an inexperienced 

user, it would be difficult to associate the number 

of lanes in both directions of travel. Dynamic 

segmentation associates the different directions 

of travel and provides the total number of lanes 

in both directions while also retaining the 

roadway attributes for each direction.

• The Intersections Dataset creates a single 

composite intersection based on data present for 

each leg of the intersection, eliminating duplicate 

counts of the number of intersections. In 

addition, distance to the nearest intersection and 

intersection stop-control type is part of the 

dataset, providing researchers additional 

capabilities to query the intersections by 

distance to nearby intersection feature.

Figure 1. The six States from which data were collected were Florida, 

Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 16

• The Divided/Undivided Roadway Dataset 

provides a simplified representation of median 

presence/absence along the routes where 

mobile data was collected. This dataset will 

make it easier to determine divided and 

undivided roadway segments.

• The Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) 

Dataset provides easy access to traffic data,

which is critical for any highway safety research. 

The AADT in the RID is available in multiple 

feature layers, but it is not consistent in terms of 

accuracy and reporting. This dataset will allow 

users access to the most accurate AADT values 

in both directions of travel.

The reduced datasets are distributed to all the 

registered RID users, bundled with the latest 

version of the RID. These datasets allow users with 

limited GIS experience to integrate multiple 

features layers to perform highway safety research.

The Dynamic Segmentation Tool 

Dynamic segmentation (DS) is the process of 

merging two features layers in GIS based on 

certain criteria. Successfully executing DS requires 

many steps in a certain order to achieve the 

desired output. To make the process of merging 

various layers easier for novice Arc/GIS users, the 

SHRP2 RID team developed an application based 

on a graphical user interface. It allows the user to 

select the features layers and apply a sub-setting 

criterion to each layer (up to 10 layers at a time) to 

produce a final, research-ready dataset. The 

Dynamic Segmentation Tool is bundled with the 

latest version of the RID and is available to all 

registered users.

Basic Characterization of Variables

The RID comes with basic documentation listing all 

the variables collected by the automated data 

collection van, the orientation of variables (point 

versus line), and range of values for a given 

variable. 

There are two types of variables for each site: 

continuous (e.g., AADT, degree of horizontal 

curves, lane widths, etc.) and discrete (e.g., 

shoulder types, median types, signs, etc.).

The SHRP2 RID team also developed a series of 

tables showing mileage and number of segments 

for select geometric variables for each of the six 

sites. Table 1 shows counts and mileage by various 

lane widths. These tables are available upon 

request from FHWA. The tables will help users 

determine how much data to expect for a given 

variable for each study site. With these tables, 

users will be able to answer basic questions such 

as:

• What are the total miles for a given lane width?

• What are the total miles by degree of curve?

• What are the different barrier types?

• How many different highway signs are there?

Table 1. Counts and mileage by lane width.

Lane 

Width

Florida Indiana Pennsylvania North Carolina New York Washington Counts Mileage Counts Mileage Counts Mileage Counts Mileage Counts Mileage Counts Mileage

1-7 418 33 1,488 338 57 10 475 74 1,379 273 39 2

8 1,336 107 2,540 526 198 44 1,355 241 2,061 436 471 36

9 3,483 265 3,180 635 1,101 330 3,311 539 2,335 486 3,754 335

10 10,653 1,058 4,289 941 4,150 1,135 9,506 1,489 3,299 811 10,837 1,112

11 17,308 1,988 4,333 1,171 4,767 1,216 8,728 1,345 2,771 657 8,712 1,534

12 3,647 432 1,517 334 1,867 326 3,548 413 1,548 315 3,390 490

13 1,442 141 759 58 983 74 1,504 112 1,037 98 1,489 135

14 540 30 701 28 855 52 666 49 877 53 963 52

15+ 4,237 144 6,219 193 4,395 170 1,606 63 5,753 214 10,091 344

Total 43,064 4,198 25,026 4,224 18,373 3,358 30,699 4,325 21,060 3,344 29,655 3,696
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 17

Visual Representation of Mileage and 

Segment Counts

Looking at Table 1, users might have difficulty 

seeing any pattern for a given variable. To make 

better sense of data and help users visually detect 

the values in tables, the SHRP2 RID team 

developed a bubble graph as a companion for each 

of the variables. The team also developed counts 

and mileage frequencies for each of the variables. 

Figures 2a and 2b are the bubble chart 

representations of Table 1 values. The bubble 

charts are available on the RID web page. 

Conclusion

By providing several enhancements to the RID, 

both in terms of reduced datasets and better 

visualization of data, users will be able to use the 

RID more quickly and efficiently. The SHRP2 RID 

team is also in the process of developing additional 

reduced datasets and webinars to explain their 

development and usage, so check the RID web 

page often for updates and announcements.

For more information about the NDS or the RID, 

please contact Yusuf Mohamedshah at 

yusuf.mohamedshah@dot.gov. 

a) Road Mileage by Category and State b) Segments by Lane Category and State

Figures a) and b) summarize RID data availability across the six participant States. For each of several roadway 

characteristics, users can see at a glance how much mileage is in the RID database for road segments different 

categories. Source: FHWA

STATE OF THE PRACTICE: UPDATES FROM STATES AND LOCALITIES

CIRCLING AROUND ON THE FIRST 

“NATIONAL ROUNDABOUTS WEEK”

CAMPAIGN

By: Jeffrey Shaw, FHWA Office of Safety and Hillary 

Isebrands, FHWA Resource Center

The first-ever “National Roundabouts Week” took 

place the third week of September 2018. The 

FHWA Safety Program and Office of Public Affairs 

coordinated the timing and themes for National 

Roundabout Week with representatives from State, 

local, and Tribal road agencies, as well as national 

road safety partners and associations, in order to 

promote the safety benefits of roundabouts to the 

general public. According to the AASHTO Highway

Safety Manual, roundabouts can reduce crashes 

that result in fatalities and injuries by roughly 80 

percent. As Mike Griffith, Director, Office of Safety 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 18

Technologies stated, “When it comes to making 

travel through intersections safer, the modern 

roundabouts being built by State, local and Tribal 

agencies are true lifesavers.”

For 5 days, FHWA and its partners used social 

media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, 

Instagram and LinkedIn to share basic information, 

educational videos, examples of successful 

roundabouts, and provide a forum for an exchange 

of all things roundabouts. FHWA created a National 

Roundabout Week web page to guide the content 

throughout the week, encouraging partners to use 

the #nationalroundaboutsweek or 

#roundaboutsweek hashtags when posting items to 

social media channels. 

An internet search of these two hashtags revealed 

more than 500 original posts throughout the 5-day 

period across social media channels, not including 

the number of re-tweets, likes, replies, etc. Among 

the more compelling posts, highlighted at right, 

were those from local emergency responders 

expressing in their own words, based on their own 

experiences, how effective roundabouts are at 

saving lives in their communities. Additionally, 

National Roundabouts Week garnered attention 

from regional and local media outlets, including 

positive television coverage and newspaper stories 

across the country. 

Two Midwestern cities went all in for National 

Roundabouts Week, sponsoring local events in 

addition to posting items to social media. In the City 

of Carmel, Indiana, which is known as “Roundabout 

City, USA” with more than 100 roundabouts on its 

road network, a week-long celebration of 

roundabouts culminated in a roundabout blockparty featuring roundabout trivia and live music. 

Just 3 hours east, along Interstate 70, the City of 

Hilliard, Ohio, spent the week highlighting an 

ongoing educational campaign of its own built 

around the theme #RoundaboutRules. This 

campaign is designed to help drivers navigate twolane roundabouts safely by reinforcing a few simple 

rules: Yield to Both Lanes, Choose the Correct 

Lane, and Yield to Pedestrians at Crosswalks. Both 

cities even produced their own roundabout t-shirts, 

as shown at right.

FHWA encourages agencies to consider 

roundabouts during new construction and 

reconstruction projects as well as for existing 

intersections that have been identified as needing 

safety or operational improvements. To learn how 

to implement a roundabout in your community, 

Firefighters at the Norwich Township Fire Department 

and Staff from the City of Hilliard in Ohio join citizens in 

Carmel, Indiana to celebrate National Roundabouts 

Week. Tweets courtesy of Letty Schamp and the City 

of Carmel, IN. 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 19

please contact Jeffrey Shaw at 

jeffrey.shaw@dot.gov or Hillary Isebrands at 

hillary.isebrands@dot.gov. Find more information 

on this and 19 other life-saving safety 

improvements at the FHWA’s Proven Safety 

Countermeasures page. 

RHODE ISLAND COMPLETES ITS 

LARGEST ROUNDABOUT EVER IN 

HISTORIC APPONAUG VILLAGE

By: Wilfred Hernandez, FHWA, Rhode Island Division 

Office

The $71 million Apponaug Circulator project, built 

by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation 

(RIDOT), has transformed this historic village in the 

heart of Warwick, Rhode Island’s third largest city. 

Roundabouts are being installed throughout Rhode 

Island to improve traffic flow, increase safety, and, 

in the case of one of its largest roundabout 

projects, to promote economic development. Gone 

is a one-way circulation pattern that was in place 

for decades and funneled 25,000 vehicles a day 

through the center of the village, adversely 

impacting business growth and pedestrian traffic.

Today, Apponaug features a newly constructed 

roadway linked with a series of roundabouts to 

move traffic efficiently and safely through the area. 

With the removal of congestion, the stage is set for 

new economic development opportunities. The 

village center is more pedestrian friendly and 

amenable to the restaurants and shops located

there. An 18th century mill site, isolated by the 

previous configuration, was sold and is being 

renovated to house the offices of AAA Northeast. 

Across the State, there are about 20 roundabouts 

in operation and many more are in the design 

pipeline. This summer alone, RIDOT opened three 

new roundabouts. In Tiverton, RIDOT entered into 

a public-private partnership with the Tiverton 

Casino Hotel to fund a long-planned intersection 

improvement project that now incorporates the 

entrance to the new gaming facility. In Chepachet 

Village in the Town of Glocester, RIDOT installed a 

new roundabout to replace a signalized intersection 

that operated poorly and experienced extensive 

traffic delays on a regular basis. Finally, in 

Coventry, a new roundabout along a rural section 

of Route 102 calms traffic while significantly 

reducing the possibility of serious injuries or 

fatalities from higher-speed crashes.

Learn more about the Apponaug Circulator project 

by visiting

http://www.ridot.net/news/apponaug/index.php, or 

contact Wilfred Hernandez at 

wilfred.hernandez@dot.gov. For more information, 

including an interactive presentation on all 

roundabouts in Rhode Island, visit the Rhode Island 

DOT’s Roundabouts information page.

Aerial view of the new Apponaug Village roundabout during 

final construction. Source: RIDOT

The Apponaug Village roundabout will feature a 

landscaped central island. Source: RIDOT.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 20

NEW RESOURCE ROUNDUP

IHSDM UPDATE: RELEASE 14.0.0

NOW AVAILABLE!

By: Abdul Zineddin, FHWA Office of Safety R&D 

The Interactive Highway Safety Design Model 

(IHSDM) 2018 Public Release (version 14.0.0) is 

now available for free downloading at the IHSDM 

Home Page. FHWA held a Data-Driven Safety 

Analysis (DDSA) webinar on November 1 to 

introduce the new release. A recording of the 

webinar is now available. 

What is IHSDM?

Developed in support of the Data-Driven Safety 

Analysis (DDSA) initiative through the FHWA's 

Every Day Counts 4 (EDC-4) efforts, the IHSDM is 

a suite of safety analysis tools designed to evaluate 

the safety and operational effects of project-level 

geometric design decisions on highways. The 

IHSDM Crash Prediction Module (CPM) serves as 

a faithful implementation of Highway Safety Manual

(HSM) Predictive Methods (Part C) for two-lane 

rural highways, multi-lane rural highways, urban 

and suburban arterials, freeways and 

ramps/interchanges. The complete IHSDM suite 

consists of six modules and is available for 

download at no cost.

What’s new in the IHSDM 2018 Release?

• CPM Evaluation Reports: Expanded result 

tables now include Total, FI, and PDO crash 

frequencies by highway segment. The 2018 

additions to the tool include "Crash Frequencies 

by Year” (for Total, FI, and PDO crashes) tables. 

For evaluations using the Empirical-Bayes (EB) 

process, Expected, Predicted, and Expected–

Predicted Crash Frequencies are now available 

for each highway segment/intersection, as is a 

summary table comparing predicted and 

expected crashes for the evaluation period. 

• Site-Based Data: The new issue also includes a 

new ability to export/import site set data of a 

specific site type via Export Site Data and Import 

Site Data options. 

• IHSDM Economic Analyses Tool (EA Tool):

The new issue features updated default crash 

costs. 

• IHSDM Tutorial: The expanded Crash 

Prediction Module tutorial (Lesson 4) now 

includes a Pennsylvania I-70 interchange 

alternatives analysis case study.

How do I obtain the 2018 Release?

Registered IHSDM users: visit the IHSDM Home 

Page and use your IHSDM username and 

previously assigned password to access and 

download this new release. If you have an earlier 

version of IHSDM installed, a “call home” feature 

will remind you to update to the latest version the 

next time you use the software. 

New IHSDM users: visit the “Download 

Registration” page and follow the instructions. 

Whom do I contact for IHSDM technical 

support?

Contact the IHSDM Technical Support team at

IHSDM.Support@dot.gov or (202)-493-3407. An 

updated IHSDM Resource List provides a summary 

of all IHSDM-related resources. The IHSDM Home 

Page includes information related to the new 

IHSDM User Group, case studies/user applications, 

past webinar materials, and frequently asked 

questions.

NEW! FHWA REPORT EXPLORES THE 

USE OF CAV TO REDUCE RWD

CRASHES

By: Abdul Zineddin, FHWA Office of Safety

The FHWA Office of Safety R&D recently released 

a new report, Infrastructure Initiatives to Apply 

Connected- and Automated-Vehicle Technology to 

Roadway Departures that addresses the effects 

and opportunities resulting from widespread 

adaptation of connected and automated vehicle 

(CAV) technologies on our roads. The primary 

purpose of this study is to explore the role of 

highway infrastructure in enabling these 

technologies to reduce the number and severity of 

roadway departure (RwD) crashes.

The project produced a list of initiatives that FHWA 

may deploy to support the deployments of CAV 

technologies in ways that will address RwD 
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 21

crashes. The initiatives were developed based on 

both a review of the current literature as well as 

through consultation with technology developers, 

vehicle manufacturers, State and local departments 

of transportation, infrastructure officials, and other 

stakeholders. The audience for this report includes 

traffic engineers, highway designers and planners, 

and other transportation professionals interested in 

infrastructure development and reducing roadway 

departure crashes. The findings will acquaint these 

readers with potential infrastructure changes that 

could be deployed to maximize the utility and safety 

benefits of these emerging vehicle technologies.

For more information about this initiative, please 

contact Abdul Zineddin, abdul.zineddin@dot.gov.

JURISDICTION-WIDE SPEED 

MANAGEMENT PLANS SAVE LIVES

Overcoming the Speeding-Related Crash 

Challenge Proactively and Systemically 

By: Guan Xu, FHWA Office of Safety

Speeding—exceeding the posted speed limit or 

driving too fast for conditions—is a contributing 

factor in about 30 percent of all fatal crashes. 

However, while speeding is a national safety issue, 

effective solutions depend on local and State 

agencies. As of December 2017, 42 states included 

speeding, either within the context of aggressive 

driving and enforcement or as one or more 

engineering strategies/actions for managing speed 

in their Strategic Highway Safety Plans. 

Since effective solutions must be applied 

locally, the FHWA Speed Management 

(SM) Program has been providing 

technical informational guides, tools, and 

free training and webinars to assist State 

and local safety practitioners in 

implementing SM countermeasures to 

reduce speeding-related crashes. 

A jurisdiction-wide State or local speed 

management action plan characterizes 

speeding-related safety problems and 

speed management issues; identifies 

appropriate engineering, enforcement, 

and educational countermeasures and 

strategies; and outlines actions the 

State, locality, and other partners can 

take to implement these strategies to 

reduce speeding and speeding-related 

fatal and injury crashes. An SM action plan can 

also help facilitate coordination and cooperation 

among various agency stakeholders, including road 

planners, designers and managers, enforcement 

officials, public health practitioners, and policy 

makers to implement a sustainable speed 

management program and to target locations 

where the most cost-effective and feasible 

countermeasures will have the greatest safety 

benefits.

During the past several years, FHWA has been 

providing direct technical assistance to six 

jurisdictions (five States and one county) to develop 

and implement their jurisdiction-wide SM action 

plans. Based on the experience and feedback from 

State and local practitioners developing these SM 

action plans, the FHWA Office of Safety has 

recently developed two flyers related to speed 

management: 

1. Speed Management Action Plan 

Implementation Steps – Put Your Speed 

Management Plan into Action. 

2. Speed Management – A Systemic Safety 

Approach – Improving Speed Management 

Using a Systemic Safety Approach. 

These two flyers, available on the Speed 

Management Program Reference Materials page,

outline steps for how the plans could be 

implemented and summarize how Systemic Safety 

Approach can be used to identify speeding safety 

problems and locations.

The FHWA Office of Safety is currently in the 

process of sponsoring development of three 

Proportion of roadway departure fatalities by most harmful event. 

Source: FHWA

Head-on, 

26%

Rollover, 

26%

Trees, 19%

Signs, 

Poles, 

Signals, 

6%

Barriers, 5%

Other Fixed 

Objects, 6%

Roadside 

Topography, 

4%

Other, 8%
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 22

additional jurisdiction-wide SM plans, and we will 

continue our efforts to assist State and local 

agencies that are working to reduce speedingrelated crashes and fatalities in developing and 

implementing their own SM action plans.

For more information, or to request assistance in 

developing an SM action plan for your state or local 

jurisdiction, please contact Guan Xu at 

guan.xu@dot.gov. 

NEW NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES 

ADDRESS RAIL-HIGHWAY CROSSING 

SAFETY AND HRRR

By: Kelly Morton, FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA has been hard at work collecting noteworthy 

practices to help State practitioners explore 

effective solutions for improving rural road safety as 

well as safety at rail-highway at-grade crossings. 

This fall, four new noteworthy practices were 

entered into the Roadway Safety Noteworthy 

Practices database: 

• Funding High Risk Rural Road Projects: 

Overcoming Limited Data in Kansas – Find out 

how Kansas overcame its limited data challenge 

by using the systemic approach to identify and 

treat rural roads through its High-Risk Rural 

Road program. KDOT offers advice to other 

agencies interested in starting their own 

systemic program in this noteworthy practices 

flyer.

• Diagnostic Reviews for Rail-Highway Crossings: 

Effective Partnering in California – Don’t 

overlook the power of observation! The best way 

to address a rail crossing safety concern may be 

taking the time to really look at the location to 

identify and then treat safety issues. Learn more 

about how the Rail Crossing Field Diagnostic 

Teams in California harness the power of 

observation by conducting structured field 

reviews of crossings with safety concerns.

• Using Traveler Information to Mitigate Blocked 

Rail-Highway Crossings: Local Approaches to 

Signing Lead to Success – Sometimes safety 

can be improved using a creative and low-cost 

solution. Both Kirkwood, MO, and Jackson, MS, 

are using low-tech, affordable warning signs that 

divert traffic away from blocked rail crossings to 

reduce queues and keep travelers moving.

• Empowering the Community to Achieve 

Consensus: Rail Corridor Crossing 

Consolidation and Safety Improvement Project in 

Missouri – Not all small communities want their 

rail-highway crossings closed, especially in rural 

areas where the number of access roads may be 

limited. Listening to residents and getting their 

input on which safety solutions to implement can 

both give the community a sense of 

empowerment and improve safety. It can also

enhance the public’s trust in the DOT. 

For more information on any of these practices, or 

to learn more about how you can improve safety on 

high-risk rural roads or at-grade rail-highway 

crossings, please visit the FHWA’s High Risk Rural 

Roads web page, the Rail-Highway Crossings 

(Section 130) Program page, or contact Kelly 

Morton at kelly.morton@dot.gov. 

In California, diagnostic field reviews help identify 

safety issues, confusing warning signs, and other 

safety risk factors that can be addressed using lowcost treatments. Source: California Public Utilities 

Commission.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 23

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

NATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY 2018

U.S. DOT staff around the country celebrated National Walk to School day on Octber 10, 2018, by “hoofing it” 

with their kids.

FHWA PARTICIPATES IN FRA SUMMIT ON RAIL HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSING AND 

TRESPASSING FATALITY PREVENTION

On October 30, 2018, FHWA Office of Safety 

Program Manager Kelly Morton participated in 

the FRA Summit on Rail Highway Grade 

Crossing and Trespassing Fatality Prevention at 

the U.S. DOT Headquarters in Washington, DC. 

Kelly shared with the audience FHWA’s efforts to 

reduce rail-highway grade crossing fatalities and 

communicated the importance of working with 

stakeholders to continue to save lives.
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 24

THE 19TH ANNUAL NATIONAL WORK ZONE AWARENESS WEEK KICKS OFF ON

APRIL 8, 2019!

This year, the National Work Zone Awareness Week will be 

held April 8-12, 2019, with the national kick-off press event to 

be held on April 9, 2019, in Washington, DC. National Work 

Zone Awareness (NWZAW) has been successful in 

promoting the importance of work zone safety because of 

participation from a wide array of dedicated individuals and 

organizations. Just last year, hundreds of companies and 

individuals reached out via Twitter and Facebook to 

demonstrate the many ways they were participating in 

NWZAW. We encourage individuals and organizations to get 

involved in NWZAW and participate in the annual Go Orange 

Day to show support for roadway safety, and especially for 

the families of victims who have lost their lives in work zones. 

For more information about upcoming NWZAW events, 

please visit the National Work Zone Awareness Week home 

page or contact Martha Kapitanov at 

martha.kapitanov@dot.gov. 

Visit the FHWA Office of Safety at Booth 721 in the TRB exhibit hall!

If you are attending the 98th Annual Transportation Research Board meeting this month, be sure to stop by 

booth 721 in the exhibit hall to check out all the Office of Safety has to offer.

We will be featuring interactive demos of many of the proven safety countermeasures as well as free 

materials from all of our program areas, including (but not limited to):

• The Highway Safety Improvement Program 

(HSIP)

• Intersection Safety

• Local and Rural Road Safety

• Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

• Roadway Departure Safety

• The Roadway Safety Data Program

• Speed Management 

• Zero Deaths 

• Transportation Safety Planning

• Proven Safety Countermeasures

• Road Diets

• STEP

• DDSA

Exhibit Hours will be as follows:

Sunday, January 13: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM 

Monday, January 14: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM 

Tuesday, January 15: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

For more information, please contact Tara McLoughlin at 202-366-2176 or tara.mcloughlin@dot.gov

FHWA Puerto Rico division staff pitch in to remind 

drivers to slow down to save lives in work zones. 

Source: FHWA
Winter 2019: Volume 13 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 25

2018 Lifesavers Conference, March 31-April 2, 

2019, Louisville, KY 

(https://lifesaversconference.org/). The Lifesavers 

Conference brings together a unique combination 

of public health and safety professionals, 

researchers, advocates, practitioners and students 

committed to sharing best practices, research, and 

policy initiatives that are proven to work. From 

distracted motorists and pedestrians to new 

technologies, drugged driving, autonomous 

vehicles, and more, Lifesavers addresses the 

issues impacting roadway safety today.

NACE, April 14-18, 2019 Annual Meeting/

Management & Technical Conference, Wichita, KS

(https://www.naceevents.org/about-nace-2019). 

This annual conference will allow attendees to 

compare competing technologies and services, yet 

spend quality time with the solution providers and 

peers. The conference includes a series of sessions 

on topics related to construction and construction 

management, pavement surfacing and preservation, 

emergency management, local road safety plans, 

innovative technologies, and much more.

2019 American Society of Highway Engineers 

(ASHE) National Conference, Nashville, TN 

(http://2019conference.ashe.pro/). The conference 

is expected to attract over 600 public and private 

sector design professionals, vendors, contractors 

and guests from across the country, and provide a 

forum for networking and education on topics 

relevant to the transportation industry. The agenda 

is filled with informative technical sessions, social 

events and networking opportunities.

ITS America Annual Meeting, June 4-7, 2019, 

Washington, DC (https://www.itsamerica2019.org/). 

With the 2019 theme of “Intelligent Mobility: Safer. 

Greener. Smarter,” ITS America’s 2019 Annual 

Meeting will highlight seamless mobility around the 

movement of people, data and freight. Innovative 

business models can flourish in the new age of 

mobility. Attendees will be a part of the conversation that will shape an environment for safe 

deployment of connected and automated mobility. 

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 E71-320

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.