In 2022, States 

obligated 

more than $119 

million in HSIP 

funds for nighttime 

safety projects.

THE HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (HSIP) 2022

Enhancing Nighttime Safety for All Roadway Users

HSIP in 2022—

HSIP lighting projects 

illuminated 2,483 miles of 

roadway—that’s the distance 

from Atlanta, Georgia, to 

Seattle, Washington!

More than 10% of 

all HSIP projects 

were lighting 

related.

With 240 projects, 

Florida had the 

highest number of 

lighting projects.

HSIP funded 481 

lighting or nighttime 

visibility projects,

for a total cost of 

$119 million.

What Project Types Improved Nighttime Safety? Nighttime Projects by Facility Type*

interchange lighting

$16.4 million | 12 projects 

other lighting projects

$53.9 million | 294 projects 

delineators, post-mounted or on barrier

$3.8 million | 9 projects 

crosswalk installation or modification

$7.6 million | 30 projects 

intersection flashers

$3.5 million | 20 projects 

new longitudinal pavement markings

$3.5 million | 10 projects 

additional heads added to traffic signal

$14.5 million | 25 projects 

backplates with retroreflective borders 

added to traffic signal

$7.6 million | 50 projects 

pavement markings

$3.5 million | 20 projects

edge lines widened to 6-inch markings 

$3.9 million | 11 projects 

NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2021, report no. DOT HS 813 435 (April 2023), https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813435.

Federal Highway Administration, Lighting for Pedestrian Safety (2022), report no. FHWA-SA-22-062, https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/night_visib/docs/Lighting_for_Pedestrian_

Safety_2pager.pdf.

NHTSA, Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Day and Night – A Contrast, report no. DOT HS 810 637 (May 2007), https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810637.

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*Includes only projects with reported facility type.

This information comes from 2022 State HSIP reports. For individual reports, visit 

https://highways.dot.gov/safety/hsip/reporting.

$

local road

$1.2 million total

major collector

$350,000 total

minor arterial

$7.3 million total

minor collector

$480,000 total

principal arterial, 

interstate

$16.71 million total

principal arterial, 

freeways and 

expressways

$3.9 million total

principal arterial, other

$30.3 million total

What Facility Types Were Nighttime Safety Implemented On?

Funding Nighttime Visibility Improvements

Although fewer vehicles are on the roads at night, 23,050 people died in nighttime crashes 

(occurring between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.) in 2021, according to the most recent National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.1 That’s more than half of traffic fatalities 

that year.2 A prior NHTSA study found that a higher proportion of nighttime fatalities are 

speeding related.3 Insufficient lighting and visibility also contribute to nighttime crashes.

Improving lighting and visibility for nighttime road users—while minimizing 

environmental impacts and light pollution—helps make travel safer for everyone, but 

particularly vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bicyclists. For example, welldesigned lighting can help reduce nighttime crashes at rural and urban intersections. 

Sufficient intersection lighting and enhanced crosswalk visibility can help reduce 

pedestrian crashes and fatalities. Addressing nighttime visibility also helps 

create a more equitable transportation network because pedestrians of color 

experience higher rates of fatal crashes in dark conditions.2 The HSIP can help 

fund lighting or other visibility improvements that create redundant layers of 

nighttime protections for all road users traveling on all public roadways.
To find out how HSIP can help 

save lives in your community, 

contact your State DOT:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/

about/webstate.cfm

Except for the statutes and regulations cited, the contents of this document do not 

have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the States or the public in 

any way. This document is intended only to provide information regarding existing 

requirements under the law or agency policies.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or 

manufacturers’ names appear in this document only because they are considered 

essential to the objective of the document. They are included for informational 

purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement 

of any one product or entity.

FHWA-SA-23-021

Helping Make Every Day Count

The Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts (EDC) program is dedicated to 

integrating and rapidly deploying innovative technologies for ongoing or planned roadway 

projects. While the primary goal of EDC is to modernize America’s roads, it also plays a role 

in many HSIP projects. The HSIP requires that States study their existing transportation 

networks for safety issues, and EDC encourages States to apply market-ready, innovative 

equipment and technologies that can make travel safer for all roadway users.4 Some of 

these innovations are safety improvements that are eligible for HSIP funds.

EDC 7 promotes nighttime visibility for safety, especially near high-activity locations such as 

schools, parks, transit stops, sports complexes, and entertainment venues. EDC 7 encourages 

implementing lighting and visibility improvements, such as light-emitting diode luminaries, 

rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and horizontal curve delineation, all of which may be eligible 

for HSIP funds.

To learn more about the EDC 7 initiative, visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_7/. 

HSIP in Action

Shining a Light on Nighttime Roadway Safety with the Florida 

Department of Transportation (FDOT)

One corridor along SR 30 near Pensacola Bay produced 14 bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities in 6 years. In response, 

FDOT used HSIP funds to increase the number of lights present at crosswalks. It also replaced sodium lighting for LED 

lighting, which more effectively amplifies a wider range of colors. Along Busch Boulevard near Tampa Bay, preliminary 

data suggests that changing light types may have reduced nighttime injuries and fatalities by more than 5%. District 

7 improved lighting at over 400 locations, and one study of 60 of these locations showed an average nighttime crash 

reduction of 40%. Fatalities along this stretch of SR 30 near Pensacola Bay have been reduced by 71% in 6 years.5

Nighttime injuries and 

fatalities reduced by 

as much as 50% from 

changing light types.

Nighttime crashes 

reduced by 40% from 

improved lighting in 60 

locations.

Fatalities have been 

reduced by 71% in 

the 6 years since LED 

implementation.

23 U.S.C. 148(c)(2) and FHWA, Every Day Counts: Innovation for a Nation on the Move (2021), https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/everydaycounts_overview.pdf.

Federal Highway Administration, “Lighting - A Florida Case Study on a Proven Safety Countermeasure” (December 2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0A6Ha5eQmo.

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