Winter 2023, Volume 17, Issue 1

 Message from the Associate Administrator for Safety, Cheryl Walker

Committed to Reducing Fatalities

In 2021, an estimated 42,915 lives were lost on U.S. roads. Early estimates for the first half of 2022 

show similar numbers of people dying on our roadways, although the second quarter of 2022 saw a 

heartening decline – the first decline in fatalities after seven quarters of year-to-year increases in 

fatalities. While a decline is exactly what we need, the fatality numbers are still at high levels that call 

for immediate action. In response to this crisis, in January of 2022, the U.S. Department of 

Transportation launched the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), which features the Safe 

System Approach as its guiding paradigm. We know that we need safer roads, safer vehicles, safer 

speeds, safer drivers, and highly effective post-crash care to reduce the number of fatalities.

All USDOT surface modes are committed to turning around the trend in traffic fatalities and serious 

injuries on our roadways, and we are all dedicated to implementing the actions outlined in the NRSS to 

move us closer to our zero deaths goal. This past year, FHWA launched a Complete Streets Initiative

that prioritizes the safety of all users and released critical Highway Safety Improvement Program guidance documents. FHWA is 

also working to update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and is implementing the new Safe Streets and Roads for 

All (SS4A) grant program. You can follow our progress on the NRSS Dashboard. See the “Update on the National Road Safety 

System (NRSS) Implementation” article on page 4 for more information. 

This issue of Safety Compass Newsletter is filled with articles that feature how the FHWA Office of Safety and our partners are 

working together to save lives on our roads. In this issue, you can read about how States are using HSIP to improve the safety 

of vulnerable road users, peruse updates from several Vision Zero communities, check out a report from the Tribal Motor 

Vehicle Safety Summit, learn how to best use the new ped/bike transit guide, and look ahead to the new EDC-7 safety initiative 

that focuses on nighttime visibility. 

The NRSS articulates priority actions that target our most significant and urgent safety challenges to have the most substantial 

impact. We invite you to learn more about these efforts and to join us to help save lives on our Nation’s roads.

Cheryl Walker

Associate Administrator 

for Safety
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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in this issue...

 What’s New? ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2

FHWA 2022 Safety Discipline Awards .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2

New Final Rule Reduces Administrative Burden on State DOTs ........................................................................................................................... 4

Update on the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) Implementation .................................................................................................... 4

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) as a Safety Initiative ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Marc Starnes’ Safety Story .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

 Safety-Driven Changes and Improvements................................................................................................................. 8

Consistently Improving Nighttime Visibility of Pavement Markings ................................................................................................................... 8

Commuter Authority Rail Safety Improvement Program Round 2 (CARSI 2) Awards $59M to Four States ....................................... 8

Funding Tribal Transportation Safety Improvements That Save Lives................................................................................................................ 9

Improving Vulnerable Road User Safety through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)................................................. 9

 Learning Together.............................................................................................................................................................12

News from Vision Zero Communities.............................................................................................................................................................................12

Will Technology Solve All Our Road Safety Challenges?........................................................................................................................................14

FHWA Helps California Crowdsource Best Practices for a Comprehensive Traffic Count Program......................................................16

 Data and Analysis ..............................................................................................................................................................18

SPF-R Online – Making Performance Function Development Easier and More Accessible.....................................................................18

Safety Data and Analysis Case Studies: How Do States Turn Data into Results? .........................................................................................19

 New Resource Roundup..................................................................................................................................................21

How Can You Use the New Transit Guide? ..................................................................................................................................................................21

New Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Information Search Tool.............................................................................................................................21

 Announcements................................................................................................................................................................ 22

What Is the Tribal Motor Vehicle Safety Summit?.....................................................................................................................................................22

Coming Soon! EDC-7’s Nighttime Visibility for Safety ............................................................................................................................................23

Upcoming Conferences and Events ................................................................................................................................................................................23

Visit the FHWA Office of Safety Booth #736 in the TRB Exhibit Hall!................................................................................................................24

WHAT’S NEW?

FHWA 2022 Safety 

Discipline Awards

By Cheryl Walker, FHWA Office of Safety

Congratulations to this year’s 

winners of the FHWA Safety 

Discipline awards!

Field Leadership Safety Award

Karla Petty (Arizona Division

Administrator) has had a lifelong 

career dedicated to FHWA and 

safety since joining FHWA in 1983. 

Under Karla’s leadership, beginning 

in calendar year 2022, the Division 

Safety Specialist presents to the 

Arizona DOT leadership during their 

monthly coordination meetings on a 

quarterly basis. This presentation is 

impacting safety issues at the 

highest levels. She also is a strong 

safety advocate within the Division 

by implementing a standing “Safety 
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Moment” at staff meetings and 

encouraging crosscutting efforts 

across disciplines on several safety 

initiatives. Arizona DOT’s director 

recently stated, “Karla is a tireless 

champion for traffic safety in 

Arizona. Karla does not just come to 

the table with advice. Karla brings 

real-world experience along with a 

mind that is always open to 

innovation. Among State leaders, 

Karla seamlessly weaves in national 

safety efforts and focuses us all on 

traffic safety at all government levels 

and the different travel modes.” 

The passion for safety Karla has 

demonstrated throughout her career 

has fostered cultural change across 

the State and Nation, helping 

establish strong safety relationships 

that remain today and embrace 

innovative approaches to reducing 

injuries and fatalities.

Field Safety Peer Awards

Matthew Hinshaw (formerly of 

Western Federal Lands, now with 

FHWA Office of Safety) has 

developed new ways to use GIS and 

crowdsourcing to improve safety. He 

has also worked to develop training 

and procedures to implement 

systemic safety and data-driven 

safety analysis within Federal Lands 

Highways. Matt has planned and 

developed safety countermeasure 

training for design engineers and 

has worked to expand the use of 

IHSDM analysis and roadside 

benefit/cost analysis. Matt’s ability to 

build partnerships with many 

stakeholders across disciplines and 

agencies was key to getting these 

and other efforts off the ground. He 

is able to bring together people from 

many different disciplines, not only 

within FHWA but also externally—

local, State, Federal Lands 

Management Agencies, consultants, 

etc. His initiative and passion for 

safety is evident in all the work he 

does.

John Miller’s (Missouri division

safety engineer) mission is safety 

and everything related to saving 

lives within highway safety, traffic, 

and operations program areas. John 

is a Missouri champion for 

pedestrian safety and has made 

significant advancements in 

promoting and implementing 

innovations such as the Safe System 

Approach and the Every Day Counts 

(EDC) initiatives, especially Safe 

Transportation for Every Pedestrian 

(STEP). John is a leader in the 

advancement of safety initiatives and 

works tirelessly with the Missouri 

DOT and local public agencies to 

advance safety activities from vision 

to institutionalization. John is never 

afraid to take the lead and jump into 

a project with both feet. While John 

is a born leader, he prefers to use 

those skills to teach and encourage 

our State partners to achieve lasting 

safety improvements. The State of 

Missouri is indebted to John for his 

continued commitment to and 

passion for saving lives.

Dr. Wei Zhang (Office of Safety and 

Operations Research and 

Development) is noted for his 

leadership and creativity to improve 

intersection/interchange safety, 

including: developing innovative 

designs, creating enhanced 

treatments at intersections and miniroundabouts for improved vulnerable 

road user safety, investigating 

possible intersection-related crash 

causes using the Naturalistic Driving 

Study, and exploring cutting-edge 

applications with intersection edgecomputing technologies to promote 

the Small Business Innovation 

Research program. He serves on 

numerous national committees and 

research projects and is often 

praised for his technical expertise 

and up-to-date situational awareness 

of complex issues focusing on 

intersection/interchange safety. The 

results of all his efforts have led to 

several designs and tools that have 

been implemented in the field and 

have saved lives.

Howard A. Anderson Safety 

Lifetime Achievement Awards

Michael Griffith (recently retired 

from the FHWA Office of Safety) has 

had a distinguished 33-year career 

with USDOT. Virtually all his time 

has been dedicated to the 

advancement of safety programs, 

countermeasures, and knowledge 

aimed at reducing the toll of fatalities 

and serious injuries on U.S. 

roadways. He served in the Office of 

Analysis, Research and Technology 

in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration, the Office of Safety 

Research and Development in 

FHWA, and the FHWA Office of 

Safety. Mike has been a safety 

leader and champion who has 

devoted his career to advancing 

innovative approaches to address 

safety. He has always made himself 

available to safety discipline 

members to simply answer 

questions or to provide broader 

program or career guidance. In 

considering his full career, Mike is 
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very deserving of this career 

achievement recognition.

Cate Satterfield (FHWA Office of 

Safety) has more than 32 years of 

service to the safety profession at 

FHWA, and during this time, she has 

been a steadfast champion of safety. 

Over her career, Cate has served in 

the Office of Safety, the RC Safety 

and Design Team, Central Federal 

Lands, and division offices. Cate 

displayed exceptional leadership as 

the Safety Edge team leader during 

the first EDC initiative and was 

successful in moving the Safety 

Edge technology to the 

institutionalized stage with State 

transportation agencies across the 

country. Over the past several years, 

she has co-led the EDC-5 

FoRRRwD initiative, overseeing 

development of informational guides, 

case studies, LRSPs, and 

educational videos. Cate has proven 

leadership skills that she has 

demonstrated in leading the effort for 

successful establishment and 

implementation of a sign 

assessment or management method 

for maintaining minimum levels of 

sign retroreflectivity. Cate has also 

led the development of the recent 

rulemaking to establish a standard 

for maintaining minimum 

retroreflectivity of longitudinal 

pavement markings. Cate is a 

member of the Safety Discipline who 

has contributed to safety 

advancements through her 

commitment to public service over 

many years, undoubtedly resulting in 

lives saved.

New Final Rule Reduces 

Administrative Burden on 

State DOTs

By Rick Drumm and Sarah Weissman 

Pascual, FHWA Office of Safety

On October 11, 2022, FHWA

published the final rule amending its 

regulation found in 23 CFR Part 192 

concerning drug offender’s driver's 

license suspension. This regulation 

implements 23 U.S.C. 159, which 

encourages States to enact and 

enforce drug offender’s driver’s 

license suspensions. It applies to 

each State and specifies the steps 

that States must take to avoid the 

withholding of Federal-aid highway 

funds for noncompliance with the 

certification requirements.

The Final Rule

The final rule aligns with the wording 

of the legislation and reduces the 

administrative burden on States. The 

changes make the annual 

certification process more efficient, 

which benefits States and FHWA 

division offices. While these changes 

reduce the administrative burden on 

States, they will not compromise 

safety on our Nation’s roads. 

For example, the final rule allows a 

governor’s designee to certify 

instead of a governor. It also allows

certifications to occur only when 

there has been a change in law or 

status, rather than annually.

FHWA published the Notice of 

Proposed Rule Making on February 

18, 2022 and received several 

comments. Most commentors 

expressed agreement that the 

proposed changes would reduce the 

administrative burden on States, with 

none expressing opposition to the 

regulatory proposal. 

Additional Changes

FHWA updated the language to 

require States to submit an 

electronic copy of the certification to 

its respective FHWA Division 

Administrator. FHWA also updated 

the penalty withholding amount from 

10 to 8 percent to be consistent with 

current legislation, set new timeline

requirements for when certifications 

are required, and clarified that 

withheld funds will be unavailable for 

apportionment and will lapse 

immediately.

In addition, FHWA revised the 

procedures affecting noncompliant 

States. For States that fail to notify 

FHWA within 90 days of the effective 

date of a change, FHWA will advise 

them of funds expected to be 

withheld approximately 90 days 

before the beginning of the fiscal 

year. The final rule also permits 

States to submit documentation 

demonstrating their compliance, 

which gives States an opportunity to 

rectify noncompliance prior to funds 

being withheld.

For more information, please contact 

Sarah Weissman Pascual at 

sarah.pascual@dot.gov or Rick 

Drumm at rick.drumm@dot.gov. 

Update on the National 

Roadway Safety Strategy 

(NRSS) Implementation

By Norah Ocel, P.E., PMP, and Jennifer 

Warren, FHWA Office of Safety 

The USDOT NRSS is approaching 

its 1-year anniversary, so you may 
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be asking: What steps is USDOT 

taking to implement the NRSS?

As articulated in the NRSS, USDOT 

is committed to the ambitious longterm goal of reaching zero roadway 

fatalities and is dedicated to 

implementing the actions outlined in 

NRSS to move us closer to this goal. 

Each USDOT mode whose roles and 

responsibilities include roadway 

safety is making significant progress

toward advancing specific action 

items in the NRSS to make our 

roadways safer for everyone. Now 

you can follow their progress through 

the NRSS Action Tracking 

Dashboard that was launched this 

past October. 

The dashboard shows progress by 

the NRSS Safe System areas of 

Safer People, Safer Roads, Safer 

Speeds, Safer Vehicles and PostCrash Care. 

From education, training, and 

technical assistance to implementing

policies, rulemakings, and 

regulations, USDOT is striving to 

make a difference. Visit the 

dashboard and the NRSS website

for regular updates.

USDOT has a responsibility to make 

our roadways safer for everyone, but 

the success of the NRSS will require 

a commitment from everyone. In 

conjunction with the NRSS, USDOT

will be starting a Call to Action for 

stakeholders to commit to specific 

actions that will significantly advance 

safety. Stay tuned for more to come! 

For more information, please contact 

Jennifer Warren at 

Jennifer.warren@dot.gov. 

Traffic Incident 

Management (TIM) as a 

Safety Initiative

By Paul Jodoin, James Austrich, and Joseph 

Tebo, FHWA Office of Operations

For decades, transportation 

agencies have leveraged 

coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts 

to detect and respond to traffic 

incidents with a goal to clear 

roadways faster. As a by-product of 

clearing roadway incidents faster, 

TIM seeks to reduce secondary 

crashes and the exposure of incident 

responders. The operations focus 

always has safety at its heart—as do 

all aspects of engineering—but 

safety has increasingly become the 

focus for TIM. 

TIM is embodied in the objectives of 

the NRSS, and specifically in the 

actions of responders and care of 

individuals after a crash occurs. 

Improving responder and motorist 

safety through TIM training and TIM 

technology deployment are key 

actions of the NRSS and are actions 

that are tracked by the NRSS 

dashboard. 

TIM Training

Advancing incident safety begins 

with safer people. The National TIM 

Responder Training program has 

trained more than 600,000 traffic 

incident responders, such as police, 

fire, emergency medical services, 

transportation, and towing 

organizations. Through those efforts, 

the people responsible for managing 

incidents are operating on a 

common footing with proven and 

standardized approaches designed 

to make them and others safer.

The National TIM Responder 

Training program is delivered in 

classroom and online formats, as 

well as in an instructor-led virtual 

approach that has boosted the 

number of trainers around the 

country. Most important, feedback 

from students overwhelmingly 

reinforces the value of the training 

for advancing responder safety.

TIM Technology

Technology presents one of the 

biggest opportunities to advance 

TIM. Through FHWA’s Every Day 

Counts (EDC) program, State and 

local agencies have been embracing 

NRSS dashboard. (Source: FHWA)

TIM is embodied in the objectives of 

the NRSS, and specifically in the 

actions of responders and care of 

individuals after a crash occurs. 
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next-generation TIM technologies 

that improve safety by warning 

approaching road users, improving 

responder situational awareness, 

and improving responder efficiency.

Communicating appropriate driving 

maneuvers (i.e., reduce speed, 

move over a lane) with drivers 

approaching traffic incident scenes is 

a principal way that TIM can 

advance safety. Smart emergency 

lighting systems intelligently manage 

the color, pattern, intensity, and flash 

rate of emergency vehicle lights to 

communicate with approaching 

motorists more effectively. Similarly, 

new temporary traffic control devices 

can warn and direct drivers with 

lights and sequential flash patterns. 

Response vehicle-mounted 

message and arrow boards capable 

of displaying directional information 

and caution messages are 

complimentary to these 

technologies. 

A host of technologies improve the 

exchange of information among road 

users and the roadway environment.

Information can be delivered to invehicle systems or smart devices 

that are used by occupants, such as: 

• Warnings for drivers who are 

approaching response vehicles 

stopped on the roadside 

potentially provide drivers

enough time to comply with 

“Move Over” laws and avoid 

collision. 

• Responder alerts can originate 

from a transportation agency’s

advanced transportation

management system, connected 

vehicle technology, or third-party 

providers—all of which leverage 

connections with mapping and 

navigation systems.

A queue or backup of traffic often 

accompanies roadway incidents. 

Queues can be very dangerous 

areas for secondary crashes, 

particularly rear-end type crashes. 

Responders are taught to be mindful 

of queues and to protect the scene 

as well as provide advanced warning 

to motorists. Detection and warning 

alerts help mitigate the dangers that 

drivers experience when 

approaching incident scenes. 

Strategically placed queue 

warning vehicles, detection of 

queue messages using 

crowdsourced traffic data and

traveler information systems, 

and delivery of warnings to 

drivers using applications and 

in-vehicle alerts are some of 

the motorist-alert technology 

strategies used to

communicate with drivers.

Situational awareness among TIM 

responders helps them work safer at 

incident scenes. Positioning a 

response vehicle between the 

incident scene and approaching 

traffic is referred to as a protective 

block. It is a critical TIM element, 

even when the protective block is on 

the roadway shoulder. Making 

incident scenes “harder” involves 

intrusion-alert technology, truckmounted attenuators (TMA), 

autonomous protective vehicles, and 

similar treatments. A separate 

transportation agency truck or 

surplus fire apparatus vehicle 

outfitted with a TMA can provide an 

effective barrier that protects 

downstream responders.

Video-sharing technologies allow 

cameras mounted on service patrol 

vehicles to stream images from 

incident scenes to transportation 

management centers (TMCs), as 

well as allow responders to view 

TMC images. Sharing video 

enhances the ability of responders 

and TMC operators to evaluate 

incidents, plan their responses, and 

identify the need for additional 

resources. 

Time is a critical element in terms of 

safety because it is equated to 

exposure for responders and 

everyone involved. The quicker 

roadways can be cleared, the safer 

everyone can be. Unmanned aerial 

systems (UAS), sometimes called 

unmanned aircraft systems, are 

small aircraft remotely piloted to 

capture video and photographs. 

When used with traffic incidents, 

UAS are an effective tool for law 

enforcement to expedite 

measurement and mapping of 

serious crash scenes. They also 

help with incident verification, 

response routing, queue detection, 

secondary crash detection, and 

detour route monitoring.

Roadway debris removal is a 

hazardous part of responder actions, 

Automated debris removal system. (Source: 

Enforcement Engineering, Inc.) 
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particularly for safety service patrols 

and roadway maintenance crews 

who typically pick up debris by hand. 

Manual removal makes operators 

vulnerable pedestrians, while 

automated debris removal systems 

attached to response vehicles 

enable removal while driving over 

the debris. Like UAS, automated 

debris removal systems help make 

responders more efficient at incident 

scenes. 

The FHWA Office of Operations, 

FHWA Office of Safety, and various 

sections of the National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration 

(NHTSA) have been collaborating to 

solve the safety conundrum at traffic 

incident scenes. Current work is 

assessing responder-struck-by data, 

examining secondary crash data, 

and determining how drivers move 

over when approaching roadside 

events. New efforts to improve traffic 

crash data are designed to promote 

the collection of secondary crashes 

and responder-struck-by incidents, 

both of which are now in the Model 

Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria. 

TIM is an important part of the 

NRSS. Effective TIM can improve 

not only the care of individuals after 

a crash occurs, but also the safety of 

responders and motorists. TIM 

training and TIM technology

deployment are key to filling this 

important safety objective.

For more information contact James 

Austrich at james.austrich@dot.gov, 

Paul Jodoin at paul.jodoin@dot.gov, 

or Joseph Tebo at 

joseph.tebo@dot.gov. 

Marc Starnes’ Safety Story

By Marc Starnes, FHWA Office of Safety, and 

Kevin Elliott, ARA

Marc Starnes made a mistake. As a 

statistician for the Federal Highway 

Administration, he knows how close 

he came to losing his life. 

“I was 19 years old and was driving 

a 15-passenger van with no 

passengers. A friend of mine was 

driving immediately behind me.”

Then the crash.

“I was going too fast and overshot 

the off ramp,” Marc said. “I exited the 

highway and I lost control.”

Marc’s vehicle landed on top of the 

guardrail, then skidded nearly 100 

yards straddling the guardrail toward 

a bridge, where the van hit a short 

concrete pillar head on. 

“I was knocked unconscious 

immediately. If my friend had not 

witnessed the crash while driving 

behind me, I would have no idea 

what happened.”

After hitting the pillar, the van did a 

frontal rollover and then rolled 

sideways many quarter turns down a 

hill back toward the main freeway. 

By this point, all the van’s windows 

and the windshield were shattered. 

Luckily, the rolling van hit a large exit 

sign at the edge of the freeway that, 

though crushed, stopped the van 

and held it up just high enough to 

prevent it from crushing Marc. 

“As bad as it was, I know safety 

countermeasures helped save my 

life,” Marc said.

Marc did not walk away unscathed, 

however. He suffered brain trauma 

from the 1990 crash that led to eight 

years of monthly grand mal seizures 

beginning in January 1993. After 

medications failed to stop his 

epilepsy, he had a surgery late in 

2000 that removed part of his brain 

and stopped the seizures. 

As a technical professional who 

survived a horrific crash, Marc 

understands firsthand the complex 

nature of real crashes and the need 

for the Safe System Approach. The 

Safe System Approach is a holistic 

philosophy to road safety that 

acknowledges human mistakes and 

vulnerability, then designs the 

transportation system to allow for 

those frailties without fatal 

consequences. 

“We’ve come a long way in highway 

safety since my crash in the early 

nineties,” Marc said. “We’ve 

implemented a large number of lifesaving countermeasures over the 

years. Vehicles now have airbags, 

electronic stability control, and so

many other safety features. I’m 

heartened by the fact that restraint 

First Responders at the crash. (Source: 

News & Observer Publishing Co. / 

Durham Herald)
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use has increased tremendously 

over the years. I regret that I was a 

less careful driver at age 19, but as a 

result of this crash, I am a much 

safer driver today. But we must 

continue to anticipate and 

accommodate human mistakes. We 

must account for the dynamic, 

unpredictable nature of severe 

crashes. We must continue our 

efforts to build up a safe roadway 

system.” 

Learn more about the Safe System 

Approach at the FHWA website. 

Learn more about an epilepsy 

support group Marc founded at their 

website. 

SAFETY-DRIVEN CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS

Consistently Improving 

Nighttime Visibility of 

Pavement Markings

By Cate Satterfield, P.E., FHWA Office of 

Safety

Have you ever had a difficult time 

seeing where your lane is while 

driving at night? If so, you aren’t 

alone. Markings are usually easy to 

see at night when they are first 

installed. However, over time, the 

elements embedded in the markings 

that make them redirect light from 

your headlights back to your eyes 

get dirty or dislodged. Inadequate 

pavement marking retroreflectivity is 

one reason that traffic fatalities are 

three times more likely to occur at 

nighttime compared to daytime. 

By refreshing pavement markings 

before they become inadequate for 

nighttime driving, transportation 

officials can assist drivers in safely 

navigating. The Manual on Uniform 

Traffic Control Devices now includes 

minimum maintained levels of 

retroreflectivity for longitudinal 

markings such as center lines, edge 

lines, and lane lines. The new 

provisions provide flexibility for 

agencies in how they achieve these 

maintained levels of retroreflectivity, 

with five different methods that have 

been described in the supplemental 

guidance document, Methods for 

Maintaining Pavement Marking 

Retroreflectivity. The methods 

include options to measure, visually 

inspect, or use service life 

information. 

The document also 

includes an appendix with 

step-by-step examples of 

how to develop each 

method. The goal is to 

assist smaller agencies, 

or those with less 

retroreflectivity 

experience, in developing 

a method appropriate for 

their specific agency. 

FHWA hosted a webinar

on this topic in September (use 

passcode V=nj*f0 to access the 

recording). FHWA is also developing 

video resources to assist agencies. 

Agencies will need to use the 

method they’ve developed by

September 6, 2026. FHWA provided 

this long compliance period due to 

concerns raised by agencies about 

the time needed to develop their 

processes, purchase equipment, and 

obtain additional resources (such as 

staffing, funding, and training) before 

they begin using their method. 

For additional information, please 

visit FHWA’s nighttime visibility 

website or contact Cate Satterfield at 

cathy.satterfield@dot.gov. 

Commuter Authority Rail 

Safety Improvement 

Program Round 2 (CARSI 2) 

Awards $59M to Four States

By Esther Strawder, FHWA Office of Safety

On September 21, 2022, FHWA’s

Acting Administrator announced 

selectees for the CARSI 2 grant 

program. The program provides

$59,744,250 in competitive grants to 

eligible commuter rail authorities in 

California, New York, Pennsylvania, 

and Florida for railway-highway 

Roadway at night. (Source: FHWA)

Do you have a story to share or 

know someone in your organization 

whose life was saved by safety 

treatments or whose career was 

inspired by a safety story? 

If so, we want to feature your story!

Please contact Chimai Ngo at 

chimai.ngo@dot.gov.
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crossing-safety activities described 

in 23 U.S.C. 130(a). Eligible 

commuter authorities must have 

experienced at least one accident 

investigated by the National 

Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 

between January 1, 2008, and 

December 31, 2018, and for which 

NTSB issued an accident report. 

Eligible projects include those that 

separate or protect grades at 

crossings, rebuild existing railroad 

grade-crossing structures, relocate 

highways to eliminate grade 

crossings, and eliminate hazards 

posed by blocked grade crossings 

due to idling trains. 

Under CARSI, FHWA (in 

coordination with the Federal 

Railroad Administration and Federal 

Transit Administration [FTA]) rated 

the proposed project’s ability to 

eliminate hazards at railway-highway

crossings. The projects that received 

a CARSI 2 grant were also selected 

based on their ability to improve rail 

safety while promoting equity and

sustainability and considering 

climate change. The selected 

projects will also improve vulnerable 

road user accommodations and 

replace functionally obsolete 

equipment at rail crossings. 

With the recent upward trend of 

crashes occurring at railway-highway 

crossings, this much-needed Federal

investment in commuter rail gradecrossing safety will protect 

pedestrians, reduce crashes, and 

save lives in urban, rural, and 

underserved communities. 

For more information, please contact 

Esther Strawder at 

esther.strawder@dot.gov. 

Funding Tribal 

Transportation Safety 

Improvements That Save 

Lives

By Adam Larsen, FHWA Office of Tribal 

Transportation

Native Americans are more likely to 

lose their lives in roadway crashes 

than any other group in our country. 

This is what makes the funding of 58 

projects with $8.9 million for fiscal 

year (FY) 2021 through the Tribal 

Transportation Program Safety Fund 

(TTPSF) so crucial. Additional 

funding available for FY 2022–26 will 

further advance efforts to reduce 

roadway deaths. 

A complete list of FY 2021’s grant 

recipients is available online. The 

funding opportunity builds on efforts 

to improve the safety of our Nation’s 

roadways. These 58 projects run 

parallel to the SS4A discretionary 

grant program that was also funded 

under the President’s Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law (BIL) (Public Law 

117-58). 

The TTPSF was developed to reflect 

feedback from Tribal transportation 

leaders. As a result, Tribes can 

apply for funding at 100-percent 

Federal share with no matching 

requirements to implement projects 

categorized as: 

• Transportation safety plans

• Data assessment, improvement, 

and analysis activities

• Systemic roadway departure 

countermeasures

• Infrastructure improvements

Additional information on how to 

apply for future funding rounds can 

be found on the TTPSF website. 

For more information, please contact 

Adam Larsen at 

adam.larsen@dot.gov. 

Improving Vulnerable Road 

User Safety through the 

Highway Safety 

Improvement Program

(HSIP)

By Karen Scurry, FHWA Office of Safety 

The Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act (also known as BIL) 

included a new requirement under 

the HSIP for States to develop a 

Vulnerable Road User Safety 

Assessment. On October 21, 2022, 

FHWA published guidance to 

provide background and clarify the 

requirements for the Vulnerable 

Road User Safety Assessment. 

As part of the Vulnerable Road User 

Safety Assessment, each State will 

conduct a quantitative analysis of 

vulnerable road user fatalities and 

serious injuries using data and 

considering demographics to identify 

areas as high risk to vulnerable road 

users. States will then consult with 

local governments and other 

Hannahville Indian Community 

pedestrian infrastructure on 

Hannahville Road. Completed in 2018 

with a TTPSF Grant of $746,495. 

(Source: Betty Draze, employee of 

HIC)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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stakeholders to develop a program 

of projects or strategies to improve 

the safety of vulnerable road users in 

the high-risk areas. Provided below 

is a summary of noteworthy 

practices and resources to support 

the development of the Vulnerable 

Road User Safety Assessment. 

Using Quantitative Analysis to 

Identify High-Risk Areas

Data-driven safety analysis is not 

new to the States or the HSIP. All 

States should already have a safety 

data system in place with the ability 

to perform safety problem 

identification and countermeasure 

analysis, and to differentiate safety 

data for vulnerable road users from 

other road users as part of States’ 

HSIPs. States can use this system 

and other data to identify areas as 

high risk to vulnerable road users 

through either spot or systemic 

safety analysis. 

NCHRP Research Report 893

provides a safety analysis method 

that can help proactively identify 

sites for potential safety 

improvements based on specific risk 

factors for pedestrians using 

systemic pedestrian safety analysis. 

The report presents several 

pedestrian crash risk variables for 

analysis, as well as multiple case 

examples that apply the method in 

both State and local agencies. This 

method would enable transportation 

agencies to identify, prioritize, and 

select appropriate countermeasures 

for locations with a high risk of 

pedestrian-related crashes (i.e. highrisk areas), even when fatality and 

serious injury crash data are sparse. 

The Virginia Pedestrian 

Safety Action Plan uses 

both crash cluster analysis 

and systemic/predictive 

analysis to identify potential 

locations for pedestrian 

safety improvements. In 

addition to safety data, the 

systemic/predictive analysis 

also includes census block 

data (e.g. zero-vehicle 

households, population 

below poverty line, 

population density) as risk 

factors. This comprehensive 

approach is consistent with current 

HSIP practice and incorporates 

equity-related factors into the 

decision-making process. 

Consulting Local Governments 

and Engaging the Public through 

Various Techniques 

States will consult with local 

governments and other stakeholders 

that represent the high-risk areas. 

Many different examples of 

engagement techniques for

gathering input from local 

governments and stakeholders are

outlined in Promising Practices for 

Meaningful Public Engagement in 

Transportation Decision-Making, 

published in October 2022 by the 

Office of the Secretary. These 

techniques include charettes, focus 

groups, open houses, surveys, and

workshops. Many agencies have 

successfully used these techniques 

for vulnerable road user-related 

activities. 

The North Jersey Transportation 

Planning Authority sponsors 

walkable community workshops. The 

workshops train participants to 

identify barriers to walking and 

improve pedestrian safety in each 

workshop community. These 

workshops include:

• Initial briefing by local 

stakeholders

• Presentation on best practices 

of walkable communities in other 

locations

• Guided walking audit of a study 

area identified by the local host 

community

• Small group session to generate 

recommendations for 

improvements

Several other metropolitan planning 

organizations conduct walkability 

assessments under grants 

supported by the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention. 

This would be a great way to partner 

with regional and local governments 

to gather input on safety needs and 

potential solutions for the identified 

high-risk areas in the Vulnerable 

Road User Safety Assessment. 

Other agencies have engaged the 

public in all aspects of plan 

Children are vulnerable road users waiting at a 

crosswalk. (Source: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan 

Burden)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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development. The City of Rohnert 

Park, California, is developing a local 

road safety plan (LRSP) and has 

created a project website and an 

interactive map that allows 

community members to view 

collisions in the area and provide 

location-specific comments. The city

also conducted a project survey and 

hosted virtual public meetings. The 

director of public safety even 

included an article in the Community 

Voice to promote the LRSP and 

encourage the public to become 

engaged. 

Consultation and public engagement

also seem to be common for State 

bicycle and pedestrian plans. As part 

of the Massachusetts Bicycle 

Transportation Plan, the State 

obtained input both in-person and 

online. The plan states, “Public 

input is critical for answering 

questions about why people choose 

to bike or not, where they want to 

bike when they do, common barriers 

to biking, and notable bike network 

gaps.” Massachusetts DOT collected 

feedback in several ways, such as 

hosting listening sessions and openstreets events, producing a 

downloadable partner toolkit for

stakeholder groups to solicit input 

from their members, creating a webbased interactive map, developing

an online survey, and facilitating a 

social media campaign to publicize 

feedback opportunities.

The California Department of 

Transportation (Caltrans) used a 

three-phase approach to gather 

input for its Toward an Active 

California – State Bicycle and 

Pedestrian Plan. During phase 1 

Caltrans gathered information on 

challenges, opportunities, and 

priorities to help identify objectives 

and strategies. This was 

accomplished through regional 

forums, online surveys, and 

stakeholder focus groups. 

Throughout phase 2 Caltrans used 

public workshops, Tribal listening 

sessions, and a questionnaire to 

seek input and feedback on draft 

objectives and strategies. Phase 3 

includes public review of the draft 

plan via public workshops, public 

webinars, and online comments. 

A common theme across these 

examples is that each agency uses

multiple approaches to gather input. 

This emphasizes the importance of 

establishing a process for consulting 

with local governments and other 

stakeholders that represent the highrisk areas identified through the 

Vulnerable Road User Safety 

Assessment. The FHWA Office of 

Planning website outlines a step-bystep process to support the design of 

a public involvement program, which 

may be helpful to States as they 

consider approaches to meet the 

consultation requirement. 

Developing a Program of Projects 

or Strategies 

Based on the outcomes of the 

consultation and considering the 

Safe System Approach, each State 

is required to develop a program of 

projects or strategies to improve the 

safety of vulnerable road users in the 

identified high-risk areas. When 

considering a Safe System 

Approach, States should prioritize 

projects and strategies that align

with the goal of eliminating fatalities 

and serious injuries. The guidance 

outlines a hierarchy, or tiered 

approach, as follows: 

1. Separate users in space (e.g., 

separated bike lanes, walkways, 

pedestrian refuge islands) 

2. Implement physical features to 

slow traffic (e.g., self-enforcing 

roads, road diets, roundabouts) 

3. Separate users in time (e.g., 

leading pedestrian intervals) 

4. Increase attentiveness and 

awareness (e.g., crosswalk 

visibility enhancements, 

Pedestrians waiting at a crosswalk. 

(Source: www.pedbikeimages.org/

Dan Burden)

Cover of the Massachusetts plan. 

(Source: Massachusetts DOT)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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pedestrian hybrid beacons, 

lighting) 

5. Implement speed-enforcing 

strategies (e.g., speed safety 

cameras) 

Projects and strategies that separate 

users in space have the greatest 

potential to reduce fatalities and 

serious injuries first, as physical 

separation can permanently 

eliminate conflicts that lead to severe 

crashes. If it is not feasible or 

appropriate for the roadway context

to separate users in space, agencies 

can consider combining 

supplemental treatments from lower 

tiers where feasible, which promotes

redundancy of Safe System 

solutions. Many of the FHWA Proven 

Safety Countermeasures fit in one or 

more of these categories. In 

addition, the Complete Streets

design model implements the Safe 

System Approach. 

The program of projects and 

strategies for the Vulnerable Road 

User Safety Assessment may not 

degrade transportation system 

access for vulnerable road users.

For example, rather than removing a 

midblock crossing after crashes 

occur, an agency should make these 

crossings safer for pedestrians by 

adding high-visibility markings, rapid 

rectangular flashing beacons, or 

similar countermeasures. 

The Vulnerable Road User Safety 

Assessment can also include a 

review of agency policies to identify 

areas that can be addressed to 

improve decision-making for 

vulnerable road user safety. These 

policies should ensure that 

vulnerable road user safety is 

prioritized in all aspects of program 

and project delivery. 

Getting to the Finish Line 

States’ initial Vulnerable Road User 

Safety Assessments are due 

November 15, 2023 and are to be 

appended to their respective 

Strategic Highway Safety Plans 

(SHSPs). Future updates of the 

assessments will occur as part of 

States’ regular SHSP update 

process. For additional information: 

• Review the Vulnerable Road 

User Safety Assessment 

Guidance

• Explore the Data Tools and 

Resources for the Vulnerable 

Road User Safety Assessment 

• Contact Tamara Redmon at 

tamara.redmon@dot.gov or 202-

366-4077 or Kelly Morton at 

kelly.morton@dot.gov or 202-

366-8090 

In addition, a limited amount of free 

technical assistance for the 

assessments is available to State 

DOTs. Contact 

tamara.redmon@dot.gov for more 

information.

LEARNING TOGETHER

News from Vision Zero 

Communities

By Chimai Ngo, FHWA; Kevin Fehr, City of 

Daly City, CA; Lisa Foster, City of Alameda, 

CA; Abi Subramanian, City of Denver, CO; 

and Ella Froggatt and Kris Carter, City of 

Boston, MA.

Every day, Vision Zero communities 

across the country make 

extraordinary efforts to enhance the 

safety of all road users. These 

efforts include community outreach, 

engineering countermeasures, 

routine activities, and out-of-the-box 

interventions on small to large 

scales. The ultimate purpose is to 

save lives on the roadways and 

reach the goal of zero traffic-related 

deaths and serious injuries. Below 

are examples of current efforts 

among Vision Zero communities. 

Daly City’s Vision Zero Outreach 

Campaign

A community’s decision to adopt 

Vision Zero marks the start of a 

journey that will certainly include 

physical changes, such as crosswalk 

enhancements 

and lowering 

speed limits. 

Becoming a 

Vision Zero city 

is integrating

Vision Zero into the community. 

Safer People is a part of the Safe 

System Approach to Vision Zero that

focuses on the safety of all users, 

including the need for knowledge of 

what Vision Zero is all about. The 

City of Daly City, California, recently 

embarked on its Vision Zero 

outreach campaign. This marketing 

effort is helping to brand Daly City’s 

Vision Zero efforts and to make 

Vision Zero logo for Daly City. (Source: Daly City, California)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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Vision Zero a familiar part of the 

city’s safety culture. The city 

originally adopted its Vision Zero

goal in 2016 and adopted its Vision 

Zero Action Plan in 2020 with 

funding support from and in 

partnership with FHWA. Its outreach 

program began in May 2022 and is a 

year-long, city-led effort. 

Daly City’s campaign has already 

developed a program logo and

adopted the tagline, “Vision 

Zero: Safe Streets Save Lives.” The 

city is currently finalizing branding 

materials that will feature positive 

safety messaging alongside images 

of participating community members. 

The program is funded in part by a 

50-percent grant from its county 

transportation agency, the San 

Mateo County Transportation 

Authority, with the remaining funds 

provided by Daly City. Current 

activities from the marketing push 

include social media content, a new 

Vision Zero web page, hosting 

information tables at community 

events, promoting Vision Zero 

elements of capital projects, and 

creating a Vision Zero safety video. 

Outreach will continue through the

first half of 2023 with development of 

school curriculum materials, more 

community and business outreach, 

and continued public education. The 

Daly City Vision Zero Outreach 

Program is helping the city not only 

execute a handful of its Vision Zero 

Action Plan action items, but also 

reach its stated goal of using Vision 

Zero’s collaborative and data-driven 

approach to eliminate fatalities and 

serious injuries by 2035. 

Alameda’s Active Transportation 

Plan

The City of Alameda, California,

recently released its final draft Active 

Transportation Plan, which it

developed in tandem with its Vision 

Zero Action Plan. Because people 

walking, wheeling, and biking are 

disproportionately vulnerable in 

crashes, creating safer facilities for 

them helps Alameda achieve its 

Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic 

fatalities and severe injuries by 

2035. The Alameda City Council 

adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan in 

late 2021, including an extensive 

crash data analysis and safety 

actions for all modes. The Active 

Transportation Plan relies on the 

bicycling and walking findings of that 

crash analysis. Together, the 

programs and actions of both plans 

support building safe facilities for 

people of all ages and abilities, as 

well as providing safety education.

To have the safest bikeways and the 

greatest impact on mode shift, the 

Active Transportation Plan proposes 

shifting the percentage of low-stress 

bikeways from 50 to 75 percent of 

the network and doubling the city’s 

bikeway network mileage. The city 

already has many projects in the 

pipeline to make its streets safer and 

more attractive to people walking 

and biking. In 2023 alone, between 

city and State transportation agency 

projects (and benefiting from Federal 

funds), the city will begin 

construction on its first modern 

roundabouts, convert more than 3 

miles of four-lane roads to three-lane

roads, install almost 2 new miles of 

protected bike lanes, and upgrade 

pedestrian crossings at dozens of 

intersections. The projects proposed 

in the Active Transportation Plan will 

build on these and other projects to 

create connected and comfortable 

networks for active transportation.

Denver’s Rapid Response 

Program

Since the launch of the Vision Zero 

Action Plan in 2017, Denver’s 

Department of Transportation and 

Infrastructure (DOTI) has 

implemented many safety-focused 

initiatives to eliminate traffic-related 

deaths and serious injuries. One 

such effort is the Rapid Response 

program, which consists of a small 

team of DOTI employees and

partners at the Denver Police 

Department. The Rapid Response 

team meets regularly to investigate 

recent fatal crashes and determine 

using historic crash data what 

treatments—engineering, education, 

enforcement, or a combination of the 

Vision Zero logo for Denver. (Source: 

Denver, Colorado)

Vision Zero logo for Alameda. 

(Source: Maurice Ramirez, 

Alameda, California)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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three—are appropriate at crash 

locations. Treatments can involve 

immediate quick-build 

improvements, such as changing

signal phasing or adding signs and 

pavement markings. Treatments can 

also involve including the crash site 

as a part of a larger-scale, long-term 

project such as a signal rebuild. 

Regardless of what the outcome 

may be, the Rapid Response team 

works to determine the contributing 

factors to a crash and pair them to 

the appropriate Proven Safety 

Countermeasure. 

The Rapid Response team has 

reviewed every fatal crash in Denver 

since the program launched. Since 

the beginning of 2020, the team has 

recommended more than 50 

signage, pavement marking, and 

signal timing and phasing 

engineering work orders. The city

and county of Denver use social 

media or targeted enforcement to 

implement recommendations related 

to education or enforcement. A great 

example of a rapid response 

success story is the interchange at

20th Street and Interstate 25, where 

Denver previously had a high 

frequency of crashes—especially 

crashes involving impaired drivers. 

The Rapid Response team worked 

with Colorado DOT to improve 

signage and with the police 

department to increase enforcement. 

Crashes decreased by 33 percent 

after the treatments had been 

implemented. The City of Denver is 

currently conducting a 5-year review 

of the Vision Zero Action Plan and 

gearing up to release a second 

edition of the plan. The Rapid 

Response program has been a 

success and remains a crucial part 

of the action plan moving forward.

Please view Denver’s Vision Zero 

dashboard for the latest updates. 

Boston’s Large Vehicle Safety 

Project

The City of 

Boston, 

Massachusetts,

received a grant 

from the

Partnership for 

Healthy Cities to 

help tackle safety 

issues posed by 

large vehicles on 

city streets, as 

described in a 

pair of reports by the National 

Association of City Transportation 

Officials and the Volpe National 

Transportation Systems Center

(Volpe). Large trucks and buses 

often have large blind zones that 

make it challenging for drivers to see 

people walking, rolling, and riding 

bikes near them. Newer designs

provide drivers with more direct 

vision through reduced height cabs, 

expanded windows, and sloped or 

flat-faced hoods. Although these 

designs are available in some 

markets, they have not been widely 

adopted yet.

The city will use a portion of the 

grant to fund technical support by

Volpe to develop a scoring system to 

assess the visibility of vehicles on 

the market. Boston and other cities

will be able to use the scoring 

system to compare visibility when 

making large vehicle purchases. The 

grant also supports the work of

MassBike and LivableStreets 

Alliance to raise awareness of blind 

zones and develop training materials 

for drivers of city fleet vehicles. The 

training will also cover new types of 

bike and pedestrian infrastructure 

and their purpose, as well as laws 

and best practices related to sharing 

city streets with people walking and 

rolling. 

For news from other Vision Zero 

communities, visit 

https://highways.dot.gov/safety/zerodeaths/news-vision-zerocommunities or contact Chimai Ngo 

at chimai.ngo@dot.gov. 

Will Technology Solve All 

Our Road Safety 

Challenges?

By Norah Ocel, P.E., PMP, and Karen 

Timpone, FHWA Office of Safety 

Generally, road safety engineers are 

trained to focus on four things: 

• Analyzing crash data

• Reviewing crash causal factors

• Using predictive methods to 

compute the expected number 

of crashes

• Identifying safety 

countermeasures, such as 

FHWA Office of Safety Proven 

Safety Countermeasures, that 

have good crash modification 

factors after implementation 

The Safe System Approach, as 

embraced by the NRSS, has 

revealed a need to look not only at 

how the five Safe System Approach

elements (Safer Roads, Safer 

Vehicles, Safer Road Users, Safer 

Speeds, and Post-Crash Care) 

collectively interact, but also how 

City logo. 

(Source: Boston, 

Massachusetts)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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technology can play a role in 

improving road safety. 

With agencies experiencing rising 

infrastructure costs, communities are 

looking at innovative technology 

solutions to improve safety. 

Connected vehicle, automated 

vehicle, and infrastructure 

technologies will be the trend of the 

future. As communities start to 

change their street design approach 

by implementing Complete Streets, 

making technology part of the 

conversation becomes more 

important than ever. 

Technology is not only being 

researched, developed, tested, and 

piloted to potentially save thousands 

of lives, but it is also being 

permanently deployed in many 

places. Technology needs to be a 

part of the roadway safety 

conversation. Where road safety 

infrastructure and behavioral 

countermeasures fall short, 

technology could bridge the gap. For 

example, there is ongoing in-vehicle 

technology research that will help 

when road users decide to drive 

while intoxicated. This technology 

has the potential to dramatically help 

reduce fatalities on our roadways by 

up to 30 percent.

FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center has developed an 

entire research program around 

intelligent transportation system 

(ITS) technologies that supports 

safety, efficiency, and 

communication networks. These 

networks include connectivity-based 

vehicle-to-pedestrian systems, 

pedestrian wayfinding and 

navigation guidance, and bike and 

shared-street signage.

An example of technology that has 

been piloted is the Connected 

Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program. 

The program deployed applications 

using data captured from multiple 

sources (e.g., vehicles, mobile 

devices, and infrastructure) across 

all elements of the surface 

transportation system (i.e., transit, 

freeway, arterial, parking facilities, 

and tollways) to support improved 

system performance and enhanced 

performance-based management.

Safer Road Users

The City of Marysville, Ohio, has a 

smart mobility corridor where 

intelligent infrastructure has been 

enabled to improve safety for 

vulnerable road users with global 

positioning system coordinates and 

thermo cameras to track 

pedestrians. ITS monitors and 

analyzes camera metadata and 

broadcasts personal safety 

messages to connected vehicles and 

generates basic safety messages for 

nonconnected vehicles that can be 

used on dynamic message signs.

Safer Vehicles

There are many advanced driver 

assistance systems (e.g., pedestrian 

detection/avoidance, lane departure 

warning/correction, traffic sign 

recognition, automatic emergency 

braking, and blind spot detection) 

that help drivers with maneuvering 

intersection movement, left turning, 

and merging. Additionally, some 

cellular phones can identify when a 

vehicle has crashed based on the 

deceleration of the vehicle.

Post-Crash Care

The ability to clear incidents quickly 

while providing safety to on-scene 

responders and travelers is one 

measure of the success of a TIM 

program. The successful on-scene 

activities are supported by 

interagency communications and 

technology when adequate warning 

is provided to motorists approaching 

the incident queue (advanced 

traveler information systems) and 

positive traffic control is provided at 

all incident scenes on a 24–7 basis 

(advanced traffic management 

systems). 

Safer Speeds

Many agencies already use reduced 

speed zones, work zone warnings, 

dynamic speed harmonization, and 

curve speed warning systems. 

Agencies can also make more use of

speed safety cameras (SSCs) to 

supplement more traditional 

methods of enforcement, 

engineering measures, and 

education to alter the social norms of 

speeding. SSCs use speed 

measurement devices to detect 

speeding and capture photographic 

or video evidence of vehicles that 

Safe system approach diagram. 

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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violate a set speed threshold. SSCs 

can be deployed in many forms, 

including:

• Fixed units: a single stationary 

camera targeting one location

• Point-to-point units: multiple 

cameras to capture average 

speed over a certain distance

• Mobile units: a portable camera, 

generally in a vehicle or trailer

Safer Roads

In 2021 the City of Bellevue, 

Washington, began applying traffic 

conflict analysis to its high injury 

network (HIN) corridors. Traffic 

conflict analysis leverages cloud 

computing, artificial intelligence (AI), 

and video analytics to offer 

predictive insight into when, where, 

and why crashes are most likely to 

occur. Integrating conflict analytics 

into road safety assessments, the 

traffic conflict analysis then identifies

and prioritizes projects. 

Technology and Safety

Technology should be part of the 

safety conversation among road 

safety engineers when it comes to 

safety, infrastructure, roadway 

departure, intersection safety, speed 

management, and pedestrian and 

bicyclist safety improvements. Joint 

review and implementation of

infrastructure countermeasures and 

technology deployments need to 

happen simultaneously in many 

cases, as they can complement 

each other. Technology has a 

positive impact on road safety and 

enhances mobility for all. Vehicle-toeverything technology is important at 

intersections and key locations 

where there are safety concerns, 

such as curves and grade crossings,

evacuation routes, and special event 

areas. 

Looking for more technology 

resources and information? Visit the 

Smart Community Resource Center, 

which was designed to connect 

States, Tribal governments, and 

local communities with resources 

that can be used to develop ITS and 

smart community transportation 

programs. 

So, is technology going to solve all 

our road safety challenges? We 

know there is no single solution but 

deploying safety technologies will be 

critical to our success in 

reaching zero fatalities and serious 

injuries more rapidly. There is no 

time to spare! 

For more information, please contact 

Norah Ocel at norah.ocel@dot.gov. 

FHWA Helps California 

Crowdsource Best Practices 

for a Comprehensive Traffic 

Count Program

By Sarah Weissman Pascual, FHWA Office 

Safety

Caltrans received technical 

assistance under FHWA’s Safety 

Data and Analysis Technical 

Assistance Program (SDATAP) to 

learn about other States’ successful 

practices in traffic volume data 

collection, management, and use.

Background and Motivation

Caltrans wanted to develop a 

sampling methodology to derive 

estimated annual average daily 

traffic values on all functional class 

roads as part of the agency’s 

Consolidated Safety Data Plan. This 

included identifying new potential

sources of data (i.e., emerging probe 

and connected vehicle technologies, 

as well as implementing a statewide 

bike and pedestrian count 

database). 

In April 2022, Caltrans, FHWA, and 

the SDATAP team assessed how 

States are addressing the Model 

Inventory of Roadway Elements 

(MIRE) traffic data requirements, 

particularly on local roads. In July 

2022, the SDATAP team circulated 

an online survey to seven State 

DOTs: Missouri, Minnesota, North 

Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado, 

Washington, and Nevada. Six of the Smart Community Resource Center webpage. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1

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seven agencies responded to the 

survey. The survey asked these 

agencies for their insights on the 

technology, data management, 

quality control, and interagency 

cooperation required to collect local 

vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle 

count data. The questions were 

grouped into seven priority topics for 

Caltrans:

• Network design/location for 

stations/sampling strata

• AI and machine learning (ML)

• Data management

• Maintenance

• Quality assurance/quality control 

(QA/QC) methods

• Cost/level of effort

• Final thoughts

Key Takeaways

At the aggregate level, several 

themes emerged. Applications of 

emerging concepts (AI/ML, big data, 

data management methods, etc.) of 

interest to Caltrans also interested 

the other DOTs. Missouri and New 

Jersey noted some experience with 

these methods, but, unfortunately, 

none of the States have detailed 

practical implementation experience 

yet. However, that may change 

within the next year.

Planning is essential for a successful 

program. Agencies pursuing an 

expanded or revised count program 

should understand what they want to 

learn from the data. This requires 

coordination among several 

departments within a DOT, including 

traffic, planning, and geographic 

information system (GIS) staff. This 

will help States establish key 

network coverage needs and 

effectively obtain non-motorized user 

data.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 

information on costs and level of 

effort varies widely among the 

States. This is partly due to how the 

States differ in the ways they 

structured their count programs. It is 

also partly due to how much effort 

the States put into their QA/QC 

programs, and the process when a 

count is found to be in error (e.g., 

throw the data out or replace it with a 

calculated value). This may vary in 

elapsed time, as some immediately 

fix the counter while others may wait 

until a staff member or a vendor is

available to take care of the 

equipment. 

The information on active 

transportation was promising. Some 

States are collecting data on nonmotorized transportation and doing 

much with it. Similarly, States are 

working on incorporating big data 

methods using a variety of 

resources, including universitybased research partners, vendors, 

and in-house information technology 

(IT) staff. 

Final Thoughts

At the end of the survey, each State 

was asked for their final thoughts for 

States reconsidering their count 

program. The responding States had 

the following advice for all States 

looking to improve their traffic count 

program:

Missouri – Missouri stressed the 

importance of including experts from 

various fields and business units 

(e.g., traffic, planning, IT, GIS) when 

building out a program. 

Minnesota – Minnesota advised 

using existing partnerships and 

integrating efforts with the motor 

vehicle data collection teams early in 

the process. Minnesota DOT 

emphasized covering many 

networks and facility types in longduration/permanent and shortduration counts. Finally, agencies 

should apply for national research 

funding at every opportunity they 

can.

North Carolina – Like Minnesota, 

North Carolina emphasized a broad 

coverage in its counts, including 

counting active transportation users 

such as bicyclists and pedestrians. It 

is vital for a DOT to understand how 

it will use the data before starting a 

program. North Carolina also 

underscored the importance of 

appropriate staffing and resources to 

maintain equipment, and viewing the 

long-term needs of the program.

New Jersey – New Jersey 

recommended creating a program 

that covers a wide array of functional 

classes throughout different 

geographical areas. The DOT’s 

greatest challenge with its count 

program involved limited data for 

every type of road, making it difficult 

to annualize data across functional 

classes and regions.

Colorado – Colorado advised 

immediate and transparent 

communication with technicians as 

soon as a sensor or counter 

experiences issues, and Colorado 

encouraged Caltrans to make 

politically sensitive locations top 

priorities for maintenance. 

Nevada – Nevada referenced a 

series of quality checks by staff,
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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including a field analyst, volume 

analyst, classification analyst, or 

truck analyst, and then to the traffic 

management analysis system staff. 

Nevada encouraged Caltrans to be 

thorough, invest in quality counts, 

review the whole system as much as 

possible, and to not accept bad data. 

The technical assistance and survey 

results will help Caltrans adopt and 

adapt the successful strategies 

described by its peers and apply 

them to California.

For more information, contact Sarah 

Weissman Pascual at 

Sarah.Pascual@dot.gov. 

DATA AND ANALYSIS

SPF-R Online – Making 

Performance Function 

Development Easier and 

More Accessible 

By Eric Green, Ph.D., and Paul Ross, Kentucky 

Transportation Center at the University of 

Kentucky, and Sarah Weissman, FHWA 

Office of Safety

Since its release, the Highway 

Safety Manual (HSM) has facilitated 

the adoption of new approaches by 

safety professionals to address 

highway safety. 

Highway safety has traditionally 

been measured using number of 

crashes, crash rates, crash costs, or 

a combination of those metrics. 

High-crash locations are selected 

based on a somewhat arbitrary 

ranking, or by comparison of crash 

rates to a critical rate factor. All 

methods have demonstrable 

disadvantages, particularly in 

network screening. Most notable, 

none of these methods account for 

regression-to-the-mean or selection 

bias. When observed in crash data, 

these biases can produce 

misleading results when not 

corrected for. Traditional crash 

analysis relies on crashes 

normalized by exposure—typically 

traffic volume—to create a rate. 

However, the use of rates 

erroneously assumes a linear 

relationship between crashes and 

volume. Most Safety Performance 

Functions (SPFs) exhibit an 

exponential relationship between 

crashes and exposure. SPFs are 

models used to predict crashes 

based on traffic volume and other 

factors. 

Network screening using HSM’s 

methodology addresses many of the 

disadvantages of the traditional 

methods. SPFs are developed to 

better characterize the relationship 

between crashes and traffic volumes 

as well as other variables. Empirical 

Bayes addresses regression-to-themean bias by using actual crash 

data and the overdispersion 

parameter to adjust 

the expected crash 

experience at a site. 

This adjusted value is 

a more realistic 

measure of a site’s 

safety performance. 

More important, it 

describes the 

magnitude of crash 

reduction that could 

potentially be 

achieved. In Kentucky, 

this is referred to as 

excess expected 

crashes. Other States 

use “potential for 

safety improvement” 

synonymously. 

SPFs had to be developed manually 

in Kentucky until 2017, when the 

Kentucky Transportation Center 

(KTC) at the University of Kentucky 

(UK) introduced a way to do so using 

the free, open-source statistical 

software, R. Using methods outlined 

in the HSM, code was created in R 

to automate SPF development to 

improve regression models. The 

original tool, known as SPF-R, 

allowed States that hadn’t adopted 

newer methodologies—due to 

difficulties related to SPF 

development—the ability to create 

SPFs. SPF-R provided immediate 

feedback in SPF development, 

SPF-R web interface. (Source: KTC)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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including goodness-of-fit measures 

and depictions of the model. SPF-R 

was added to the FHWA Safety 

Toolbox in 2018 and was available 

on UK’s website. However, it

required the user to have a working 

knowledge of R code and an 

application downloaded to a 

computer to run. Recognizing that 

downloaded programs and running 

code may be a barrier for some, 

KTC updated SPF-R in 2022 to run 

the program entirely online. A new 

web interface was developed so 

SPFs could be developed through a 

user’s web browser by uploading a 

comma-separated values file 

containing certain predefined 

parameters. All of the R code runs 

online, and in place of scripting and 

code execution, users can now 

interact with a simple-to-use web 

interface. Users of this new tool will 

have fewer technical challenges 

getting SPF-R working, as the 

mechanics are all handled online. 

For advanced users, the R code is 

still available to download to modify, 

demonstrate the mechanics, and use 

for citation. 

SPF-R online is still free and open

source, and in this current form is 

more accessible than before. It may 

be accessed by visiting 

https://spfr.uky.edu. 

The original SPF-R is available 

through the FHWA Safety Toolbox at

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/toolb

ox-content.aspx?toolid=210.

For more information, please contact 

Eric Green at Eric.Green@uky.edu. 

Safety Data and Analysis 

Case Studies: How Do States 

Turn Data into Results?

By Jerry Roche and Sarah Weissman Pascual, 

FHWA

The FHWA Office of Safety recently 

developed more than 20 case 

studies (see map) that describe

noteworthy practices for data 

governance, management, and 

analysis of the State DOTs and their 

partner agencies. FHWA completed 

these case studies in partnership 

with the Highway Safety Manual 

Implementation Pooled Fund Study

and Transportation Research 

Board’s (TRB) ACS20 Safety 

Performance and Analysis User 

Liaison Subcommittee. Two efforts 

demonstrated a need for noteworthy 

safety data and analysis practices: 

• The results of the 2nd Roadway 

Safety Data Capabilities 

Assessment noted States’ 

desire to improve data 

governance and data 

management practices.

• A workshop at the 2020 TRB 

Annual Meeting, Use of Safety 

Performance in Day-to-Day 

Transportation Decision Making, 

noted a desire for agencies to 

share challenges and solutions 

to applying the HSM in practice.

Meeting the MIRE Fundamental 

Data Elements (FDE) 

Requirements

Federal regulations require State 

DOTs to collect MIRE FDEs—a 

subset of roadway, intersection, and 

interchange data elements that 

supports robust safety 

management—by September 2026 

(23 CFR § 924.11). 

Florida’s recent advancements in 

meeting MIRE FDE requirements 

have required collaboration across 

several agencies. A gap analysis 

revealed MIRE-related data stored 

Safety and analysis case study locations. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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across several offices within the 

DOT, and partnerships among those 

offices and State universities will 

help Florida DOT achieve its MIRE 

FDE goals. 

After completing a gap analysis to 

determine their intersection data 

needs, Vermont and Ohio developed 

statewide intersection inventories

representing each State’s entire 

public road network. Linear 

referencing serves as the foundation 

for the intersection inventory and will 

allow these States to maintain data 

quality for all location-based 

information. 

Connecticut created the 

Transportation Enterprise Data 

(TED) warehouse to meet the need 

for enterprise data. A data 

governance framework that supports 

TED helps the State maintain robust 

safety data management, support 

advanced safety analysis, and meet

other critical department data and 

analysis needs agencywide. 

Robust Data Management 

Supports Robust Analysis

Numerous case studies demonstrate 

that safety data are most effective 

when they are accessible and readily 

integrable with analysis platforms.

Ohio demonstrated the value of 

formalized interactions among

people, processes, and 

technologies. Ohio DOT established 

an independent Data Governance 

Office, led by a newly created chief 

data officer responsible for executing 

data governance policies, strategic 

planning, and institutional change 

management. Similarly, Florida’s

multiyear data governance effort 

enabled the agency to begin a 

robust program of safety data 

collection, integration, and predictive 

analysis based on the HSM. Arizona

focused on the quality of its linear 

referencing system (LRS) and 

developed a framework to identify 

critical issues with its LRS so that 

the agency can trace systemic 

issues and correct them 

programmatically. Arizona DOT also 

advanced its LRS to improve safety 

data integration and support 

advanced use cases in data 

management and analysis. 

MIRE FDEs are important safety 

data elements, but other contextual 

data can support systemic and Safe 

System applications. California’s use 

of HINs shows how the HIN can be 

an effective tool for safety planning 

at agencies of all sizes and 

capabilities. Massachusetts

developed tools and analyses to 

upgrade the State’s web-based 

safety data portal, IMPACT, 

supporting better access to data, 

capacity, and insights to improve 

decision-making. These case studies 

demonstrate the breadth of data that 

can support a State’s SHSP, as well 

as make data and analysis more 

accessible to all stakeholders.

Using HSM in the Real World

Several case studies have 

demonstrated that: 

• Analysis methods can support a 

broad suite of planning and 

project development 

applications. 

• Analysis techniques can be 

tailored to the data and tools 

available. 

• Projects do not have to be 

safety-specific to benefit from 

safety screening and 

improvements. 

To make data-driven decisions for 

the proposed I–94 and US 31 

interchange, Michigan used an 

iterative approach to project 

development. Michigan DOT used 

the Interactive Highway Safety 

Design Model (IHSDM) software to 

identify a preferred design 

alternative based on a suite of traffic, 

safety, and cost considerations. 

Likewise, Indiana applied Statespecific SPFs and crash modification 

factors using the HSM to predict 

crashes under “build” or “no build” 

scenarios along a corridor. Indiana 

DOT tailored the analysis to reflect 

local conditions and project-specific 

challenges, and to document the

safety benefits under the build 

scenario. 

Alabama also used IHSDM to 

assess the safety performance of 

high-volume, high-speed suburban 

arterials with respect to pedestrian 

safety. South Carolina highlights an 

application of the HSM to support a 

rural road corridor analysis. Its DOT 

successfully navigated historical 

context and local stakeholder 

preferences, presenting the HSM 

analysis clearly and concisely to 

garner public support for the 

proposed alternatives.

Minnesota’s use of the Enhanced 

Interchange Safety Analysis Tool 

(ISATe) as part of a planning study 

demonstrates that projects do not 

have to be safety-specific to benefit 

from safety screening and 

improvements. Minnesota DOT used 

ISATe to establish safety as a 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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project priority and help strengthen 

the benefit/cost analysis of proposed 

improvements along the corridor. 

Wisconsin analyzes maintenance 

projects for potential safety 

improvement opportunities. When 

this proactive screening identified an 

opportunity for safety improvement 

at an intersection in Racine County, 

the Wisconsin DOT conducted a 

streamlined alternatives analysis 

with IHSDM for short-term and longterm improvements.

Parting Thoughts

These case studies illustrate the 

challenges encountered by agencies 

and provide practical solutions to 

address the challenges for safety 

data and safety analysis. Robust, 

repeatable safety analysis relies on 

robust safety data. Programs that 

actively engage stakeholders within 

an agency and meet user 

requirements tend to have stronger 

enterprise data systems, and as a 

result, tend to have expanded 

analysis capabilities. 

For more information, and for all 

case studies published through 

FHWA’s Roadway Safety Data 

Program, see FHWA’s case studies 

web page or contact Jerry Roche at

Jerry.Roche@dot.gov. 

NEW RESOURCE ROUNDUP

How Can You Use the New 

Transit Guide?

By Tamara Redmon, FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA and FTA recently released 

Improving Safety for Pedestrians 

and Bicyclists Accessing Transit. 

This new guide is intended for transit 

agencies, State and local roadway 

owners, and regional planning 

organizations. This guide identifies 

how access to and the use of transit 

has changed, including the range of 

modal choices, and addresses the 

safety of vulnerable road users such 

as pedestrians, bicyclists, and 

micromobility users. 

The guide includes three 

fundamentals agencies can use:

• All people are considered in the 

planning and design of facilities.

• Users feel safe and welcome 

accessing facilities. 

• Users have confidence that the 

spaces were planned and 

designed for them.

Transit agencies may take internal 

actions to foster a culture of safety, 

form partnerships with public 

agencies and public-private 

organizations, and implement 

engineering and operational actions 

to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist 

safety near transit stations. 

The guide highlights the many 

engineering and operational efforts 

agencies can make to improve 

safety for pedestrians and bicyclists 

who are accessing transit. This 

section of the guide is divided into 

transit access and transit 

stop/station improvements. It 

provides detailed information 

(including illustrations, technical 

specifications, and links to other 

resources) to help you implement 

these improvements in your 

transportation facilities.

A webinar on the new transit guide

was held on October 24. You can 

access the recording here. The 

webinar discussed details of the 

guide, why the guide is needed, and 

tips and best practices for agencies 

to use in their day-to-day work. The 

webinar also discussed case studies 

from Oregon DOT and the City of 

Pittsburgh/Pittsburgh Regional 

Transit.

For more information, please contact 

Tamara Redmon at 

tamara.redmon@dot.gov. 

New Pedestrian and Bicyclist 

Safety Information Search 

Tool

By Tamara Redmon, FHWA Office of Safety

The FHWA Office of Safety just 

launched the updated Pedestrian 

and Bicyclist Safety Information 

Search Tool. The tool is a page-bypage assessment of more than 100 

Cover of Improving Safety for 

Pedestrians and Bicyclists Accessing 

Transit. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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carefully selected reports, 

guidebooks, and training materials. 

They are cross-referenced by mode, 

the 4 E’s (engineering, enforcement, 

education, and emergency services), 

topics addressed, and other 

categories. Reports and guidance 

documents abound for anyone 

engaged in planning, designing, or 

advocating for safe pedestrian and 

bicycle facilities. The information 

packed into these resources is 

valuable, but practitioners must track 

it down from a wide variety of 

websites, clearinghouses, and 

printed documents. Not all 

documents are readily or freely 

available, and readers must 

sometimes assess on their own the 

quality of what they find.

Anyone with a web connection can 

search the library by typing 

keywords, picking from drop-down 

lists, or using other search filters 

available on the site. Whether you 

are a community member looking for 

ways to make your neighborhood 

safer for kids on bicycles, a 

researcher studying the application 

of safety countermeasures, a 

planner writing a local policy on 

multimodal safety, or an engineer 

designing a cycle track, this library 

can help you find the resources you 

need.

For more information, please contact 

Tamara Redmon at

tamara.redmon@dot.gov. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

What Is the Tribal Motor 

Vehicle Safety Summit?

By Adam Larsen, FHWA Office of Tribal 

Transportation 

The Tribal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Summit is the premier Tribal traffic 

safety conference dedicated to 

decreasing death and injury on 

Tribal lands. This event provides a 

variety of avenues for Tribes and 

Tribal agencies to learn, display, and 

teach their tailored countermeasures 

in a culturally relevant and sensitive 

way. We are working together to 

improve safety and address today’s 

critical traffic safety issues. The 

Tribal Motor Vehicle Safety Summit 

brings together a diverse 

combination of traffic safety and 

public health practitioners, 

advocates, researchers, and future 

professionals committed to sharing 

evidence-based practices in a safe, 

cohesive learning environment. The 

conference features 

workshops, peer exchanges, 

plenary sessions, Tribal 

vendors, networking 

opportunities, and more!

The Tribal Injury Prevention 

Resource Center partnered

with NHTSA region 6 and 8 

offices to host the 2022 Tribal 

Motor Vehicle Safety Summit. 

This year’s event took place

November 1–3, 2022, in 

Denver, Colorado. This in-person 

event offered child passenger safety 

continuing education credits and a 

vendor exhibit hall. Click here for 

more information or contact Adam 

Larsen at adam.larsen@dot.gov. 

2022 summit advertisement. (Source: Albuquerque 

Area Indian Health Board, Inc.)

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Information Search Tool. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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Coming Soon! EDC-7’s 

Nighttime Visibility for 

Safety

By Tori Brinkly, P.E., FHWA Resource Center 

Safety & Design Team

The nighttime fatality rate is three 

times the daytime rate, and 76 

percent of pedestrian fatalities occur 

at night. Enhancing visibility between 

drivers and other road users will 

save many lives on our roads. 

Many countermeasures and 

methods exist to improve motorist 

and non-motorist visibility. Some 

areas and conditions are more prone 

to nighttime fatal crashes, 

specifically at intersections, for 

pedestrians and bicyclists, 

and for roadway departure 

crashes. 

The application of costeffective and proven lighting 

and traffic control device 

countermeasures with 

known safety benefits can 

help reduce fatalities for all 

road users.

FHWA has used a focused 

approach to safety for many 

years, based on findings that 

almost 90 percent of the 

traffic fatalities in the United States 

happen in three main areas: 

• Intersections

• Pedestrians and bicyclists

• Roadway departures

Enhancing visibility in these three 

areas can address a large part of the 

nighttime safety problem. The 

improvements being pursued will 

range from lighting training and 

design to traffic control devices for 

vulnerable users to ensuring 

these devices can be seen and 

are effective for all road users. 

Available tools include Proven 

Safety Countermeasures and 

products, such as those 

championed by FHWA’s Safe 

Transportation for Every 

Pedestrian and Focus on 

Reducing Rural Roadway 

Departures initiatives, as well 

as updated and new tools for 

lighting design and application 

of traffic control devices. While many 

agencies are already using some of 

these countermeasures, added 

benefits could be realized through 

wider implementation...the ultimate 

goal of EDC.

Learn more about nighttime visibility 

for safety by attending the EDC-7 

virtual summit in February 2023. 

For more information, please contact 

Tori Brinkly at tori.brinkly@dot.gov, 

Joseph Cheung at 

joseph.cheung@dot.gov, or George 

Merritt at george.merritt@dot.gov. 

Stay up-to-date on the EDC-7 

initiative Nighttime Visibility for 

Safety. Subscribe to Nighttime 

Visibility for Safety e-News to 

receive updates on webinars, case 

studies, videos and more!

Upcoming Conferences and

Events

ATSSA Convention & Traffic Expo 

2023, February 17–21, Phoenix, 

AZ. 

The theme of this year’s convention 

and expo is “Where Roadway Safety 

& Innovation Intersect.” Join 

roadway safety transportation 

professionals for the 53rd annual 

convention. 

2023 National Bike Summit, March 

26–29, Washington, DC, and 

online. 

The 2023 National Bike Summit will 

take place March 26–29 in person 

and online. 

2023 Lifesavers National 

Conference on Highway Safety 

Priorities, April 2–4, Seattle, WA. 

The 2023 National Lifesavers

Conference on Highway Safety 

Priorities brings together a unique

Intersection lighting. (Source: FHWA)

High-visibility crosswalk. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Winter 2023: Volume 17 Issue 1 

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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. 

NACE Annual Conference, April 

16–20, Orange Beach, AL. 

The National Association of County 

Engineers will be gathering in 

Orange Beach in 2023 for its annual 

conference to share information and 

promote awareness of the latest 

innovations and best practices. 

ITE International Annual Meeting 

and Exhibition, August 13–16, 

Portland, OR. 

This meeting and exhibition is an 

international membership platform 

for professionals working to improve 

transportation mobility and safety.

 

The Safety Compass Newsletter is a publication of the U.S. Department of Transportation, FHWA (FHWA).

FHWA 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 Newsletter 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 Jennifer Warren at: Jennifer.Warren@dot.gov. 

Visit the FHWA Office of Safety Booth #736 in the TRB Exhibit Hall!

If you are attending the TRB annual meeting, be sure to stop by booth #736 in the exhibit hall! 

Exhibit hours are as follows:

Sunday, January 8, 4–7 p.m.

Monday, January 9, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Tuesday, January 10, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Warren at Jennifer.Warren@dot.gov.