Spring 2022, Volume 16, Issue 2

 Message from the Associate Administrator for Safety, Cheryl Walker

A New Strategy for Reaching Zero

We are facing a national crisis of roadway fatalities. Fatalities have surged over these past two years, 

with 38,824 deaths on our roads in 2020. This is the highest level since 2007. That number—38,824—

is not just a statistic. Each is a person—a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a friend, a coworker—a 

person whose loss is deeply felt by others. And although traffic crashes affect all of us, they 

disproportionately impact pedestrians, bicyclists, communities of color, lower income communities, and 

people living in rural and Tribal areas. 

This crisis of roadway fatalities is urgent, unacceptable, and preventable. We all agree that zero is the 

only acceptable number of deaths on our roads, and the USDOT is committed to this single, shared 

goal. 

Launched this past January, the National Roadway Safety Strategy is the USDOT’s comprehensive 

plan to significantly reduce serious injuries and fatalities on America’s roads (full story on page 2). The 

strategy includes a goal of zero deaths and outlines the tangible deliverables that the Department will 

produce in the next few years to significantly advance roadway safety. It embraces a Safe System Approach, which builds 

multiple layers of protection around road users, and is based on the reality that although people make mistakes, these mistakes 

do not have to be fatal. The strategy will also allow us to address the inequities in our transportation system and ensure a Safe 

System for all users.

At this moment in time, we have a unique opportunity and unprecedented resources to implement the National Roadway Safety 

Strategy and reduce the fatalities on our roadways. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides critical resources—including 

$6 billion in safety funding—to improve our roads. You can read more about BIL and related updates to HSIP eligibility guidance 

on page 4. The newly released Complete Streets website (see page 6) details FHWA’s commitment to advance widespread 

implementation of this design model to help improve safety and accessibility for all users. This issue of the Safety Compass has 

lots of information on some of FHWA’s signature safety efforts, such as the Safe System Approach (page 8); implementation of 

the Proven Safety Countermeasures (page 18); resources that help practitioners connect with each other, such as the MATCH 

mentor program (page 10) and the Vision Zero community of practice (page 28); and noteworthy safety practices from our 

partners (pages 20-25).

Getting to zero will take a sustained, urgent, and lasting commitment from all of us. Our efforts must include coordination with 

our stakeholders across the public sector, private sector, advocacy, and research communities. We look forward to working with 

all of you in preventing fatalities and serious injuries on our Nation’s roadways. Together, we will make a difference. 

Let’s all be safe out there,

Cheryl Walker

Associate Administrator

for Safety
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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in this issue...

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

USDOT Announces Comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy........................................................................................................... 2

FHWA Updates HSIP Eligibility and Special Rules Guidance................................................................................................................................... 4

FHWA’s Complete Streets Initiative Releases Report to Congress and a New Website.............................................................................. 6

 Safety-Driven Changes and Improvements................................................................................................................. 7

New FHWA Web Resource Summarizes Research and Technology Efforts, Including Safety Research Projects .............................7

Comprehensive Safety Action Plans a Key Component of New SS4A Grant Program ................................................................................ 8

MATCHing Needs With Expertise to Solve Local Road Safety Concerns........................................................................................................... 9

Implementing a Safety Culture: Experience from the Private Sector.................................................................................................................11

 Assessment and Analysis................................................................................................................................................13

Crowdsourcing for Safer Transportation Systems.....................................................................................................................................................13

Virtual Tours Camera Kit and GIS Crowdsourcing – FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway................................................................16

Advancing Implementation of FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures .......................................................................................................18

 State of the Practice: Updates from Safety Partners...............................................................................................20

Prioritizing Systemic Projects for Horizontal Curves in Rhode Island ...............................................................................................................20

Addressing Lane Departure Fatalities in Puerto Rico...............................................................................................................................................21

Implementing Highly Reflectorized Durable Pavement Markings on the Pennsylvania Turnpike........................................................22

Estes Park Project Provides Equitable Design, Engagement for Underrepresented Community ..........................................................23

Rhode Island’s STEP Midblock Crossing Improvement Program........................................................................................................................24

 Learning Together............................................................................................................................................................26

Cite the Site! Always Share the CMF ID When Referencing a Specific CMF...................................................................................................26

Where Highways Meet Rails: Crossing Safety Training...........................................................................................................................................27

Training Updates from the National Highway Institute..........................................................................................................................................27

 Announcements................................................................................................................................................................27

New Community of Practice for Vision Zero Launched!.........................................................................................................................................27

National Work Zone Awareness Week – Work Zones are a Sign to Slow Down..........................................................................................28

Upcoming Conferences and Events ................................................................................................................................................................................29

WHAT’S NEW?

USDOT Announces 

Comprehensive National 

Roadway Safety Strategy

By Jennifer Warren and Norah Ocel, FHWA 

Office of Safety

In January 2022, the USDOT

announced the new, comprehensive

National Roadway Safety Strategy 

(NRSS), a roadmap for addressing

the crisis in fatalities and serious 

injuries on the Nation’s roadways. 

While the number of annual roadway 

fatalities had declined for many 

years, progress plateaued over the 

past decade. However, fatalities rose

dramatically during the pandemic. 

The NRSS outlines USDOT’s

comprehensive approach to 

significantly reducing deaths and 

serious injuries on our Nation’s 

highways, roads, and streets. It 

provides concrete steps USDOT will 

take to address this crisis 

systemically and prevent these tragic 

and avoidable losses.
Spring 2022, Volume 16, Issue 2

Specifically, the NRSS: 

• Sets a department-wide vision 

and goal: reaching zero roadway 

fatalities.

• Identifies new priority actions 

and notable changes to existing 

practices.

• Leverages a once-in-ageneration investment in 

infrastructure, through the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to 

bring this strategy to life. 

• Advances equity and climate 

goals. 

• Calls others to action. 

With adoption of the Safe System 

Approach, the NRSS acknowledges 

that humans make mistakes and are

vulnerable. The NRSS emphasizes

the importance of designing a 

redundant system to protect 

everyone by preventing crashes and 

ensuring that if crashes do occur 

they do not result in serious injury or 

death. USDOT will use a fivepronged model that corresponds to 

the Safe System elements: safe road 

users, safe roads, safe vehicles, 

safe speeds, and post-crash care. 

The NRSS also recognizes that 

reducing traffic fatalities is a shared 

responsibility—another key principle 

of the Safe System Approach. This 

will take sustained and concerted 

action from all sectors and levels of 

government, the public and private 

sector, and advocacy and research 

communities. It will take an urgent 

yet lasting commitment from all 

involved to support actions that 

protect people and prevent harm. To 

that end, in conjunction with the 

NRSS, USDOT is starting a Call to 

Action campaign for stakeholders to 

commit to specific and tangible 

actions that would significantly 

advance safety. 

This is a pivotal moment—now is the 

time for action, and now more than 

ever we need everyone to do their 

part to get closer to zero. 

To learn more, read the complete 

National Roadway Safety Strategy or 

Roadway fatalities and fatality rates. (Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System)

“The status quo is unacceptable, 

and it is preventable. We know 

it’s preventable because bold 

cities in the United States, and 

countries abroad, have achieved 

tremendous reductions in 

roadway deaths. We cannot 

accept such terrible losses here. 

Americans deserve to travel 

safely in their communities. 

Humans make mistakes, and as 

good stewards of the 

transportation system, we should 

have in place the safeguards to 

prevent those mistakes from 

being fatal. Zero is the only 

acceptable number of deaths 

and serious injuries on our 

roadways.”

—Pete Buttigieg

Secretary of Transportation
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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contact Jennifer Warren at 

jennifer.warren@dot.gov or Norah 

Ocel at norah.ocel@dot.gov. 

FHWA Updates HSIP 

Eligibility and Special Rules 

Guidance 

By Karen Scurry and Sarah Weissman 

Pascual, FHWA Office of Safety 

On February 2, 2022, FHWA 

released updated guidance on 

Highway Safety Improvement 

Program (HSIP) (23 U.S.C. 148) 

eligibility and special rules to support 

implementation of the Infrastructure 

Investment and Jobs Act, also 

known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (Pub. L. 117-58).

BIL substantially increased funding 

for HSIP from $11.5 billion under the 

Fixing America’s Surface 

Transportation (FAST) Act to $15.6 

billion, which represents a 34-

percent increase. BIL also 

emphasized the importance of 

vulnerable road user safety and 

increased HSIP eligibilities. The 

HSIP Fact Sheet provides additional 

information on the program purpose, 

funding features, Federal share, 

eligible activities, and vulnerable 

road user requirements. 

HSIP Eligibility

HSIP Eligibility Guidance

complements USDOT’s National 

Roadway Safety Strategy; clarifies 

HSIP eligibility requirements under 

BIL; and outlines recommendations 

that can help State, local, and Tribal 

transportation agencies save lives 

on the roads and bridges they own 

and operate. HSIP funds can be 

used for any highway safety 

improvement project on any public 

road or publicly owned bicycle or 

pedestrian pathway or trail. The 

eligibility guidance emphasizes that 

all highway safety improvement 

projects must be consistent with a 

State’s Strategic Highway Safety 

Plan (SHSP), identified through a 

data-driven safety analysis process, 

and contribute to a reduction in 

fatalities and serious injuries.

While HSIP focuses on infrastructure 

safety improvements, BIL provides 

States with more flexibility to use up 

to 10 percent of their HSIP funds for 

“specified safety projects.” These

include non-infrastructure safety 

projects, such as public awareness 

campaigns, research, automated 

traffic enforcement systems, 

emergency services, and efforts to 

protect children such as Safe Routes 

to School. 

Consistent with the National 

Roadway Safety Strategy, FHWA 

recommends that HSIP funds be 

used to incorporate a more dataHSIP funding increased by 34 percent 

under BIL. (Source: FHWA)

Relationship between SHSP, State HSIP, and the HSIP data-driven process. 

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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driven, holistic, and equitable Safe 

System Approach to roadway safety, 

which builds in redundancies so if 

one element of a transportation 

system fails, other elements provide 

protection to save lives and prevent 

serious injuries on our Nation’s 

roads.

In addition to advancing 

implementation of the Safe System 

Approach, FHWA is recommending 

that States leverage HSIP funds to:

• Improve safety for all road users, 

including vulnerable road users

• Partner with regional, local, and 

Tribal agencies to identify, select, 

develop, and deploy highway 

safety improvement projects on 

local and Tribal roads

• Address the full scope of safety 

needs through other available 

Federal funding

• Streamline the delivery of these 

life-saving highway safety 

improvement projects to achieve 

the vision of zero deaths on the 

Nation’s roads

HSIP Special Rules

The HSIP Special Rules Guidance

replaces both the guidance FHWA 

previously issued in 2012 for the 

High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) 

Special Rule as well as the guidance 

previously issued in 2013 and 2016 

for the Older Drivers and 

Pedestrians Special Rule. The HSIP 

Special Rules Guidance also adds 

new guidance for the Vulnerable 

Road Users (VRU) Safety Special 

Rule, established in BIL (23 U.S.C. 

148(g)). Although each special rule 

has specific requirements 

established in the statute, FHWA 

has aligned the notification 

schedules of all three HSIP special 

rules to streamline communications. 

The HRRR Special Rule applies to a 

State where the fatality rate on rural 

roads in a State increases over the 

most recent 2-year period. States 

subject to the HRRR Special Rule 

must obligate 200 percent of the 

HRRR funds they received in fiscal 

year 2009 for HRRRs, as defined in 

a State’s SHSP. 

The Older Drivers and Pedestrians 

Special Rule applies to a State 

where traffic fatalities and serious 

injuries per capita for drivers and 

pedestrians ages 65 and older 

increase during the most recent 

2-year period. States subject to this 

special rule must include strategies 

to address the rate increases in their 

next SHSP update, including 

recommendations from FHWA’s 

Handbook for Designing Roadways 

for the Aging Population (FHWA-SA14-103). 

The new VRU Special Rule applies 

to States where the total annual 

fatalities among vulnerable road 

users (including people who walk, 

bicycle, and use personal 

conveyances) represents 15 percent 

or more of total annual fatalities. 

States subject to the VRU Special 

Rule must obligate 15 percent of 

their HSIP funds on projects that 

address vulnerable road user safety 

in the next fiscal year. 

Additional Information 

FHWA hosted a webinar for external 

customers and stakeholders on 

February 28, 2022. The passcode for 

the archived recording of the 

webinar is h@T37kWt.

If you have additional questions 

about:

• HSIP Eligibility Guidance, contact 

Karen Scurry

karen.scurry@dot.gov | 202-897-

7168

• HSIP Special Rules Guidance, 

contact Sarah Weissman 

Pascual

sarah.pascual@dot.gov | 202-

366-0087

• Specific project eligibility, contact 

your local FHWA Division Office. 

Pedestrian safety improvements may 

include pedestrian hybrid beacons at 

midblock crossings. (Source: 

www.pedbikeimages.org/ , 

Mike Cynecki)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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FHWA’s Complete Streets 

Initiative Releases Report to 

Congress and a New 

Website 

By: Anthony Boutros, FHWA Office of Safety

In 2021, FHWA developed a 

Complete Streets initiative to work 

with State, Tribal, and local 

transportation agencies to implement 

a Complete Streets design model as 

these agencies plan, develop, and 

operate streets and networks. A 

Complete Street is safe, and feels 

safe, for all users. Complete Streets 

create a safe, connected, and 

equitable transportation network for 

travelers of all ages and abilities, 

particularly those from underserved 

communities facing historic 

disinvestment. FHWA has 

established a website to showcase 

resources that support transportation 

professionals in developing and 

implementing a Complete Streets 

strategy. 

Complete Streets Report to 

Congress: Moving to a Complete 

Streets Design Model

The first new resource was posted 

on March 2, 2022, when FHWA 

released a report to Congress 

detailing the agency’s commitment 

to advancing widespread 

implementation of the Complete 

Streets design model. In that report, 

Moving to a Complete Streets 

Design Model: A Report to Congress 

on Opportunities and Challenges, 

FHWA adopted Complete Streets as 

its default approach for funding and 

designing the majority of federally 

funded roadways. The report 

identifies five overarching 

opportunity areas that will inform 

FHWA as it moves ahead with its 

efforts to increase the proportion of 

federally funded transportation 

projects that are routinely planned, 

designed, built, and operated as 

Complete Streets: 

1. Improve data collection and 

analysis to advance safety for 

all users. 

2. Support rigorous safety 

assessment during project 

development and design to help 

prioritize safety outcomes 

across all. 

3. Accelerate adoption of 

standards and guidance that 

promote safety and accessibility 

for all users and support 

innovation in design. 

4. Reinforce the primacy of 

safety for all users in the 

interpretation of design 

standards, guidelines, and 

project review processes. 

5. Make Complete Streets 

FHWA’s default approach for 

funding and designing nonaccess-controlled roadways.

FHWA recognizes that a Complete 

Streets design model is a powerful 

tool to help reverse the trend of 

increasing fatalities and serious 

injuries and creating a healthier, 

greener, and more equitable 

roadway system. The Complete 

Streets initiative reflects FHWA’s 

commitment to advance widespread 

implementation of the Complete 

Streets design model. 

Secretary of Transportation 

Pete Buttigieg identified 

Complete Streets as "one 

example of a project that 

achieves our shared safety, 

climate, equity, and 

economic growth goals." 

Complete Streets scenario: urban two-lane minor arterial. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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Six Scenarios to Transform 

Arterials Using a Complete 

Streets Implementation Strategy

Another new resource released in 

early March is Complete Streets 

Transformations, a document that 

provides six hypothetical scenarios 

illustrating how common arterial 

corridor configurations can be 

transformed to accommodate the 

needs of different users by 

implementing Complete Streets. The 

purpose of these scenarios is to 

stimulate ideas for improving existing 

streets as part of developing a 

Complete Streets network, with an 

emphasis on developing safe and 

complete bicycle and pedestrian 

networks and access to public 

transportation.

Other resources posted on the 

website are drawn from a variety of 

FHWA program offices, FHWA’s 

implementation of the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law (BIL), and other 

agencies and organizations. Watch 

for frequent updates as new 

information and resources become 

available.

Complete Streets in the BIL 

BIL defines Complete Streets 

standards or policies as those which 

“ensure the safe and adequate 

accommodation of all users of the 

transportation system, including 

pedestrians, bicyclists, public 

transportation users, children, older 

individuals, individuals with 

disabilities, motorists, and freight 

vehicles.”

BIL provides new tools and 

resources that allow States and local 

governments to build Complete 

Streets. This includes a requirement 

that States and metropolitan 

planning organizations use at least 

2.5 percent of their planning funding 

on activities related to Complete 

Streets. BIL also continues to 

provide funding for Complete Streets 

activities through Rebuilding 

American Infrastructure with 

Sustainability and Equity grants and 

the National Highway Performance 

Program. Surface Transportation 

Block Grant Program funds can also 

be used for Complete Streets 

implementation. FHWA recently

released guidance for the Highway 

Safety Improvement Program, which 

can be used for Complete Streets 

projects and which received an 

additional $4 billion in funding under 

BIL. A new $6 billion competitive 

grant program for local governments, 

Safe Streets and Roads for All, was 

also created under BIL, details of 

which will be announced in the 

coming months. Information about 

BIL can be found on FHWA’s BIL 

website. 

For more information, contact 

Barbara McCann at 

Barbara.mccann@dot.gov or 

Anthony Boutros at

anthony.boutros@dot.gov.

SAFETY-DRIVEN CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS

New FHWA Web Resource

Summarizes Research and 

Technology Efforts, 

Including Safety Research 

Projects

By: Mary Huie, FHWA Office of Research, 

Development, and Technology

The Office of Research, 

Development, and Technology 

recently launched the FHWA 

Research and Technology (R&T) 

Portfolio web pages, a new digital 

resource highlighting research 

projects from across the agency, 

including FHWA’s Safety R&T 

Program. 

The R&T Portfolio web pages

provide a broad overview of FHWA’s 

research and technology activities, 

initiatives, and projects. The R&T 

Portfolio covers the entire R&T 

Program, including agenda setting, 

research and development, 

technology testing and evaluation, 

deployment and evaluation of 

market-ready technologies and 

innovations, development of 

regulations and guidance, and 

technical assistance.

The new web pages offer examples 

of FHWA’s cutting-edge approaches 

to solving today’s highway 

challenges. The R&T Portfolio web 

pages do not replace the program 

offices’ web pages; rather, they 

present a program overview, 

highlight selected projects from 

across the agency, and provide links 

to more information. The R&T 

Portfolio includes a section 

dedicated to FHWA safety research

grouped by program delivery, design 

and operations, human factors, and 

data and analysis. Each area 

features several research efforts and 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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provides a specific example of a 

safety issue that our research 

addresses. For example, the Drivers 

Failing to Yield at Multilane 

Roundabout study focuses on 

FHWA’s efforts to reduce fatalities in 

intersections.

Please visit, bookmark, and share 

this valuable resource with your 

stakeholders and colleagues. The 

R&T Portfolio web pages provide 

useful information on safety research 

at FHWA for reports, articles, and 

presentations.

For more information, please contact 

Mary Huie at Mary.Huie@dot.gov. 

Comprehensive Safety 

Action Plans a Key 

Component of New SS4A 

Grant Program

By: Jennifer Warren, FHWA Office of Safety

The Bipartisan Infrastructure 

Law (BIL) establishes the new Safe 

Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)

discretionary program that will 

provide $5-6 billion in grants over the 

next 5 years. This funding supports 

regional, local, and Tribal initiatives 

through grants to prevent roadway 

deaths and serious injuries. The 

development and establishment of a 

Comprehensive Safety Action Plan

is a key component of this program.

The SS4A program supports 

Secretary of Transportation Pete 

Buttigieg’s National Roadway Safety 

Strategy and a goal of zero deaths 

and serious injuries on our Nation’s 

roadways. 

Notice of Funding Opportunity –

Coming Spring 2022

The Notice of Funding Opportunity 

(NOFO) for Safe Streets and Roads 

for All grants is anticipated to be 

released this spring (information 

will be posted to the SS4A web 

page). Once it has been posted, 

interested parties may apply for 

grants. 

Award announcements are expected 

to be made by the end of calendar 

year 2022 or early 2023.

Who will be eligible to apply for 

grant funding?

• Metropolitan planning 

organizations;

• Counties, cities, towns, other 

special districts that are 

subdivisions of a State, and 

transit agencies;

• Federally recognized Tribal 

governments; and

• Multijurisdictional groups 

comprised of the above entities.

What activities are eligible?

• Develop or update a 

Comprehensive Safety Action 

Plan.

• Conduct planning, design, and 

development activities in support 

of an Action Plan.

• Carry out projects and strategies 

identified in an Action Plan.

How should I prepare?

For more information about this 

program, NOFO updates, and tips 

on how to prepare for applying, visit 

the Safe Streets and Roads for All 

(SS4A) Grant Program page. 

You can also subscribe to receive 

email updates and receive 

notifications about webinars and 

other information as it becomes 

available. 

For more information, please contact

Jennifer Warren at 

Jennifer.Warren@dot.gov. 

 

Illustration from the FHWA Research and Technology Portfolio web pages. 

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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MATCHing Needs With 

Expertise to Solve Local 

Road Safety Concerns 

By: Rosemarie Anderson, FHWA Office of 

Safety 

Local and Tribal 

agencies often 

face unique and 

location-specific 

safety 

challenges on 

their roads 

regarding issues 

such as roadway departure, 

intersection safety, speed 

management, and pedestrian and 

bicyclist safety. Since its launch in

March 2021, FHWA’s Mentoring, 

Assistance, Training, and 

Communication Help (MATCH) 

Program has connected several 

local agencies with expert peers who 

have assisted with safety issues on 

their roadways. The MATCH 

program provides free, broad-based 

technical assistance to local and 

tribal agencies facing roadway safety 

challenges. The program connects 

agencies requesting assistance 

(mentees) with volunteer mentors 

who have specific expertise to help 

successfully address the identified 

challenges. The MATCH Program 

leverages the solutions that mentors 

have already identified and 

successfully implemented to address 

similar problems on the mentees’ 

roadways, enabling more agencies 

to benefit from these successes and 

eliminating the need to “reinvent the 

wheel.” 

College Station, Texas: 

90–degree Curve Crashes

In October 2021, the College Station 

Public Works Department requested 

assistance from the MATCH 

Program to address crashes 

occurring on a collector road where 

two roads intersect at a 90–degree 

curve with residential homes on 

either side (see aerial photo below). 

The MATCH Program matched 

College Station with mentor James 

Nall, P.E., based on his experience 

with similar challenges. Mr. Nall is a 

traffic and safety engineer who 

previously served as the Traffic 

Division Director for Mesa County, 

CO. 

Mr. Nall requested data about the 

curve and the crashes from the 

public works department. The speed 

limit at this section of the road is 

30 mph, and there are sidewalks on 

both side of the road. The average 

daily traffic is 1,151 vehicles per day. 

There were four crashes at the curve

between 2011 and 2021, with three 

of those crashes being westbound 

vehicles. All crashes occurred at 

night or during dark conditions. In 

some of these crashes, the vehicle 

ended up in the yard of the home 

adjacent to the curve. 

In 2020, the College Station Public 

Works Department installed advisory 

speed limit signs, chevrons, and a 

double yellow line to warn motorists 

of the upcoming curve. However, 

even with these countermeasures, a 

crash occurred at the location in 

2021. After receiving and reviewing 

this information, the mentor and 

mentee met virtually to discuss in 

further detail the issues experienced 

and potential countermeasures to 

resolve the issues.

MATCH Assistance: Identifying 

Additional Countermeasures

Mr. Nall suggested that while speed 

and darkness were contributing risk 

factors, they were not the primary 

risk factors resulting in the crashes. 

Instead, the roadway alignment 

seemed to be the primary factor. As 

one is approaching the curve on 

Arnold Road before it turns into 

Schaffer Road, it appears that the 

roadway alignment is straight. This is 

what traffic engineers refer to as a 

visual trap. In this case, when 

viewing the pedestrian path that

continues straight where the road 

Arnold Road and Schaffer Road in College 

Station, Texas. (Source: Google Maps)

“Working with the Mentor 

Program gives me a sense of 

pride and accomplishment. It 

is rewarding to be able to use 

30 plus years of experience 

to assist communities and 

work toward a common goal 

of vision zero.” 

— James Nall, former Traffic 

Division Director, Mesa 

County, Colorado and 

Region Traffic Engineer for 

the Colorado DOT.

MATCH Program 

logo. (Source: 

FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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curves (see images below) some 

drivers could mistakenly assume the 

road is going straight. As such, some 

drivers on the approach may be 

surprised by the 90–degree curve. 

This is compounded at night 

because there are very few visual 

cues to alert the driver of the coming 

curve. In addition, the chevrons that 

inform drivers of the change in 

alignment are not clearly visible. The 

chevrons can be seen at the curve, 

but it may be too late for drivers to 

slow down and adjust to the 

alignment as they enter the curve. 

Based on the information gathered 

and discussions with the agency’s 

traffic engineer, Mr. Nall 

recommended the following 

countermeasures as a priority:

• Increase the size of the chevrons 

to either 30 by 30 inches or 36 by

36 inches

• Add an advisory plaque to 

reinforce the advisory speed

Other countermeasures 

recommended include: 

• Install speed reduction 

markings. Placing transverse 

markings is a way to reduce 

speed by progressively reducing 

the spacing of the lines to give 

motorists the impression that 

their speeds are increasing. 

• Install a solar-powered 

flashing LED turn sign. This is 

an effective solution to warn 

drivers in advance of the curve. 

• Install flashing LED chevrons. 

This is also an effective solution 

to warn drivers in advance of the 

curve 

• Place advanced transverse 

rumble strips prior to the curve. 

• Install a series of LEDenhanced solar-powered signs

with a controller to detect and 

flash a series of chevron signs. 

This system not only warns the 

driver of the curve but also 

guides that driver through the 

upcoming horizontal curves.

Benefits of MATCH

The College Station Public Works 

Department was proactive in 

addressing the crashes at the curve 

but realized that additional 

assistance was needed to identify 

other countermeasures that had 

successfully worked in similar 

locations. By pairing the Public 

Works Department with an engineer 

who had previously worked for a 

local agency and had faced similar 

issues, the MATCH Program helped 

College Station benefit from a peer’s 

expertise rather than having to 

continue with trial and error to 

identify a solution to this safety 

issue. 

Participating in MATCH 

The MATCH program can assist with 

your local or Tribal roadway safety 

challenges. All local and Tribal 

agencies are eligible to apply for this 

FREE technical assistance from a 

mentor through the MATCH

program. For assistance, 

prospective mentee agencies must 

fill out and submit a short online 

application. Response is quick and, 

depending on the issue, technical 

assistance may be provided 

immediately. Requests must be 

directly submitted by a public official. 

When necessary, FHWA may 

coordinate with the mentee's 

View down Arnold Road toward the curve.

(Source: Google Earth)

View at the curve. (Source: Google Earth)

A visual trap occurs 

when the road curves, but 

visual cues such as breaks in 

the tree line or the 

continuation of power poles, 

or in this case the pedestrian 

path, leads a driver to think 

the road continues straight.

“The FHWA MATCH 

program put me in contact 

with a helpful expert who not 

only gave me useful 

suggestions but showed me 

the thinking behind the 

conclusions. The process 

was done in a timely manner 

and through the program I 

made a new connection and 

received an innovative 

solution to the crash problem 

at the curve.” 

— Dr. Tomás E. Lindheimer, 

Ph.D., P.E., Traffic Engineer, 

College Station Public Works 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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respective State DOT or FHWA 

division office to support the 

mentoring request. Upon approval 

for the program, the applicant will be 

matched with a mentor.

You can also participate in the 

MATCH Program as a mentor. 

Public agency transportation safety 

professionals who have specific 

expertise related to local and/or 

Tribal road safety may serve as 

mentors. Mentors must be actively 

employed by or retired from a public 

transportation agency with a 

minimum of 5 years of continuous

transportation safety experience. 

Mentors’ schedules will be 

accommodated; however, they will

be asked to make a commitment to 

assist the mentees. Both mentors 

and mentees will be required to 

produce a short report once the 

activity is completed in an effort to 

document and share noteworthy 

practices.

Learn more about the MATCH

program or contact Rosemarie 

Anderson at

rosemarie.anderson@dot.gov. 

Implementing a Safety 

Culture: Experience from the 

Private Sector

By: Nicole Waldheim, Burgess & Niple, and 

Lacy Brown, DKS Associates

What is Transportation Safety 

Culture? 

A transportation safety culture is the 

shared values, actions, and 

behaviors that demonstrate a 

commitment to safety over 

competing goals and demands. 

Incorporating the core elements (see 

graphic) of this culture within an

organization or agency could 

increase the level of energy staff 

dedicate to the Safe System 

Approach and increase the impact of 

the approach by prioritizing safe 

roads, safe road users, safe speeds, 

post-crash care, and safe vehicles in 

transportation plans, programs, and 

projects. Ideally, the ultimate 

outcome of this approach will be a 

profound reduction in fatal and 

serious injury crashes. 

How We Implemented a 

Transportation Safety Culture 

Initiating a transportation safety 

culture does not have to be 

complicated, resource intensive, or 

time consuming. Even small 

changes can result in a shift in how 

employees and leadership embrace 

and embody a commitment to safety. 

There is no “single way” to develop a 

transportation safety culture for an 

organization, so the path forward will 

look very different for companies of 

different sizes, sectors, and technical 

disciplines. Burgess & Niple (B&N) 

and DKS Associates (DKS), two 

transportation consulting firms, 

applied the following framework in 

different ways to establish a culture 

of transportation safety.

Step 1: Secure Initial 

Commitment. B&N began by 

outlining the idea of transportation 

safety culture and developing a

vision of how it could be 

implemented throughout our 

workplaces. We framed the 

discussion around the core elements 

of a transportation safety culture: 

leadership commitment, employee 

participation, supporting policies, 

communication, and resources and 

training. While buy-in from 

leadership is important, it is possible 

for anyone within an organization to 

become a champion and begin 

working with their immediate 

supervisors to build broad-based 

support for a shift in culture. 

Step 2: Find Your Safety 

Champions. As noted, anybody 

within an organization can become a 

champion for instituting a safety 

culture. We found that the primary 

prerequisite for the role is to have a 

passion for safety and desire to take 

meaningful action. Being able to 

engage with leadership and “have 

their ear” is also helpful in keeping

momentum going. 

Step 3: Develop Goals and 

Principles. Our next step was to 

decide which transportation safety 

culture elements resonated within

our organizations and how we 

wanted to invest our time and 

resources. There are many ways to

Safety culture core elements. 

(Source: B&N)

DKS took a different approach 

by engaging leadership to 

support small-scale actions 

that were timely and would 

have an immediate impact on 

staff safety.
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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structure a culture, so it was 

important for us to customize an 

approach that was right for us. B&N 

did this by bringing together a crosssection of interested staff to 

brainstorm potential culture goals, 

principles, and program ideas. Then, 

we worked with our core team to 

refine our transportation safety 

culture vision, goals, and principles 

and share them with the larger group 

for buy-in. 

Step 4: Implement a 

Transportation Safety Culture

Campaign. Once we defined the 

elements of our transportation safety 

culture and brainstormed ideas to 

implement them, the fun really 

began! It is essential for a 

transportation safety culture 

campaign not to “sit on the shelf.” 

We worked to raise employee 

awareness about the campaign and 

scheduled related activities (at least 

twice a year) to engage staff. Here 

are some ideas that worked for us: 

• Employee Participation – B&N 

rolled out its safety campaign 

with a 2-minute video that 

defined safety culture and shared 

with employees what they could 

expect. There are many other 

options for engaging employees, 

including activities, presentations, 

and written materials that help 

employees understand the value 

and application of transportation 

safety culture. Examples of 

activities could include holding 

competitions with prizes or 

inviting staff to take a survey, 

completing a safety-related quiz, 

and taking a pledge.

• Branding – B&N developed a 

“look and feel” for our 

transportation safety culture 

initiatives with a hashtag, but an 

organization may wish to use a 

logo, template, or tag line that is 

incorporated into internal and 

external communication. 

• Strategic Campaigns – We

developed tailored 

communications and activities

that tied our transportation safety 

culture initiative to nationally 

celebrated safety days, weeks, or 

months. For example, DKS 

developed a Safe Mobility 

Initiative that outlined ways for 

staff to improve safety through 

their technical work and personal 

travel choices and B&N 

incorporates a competition with 

prizes into every safety culture 

activity. You might want to use 

the NHTSA Traffic Safety Events 

Calendar to find safety

campaigns that resonate with 

your organization. 

Two B&N staff took 

ownership of the program 

and engaged colleagues 

from marketing and HR to 

create the core B&N safety 

culture team.

DKS started with a few 

technical staff who were 

passionate about safety and 

became champions before 

they even knew what a 

“safety culture” was.

B&N Vision

One Team, One Goal. Zero Fatalities.

B&N Principles

 We will LIVE safety by providing clear principles and supplemental education to encourage employees to avoid 

unnecessary risks while driving and working.

 We will TEACH safety by being champions in the workplace and our communities. We will continue to 

participate and share safety resources through our professional networks and initiate a community day to 

volunteer our time to safety causes.

 We will COMMIT to safety by working with every office to identify how we can prioritize safety in all our project 

work and by participating in friendly safety competitions across the firm.

B&N also developed the 

hashtag #BNSafe for all 

internal and external 

communications related to 

safety culture. 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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• Community Events – We 

facilitated safety-related 

volunteer activities, such as 

participating in Safe Routes to 

School community events, to 

advance our transportation safety 

culture and give back to the local 

community at the same time. 

• Supporting Policies – We 

worked with leadership to 

establish policies that incentivize 

staff to choose safe behaviors on 

the job or at company-sponsored 

events. For example, DKS 

provides rideshare and transit 

passes for company events 

where alcohol is served to ensure 

employees have a safe ride 

home and B&N mandated an 

online distracted driving training 

for all employees who drive 

company vehicles. 

• Resources and Training –

Many staff may not consider 

safety on a day-to-day basis, so 

we provided education on the 

roles everyone can play in 

advancing transportation safety. 

(TIP: Provide formal training on 

topics that align with goals of 

your transportation safety culture 

or add a “safety minute” to 

standing meetings where staff 

can share timely safety news and 

updates.)

For more information, please contact 

Nicole Waldheim at 

nicole.waldheim@burgessniple.com

and Lacy Brown at 

lacy.brown@dksassociates.com. 

ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS

Crowdsourcing for Safer 

Transportation Systems

By: James Colyar, Greg Jones, and Ralph 

Volpe, FHWA Co-Leads for the Every Day 

Counts Round Six Innovation, Crowdsourcing 

for Advancing Operations 

Most public agencies and nearly all 

private entities use some form of 

crowdsourcing, which is the practice 

of addressing a need or a problem 

by enlisting the services of large 

numbers of people through 

technology. Organizations 

crowdsource product reviews, idea 

generation, feature detection, 

funding, and much more. With the 

proliferation of location-based 

technologies, an unprecedented 

wave of crowdsourced data is now 

also available to transportation 

agencies. Moreover, analytics tools 

and services make processing and 

using crowdsourced data a true 

game-changer. 

Since 2018, the FHWA Every Day 

Counts (EDC) Program, 

Crowdsourcing for Advancing 

Operations, has been supporting the 

adoption and use of crowdsourced 

data across 30+ States and their 

local agencies to improve 

operational practices related to traffic 

incidents, road weather, work zones, 

traffic signals, and emergency 

management along with a host of 

other functions often referred to as 

transportation systems management 

and operations (TSMO). The 

program more recently began 

discovering greater uses of 

crowdsourced data for transportation 

safety applications and, specifically, 

multiple elements of the Safe 

System Approach, which accounts 

for human error when designing and 

operating transportation systems to 

mitigate deaths and serious injuries 

on roadways. 

DKS Safe Mobility Checklists incorporate 

safety considerations into every project. 

(Source: DKS)

B&N safety pledge and photo 

contest. (Source: B&N)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2

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Crowdsourced data is collected 

passively (no action required from 

the individual) or actively (humanreported information) from 

individuals when they use travelrelated mobile applications (apps) 

such as multimodal, navigation, 311 

non-emergency, and agencydeveloped tools as well as a host of 

non-travel-related apps. Connected 

cars and scooters, GPS-enabled 

fleet vehicles, and social media 

platforms also generate 

crowdsourced data that benefits 

transportation agencies. 

Crowdsourced data offers more

geographic coverage across

roadway types not typically captured 

through traditional roadway 

monitoring equipment, more 

representative sample sizes, more 

types of data, and more complete 

data. These crowdsourced data offer 

a wide array of information specific 

to road segments (e.g., speed, travel 

time, incidents, fleet composition), 

intersections (e.g., turning 

movement or arrival on green), trips 

(e.g., origin-destination, routes, 

mode), and vehicle behaviors (e.g., 

harsh braking, road friction, 

windshield wiper status). To derive 

even greater insights, private 

providers and a few public agencies 

also integrate crowdsourced data 

with other demographic and 

transportation data, as in the 

following examples.

Crowdsourcing for Safe Speeds

Vehicle speed data are an invaluable 

product of crowdsourced data that 

benefits operations. Vehicle speed 

data also support proactive safety 

countermeasures. For example, 

Maine Department of Transportation 

(DOT) uses crowdsourced data to 

establish speed advisories on 

horizontal curves based on 85th

percentile speeds. Similarly, in 

Oregon, variable speed limits are 

adjusted in real-time according to 

roadway conditions obtained from 

crowdsourced vehicle probe data.

The Maricopa Association of 

Governments (MAG) in Arizona and 

the Indiana DOT are two agencies 

that have begun using speed and 

acceleration data from connected 

car data. Both agencies have 

confirmed that road segments with 

high frequencies of hard braking 

correspond to those with high crash 

rates. Consequently, these agencies 

now identify safety hotspots much 

sooner than the traditional method 

requiring amassing crash data over 

multiple years.

Crowdsourcing for Safe Roads

A vital aspect of the safe roads 

element of the Safe System 

Approach is alerting users to 

hazards and other road users to 

reduce the frequency and severity of 

crashes. States such as Ohio, 

Indiana, and Tennessee are using 

real-time crowdsourced data from 

vehicle probe providers to identify 

the backs of queues in real-time. 

Knowing where these dangerous 

Connected car data from the Maricopa 

Association of Governments (MAG) 

illustrates vehicle speed and trajectory 

along a road segment. (Source: MAG)

Map illustrates States and territories participating in the FHWA Every Day Counts 

Round Six (EDC-6) Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations program.

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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locations are can help traffic 

management center (TMC) 

operators better deploy resources to 

alert travelers to these dangerous 

slowdowns by quickly detecting the 

ends of queues. For example, the 

Indiana DOT deploys more than 20 

queue-warning trucks statewide 

based on the locations of queues. 

Indiana DOT and many other States 

also use back-of-queue information 

to post information on their dynamic 

message signs and, in some 

instances, through vehicleembedded systems and mobilebased navigation applications. For 

example, the New Jersey and North 

Carolina DOTs offer traffic 

congestion and slowdown alerts to 

commercial vehicle drivers directly 

through an in-cab system. Many 

State and local agencies also share 

work zone, flood, and other roadclosure data through crowdsourced 

navigation applications to alert 

travelers of atypical road conditions. 

Post-Crash Care 

Personal injury or fatal crashes 

require quick detection and timely 

dispatch of the right resources and 

incident responders. By 

complementing traditional detection 

technologies with social media posts 

and free navigation app user reports, 

Iowa DOT, the Pennsylvania 

Turnpike, Lake County (Illinois) 

Division of Transportation, and many 

other agencies are detecting more 

incidents and detecting them more

quickly. A few agencies are also 

exploring crowdsourced data for 

better routing of incident-response 

vehicles to the crash site. With 

quicker detection, more information 

on the nature of the incident, and 

quicker response, agencies can 

clear roadways faster, which means 

that the chances of a secondary 

crash are significantly reduced.

Missouri, Maryland, the 

Pennsylvania Turnpike, and many 

other DOTs also share alerts about 

roadside incident responder activity 

through a popular navigation app. 

Missouri DOT measured a 

40-percent reduction in collisions 

with emergency response vehicles

by third parties through their realtime digital warning system.

Safety for All Road Users

Multimodal crowdsourced data 

support the Safe System philosophy 

of shared responsibility and offer

insights into driver decisions that 

improve the safety of all road users. 

For example, the City of Chicago 

evaluated location-based data from 

approximately 7,400 e-scooters over 

a 4-month period. This evaluation 

confirmed that geofencing effectively 

slowed down and stopped scooters 

from entering restricted areas such 

as specific trails, university 

campuses, and the central business 

district. 

Safety-focused, commercially 

available analytics platforms are also 

available to help agencies leverage 

multiple forms of crowdsourced and 

demographic data through 

visualization of multimodal travel, 

modeling of multimodal demand, and 

even identification and assessment 

of appropriate safety 

countermeasures. For example, the 

City of Pittsburgh, PA, used a 

commercially available analytics 

platform to overlay bicycle and 

pedestrian origin-destination data 

with crash data to determine whether 

high-travel bicycle corridors correlate 

with crash severity. 

Crowdsourcing Benefits Extend 

beyond Safety and Operations

Collectively, crowdsourced data 

support proactive and more holistic 

approaches to improve safety and 

operations for road users who walk, 

bike, drive, and travel by other 

modes. Crowdsourcing benefits

transportation agencies by 

expanding and improving real-time

monitoring, by supporting targeted

and more timely responses, and by 

informing strategic and

programmatic improvements across 

a host of TSMO and safety 

strategies and countermeasures. 

Navigation app notifies users of a 

stopped emergency vehicle. (Source: 

Missouri DOT)

City intersection with connected 

pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. (Source:

adapted from Pixabay) 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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Applying crowdsourced data to 

transportation systems also helps 

garner public acceptance of 

transportation decisions, improves 

the transparency and efficiency of 

public expenditures, and promotes a 

sense of community and greater 

citizen satisfaction.

To learn more about how 

crowdsourced data can help your 

agency’s safety goals, reach out to 

the FHWA EDC-6 Crowdsourcing 

co-leads, James Colyar at 

James.Colyar@dot.gov, Greg Jones 

at Greg.Jones@dot.gov, or Ralph 

Volpe at ralph.volpe@dot.gov. 

Virtual Tours Camera Kit 

and GIS Crowdsourcing – 

FHWA Office of Federal 

Lands Highway

By Adam Larsen, FHWA Office of Tribal 

Transportation, and Matt Hinshaw, Western 

Federal Lands Highway Division 

Many have theorized that one day 

robots will rule the world. While they 

haven’t entirely taken over yet, 

technology today can drive our 

vehicles, vacuum our houses, and 

tell us bad jokes. And now, 

technology is available that can 

augment travel by creating virtual 

tours of road and trail projects. 

The FHWA Office of Tribal 

Transportation now has a virtual 

tours camera kit that can be loaned 

to Tribal governments. Tribal 

partners mount the camera on a 

vehicle and drive through a road 

project or mount the camera on a 

tripod next to a road feature. After 

capturing the virtual tour, the camera 

kit is returned to FHWA where the 

images are processed and can be 

posted online in various ways.

Virtual tour video and photos are 

different from cellular phone images 

because they can look in any 

direction from the camera’s location, 

as if you are standing there. In 

addition, the camera captures GPS 

data that can be mapped along with 

other geospatial data. The map can 

also contain hyperlinks to the 

corresponding locations in the video.

Each camera kit is a protective gear 

case that contains a 360-degree 

camera, a magnetic camera mount, 

a tripod, a bicycle clamp mount, 

extra batteries, and spare lens 

covers. The kit weighs about 17 

pounds and is ready for shipping, or 

it can travel as luggage. 

Using these virtual tours, the Office 

of Tribal Transportation can offer 

more timely technical assistance, 

stewardship, and oversight that 

might otherwise be prohibited by 

travel restrictions. 

The video also makes it easy to 

bring additional expertise to special 

situations. For example, the camera 

kit was sent to the Navajo Nation to 

conduct a final construction 

inspection because travel had not 

been allowed due to pandemic 

restrictions. Because the inspection 

was conducted by video, the FHWA 

Resource Center Safety and Design 

Team, who likely would not have 

otherwise visited the site, could see 

the project and provide advice that 

will influence the design of future 

roundabouts. 

Tribes have used the camera kits to 

create virtual tours to accompany 

grant proposals, document video 

logs for asset management, and 

conduct virtual site reviews for road 

safety audits (RSA) and construction 

inspections. 

Recently a virtual tour was created 

to support an RSA at the Tohono 

O’odham Nation. The number of 

people allowed to gather at the 

Nation’s facilities had been limited 

due to pandemic restrictions. This 

hampered the RSA process, in 

which the team gathers a wide 

variety of input from stakeholders. 

Typically the RSA process is 

conducted in person so team 

Sara Yockey, transportation director of 

the Organized Village of Kasaan, 

attaches the virtual tours camera to her 

pickup before recording guardrail, 

alignment, and grading improvements 

on the Kasaan Access Road on Prince of 

Wales Island, Alaska. (Source: Bill 

Yockey, Organized Village of Kasaan)

“The video turned out 

awesome! I am super 

impressed with the quality, 

even with the potholes it 

turned out great!” 

– Transportation Director 

Sara Yockey, Organized 

Village of Kasaan
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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members can discuss how the route 

is managed and to review available 

data. The team then drives the route 

to examine concerns and capture 

photographs for an RSA findings 

report. Instead, for this RSA, Jeff 

King, a safety specialist in the FHWA 

Arizona Division, recorded 360-

degree video and photos of the 

roads being studied. He then sent 

the camera kit to the FHWA Office of 

Tribal Transportation for publication. 

Next, a crowdsourcing feature was 

added to gather input from the RSA 

team and other Nation stakeholders. 

An online data collection map was 

generated, which includes a simple 

form for users to geospatially locate 

areas of concern, note the issue, 

and provide comments and files, 

such as photos. This functionality is 

straightforward and simple to set up 

using typical industry solutions for 

geographic information systems 

(GIS). 

A Federal Lands Highway research 

project is underway that is examining 

both common and customized 

solutions for using GIS to improve 

transportation safety for partner 

agencies such as Tribal Nations, 

Federal land management agencies, 

and State and local governments. 

The project has reviewed current 

practices and research; has 

developed a safety and traffic data 

framework and schema; and is 

conducting case studies for partners 

to collect and analyze data in 

support of RSAs, safety action plans, 

and other projects. 

GIS-based tools can greatly improve 

the impact and efficiency of safety 

efforts like the RSA Tohono 

O’odham Nation is conducting. 

These tools enable team members 

who otherwise would not have been 

able to contribute to participate in the 

RSA. 

Images extracted from the virtual 

tour will be used in the RSA findings 

report, as will the input gathered 

from the crowdsourcing feature. 

Additionally, these virtual tours have 

been used by the Arizona 

Department of Transportation and 

FHWA to conduct virtual RSA 

training. 

For additional information about 

camera kits, please contact Adam 

Larsen at 360-619-2601. For 

additional information about using 

GIS to improve transportation safety, 

please contact Matt Hinshaw at 

360-619-7677.

“Thank you for letting us 

discover a whole new way to 

document our roadway and 

irrigation issues. I believe it 

will make a huge difference.”

 

– Hollyanna Littlebull, 

Yakama Nation

Hollyanna Littlebull, transportation 

planner at the Yakama Nation. 

(Source: Tess French, Yakama Nation)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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Advancing Implementation

of FHWA’s Proven Safety 

Countermeasures

By: Phillip Bobitz, FHWA Office of Safety 

Widespread use of FHWA’s Proven 

Safety Countermeasures (PSCs)

can offer significant, measurable 

impacts as part of any agency’s 

approach to improving safety. The 

PSCs are a collection of 28 

countermeasures and strategies that 

are effective in reducing roadway 

fatalities and serious injuries. They 

are eligible under most Federal-aid 

highway funding programs and can 

serve as the basis for what agencies 

consider and implement when 

designing any highway project to 

save lives on our roadways. 

In October 2021, FHWA released its 

fourth major update to the PSC 

initiative. The release included nine 

new PSCs; updates to a booklet and 

all existing PSCs and fact sheets; 

and revamped web pages, videos, 

and other tools to assist with 

consideration and implementation of 

the PSCs. Just months after the 

release, several agencies have 

taken action to advance 

implementation and consideration of 

PSCs.

Michigan Department of 

Transportation (MDOT)

MDOT bases a majority of its project 

programming approach on FHWA’s 

list of PSCs. MDOT assists local 

agencies in identifying safety 

projects by providing resources such 

as traffic crash maps, safety guides, 

locally calibrated Highway Safety 

Manual (HSM) spreadsheets, and 

local/regional road safety plans. 

Through its Local Safety Initiative 

(LSI), MDOT helps local agencies 

analyze their crash data and 

provides recommendations on 

countermeasures, with an emphasis 

on proven, low-cost fixes. 

As part of its fiscal year 2021 

Highway Safety Improvement 

Program (HSIP) implementation 

plan, several actions were identified 

for the State of Michigan to 

undertake to achieve or make 

significant progress toward achieving 

Michigan’s safety performance 

targets in subsequent years. Two 

actions included:

Additional Information

A video outlining the use of this camera kit is available. 

• See the sample virtual tour videos from project closeouts conducted by the Navajo Nation. 

• See the sample video from an RSA conducted by the Tohono O’odham Nation. 

The video can be viewed using different methods. 

1. To watch on a computer: Click and drag across the videos to reframe your view. It may be necessary to adjust the 

playback speed or quality to avoid distorted images. Click the gear icon to change the playback speed and quality.

2. To watch on a phone or tablet using the YOUTUBE APP (not a web browser): While watching the video move your phone 

or tablet around to adjust your view of the video. This also works while it’s paused. Adjust playback speed and quality 

from the ellipsis menu (...). 

3. To watch using VR goggles: It is possible to start the video on your phone and connect your phone to a set of VR goggles 

so that as you move your head you see different parts of the video. VR Goggles get mixed reviews.

These virtual tours can be used for video logs, asset or risk management, safety studies, grant applications, and more. Tribal 

government employees can borrow virtual tour camera kits from FHWA for transportation purposes. In addition, FHWA will 

process your videos and post them online for easy sharing and use. Those interested can find a list of the contents of the virtual 

tours camera kit online.

In addition to video, the camera records GPS coordinates (and other telemetry) so users can extract a map from the video. Here is 

an example map from Seldovia Native Village in Alaska. 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

– 19 –

• Increasing emphasis on LSI to 

assist local agencies in Michigan 

with analyzing crash data, 

identifying countermeasures, 

and promoting low-cost, proven 

countermeasures to increase 

safety on local roads.

• Emphasizing countermeasures 

that are underrepresented, have 

a high potential for crash 

reduction, and have a high costto-benefit ratio.

The full set of FHWA’s 28 PSCs can 

be overwhelming to local agencies, 

and while FHWA has added 

functionality (search and filter tools) 

to its web pages, MDOT has 

identified a subset of the PSCs for 

local agencies. Following FHWA’s 

most recent iteration of the PSC 

initiative, MDOT developed, and 

recently updated, two reference 

documents for local agencies to use 

when identifying appropriate PSCs 

for a location of interest:

• Common Safety 

Countermeasures for Local 

Agencies

• Proven Safety Countermeasures 

for Pedestrians and Bicyclists

The documents highlight crash 

reductions associated with each 

PSC, outline key considerations for 

and benefits of the PSCs, and 

reference other documents that can 

provide additional information on the 

PSCs. MDOT has provided links to 

its own policies and guidance for 

several PSCs in Making our Roads 

Safer: One Countermeasure at a 

Time. MDOT has identified other 

opportunities through the 

streamlined systemic HSIP process 

and other project selection efforts to 

emphasize the use of the PSCs, all 

with the goal of elevating safety as 

its top priority.

California Department of 

Transportation (Caltrans)

To address an unacceptable trend of 

increases in fatalities and serious 

injuries on its roadways, Caltrans 

has taken a bolder, more focused 

approach by updating the State’s 

Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

(SHSP) with four new pillars of 

traffic safety: 

• Double Down on What Works

• Accelerate Advanced 

Technology

• Implement a Safe System 

Approach

• Integrate Equity

Implementation of PSCs aligns with 

most pillars, and most directly with 

the first, Double Down on What 

Works. California’s 2020–2024

SHSP implementation plan calls on 

challenge area teams to maximize 

the use of countermeasures that 

have demonstrated effectiveness. 

The teams are strongly encouraged 

to consider actions that are 

consistent with strategies 

documented in safety-related 

resources, including FHWA’s PSCs.

As part of the commitment to the 

strategies and actions identified in 

the SHSP, Caltrans launched a new 

website as a one-stop-shop for PSC 

tools and guidance. While FHWA’s 

PSC materials served as the 

foundation of the content and 

information on the website, Caltrans 

added supplementary resources 

under each PSC, including other 

relevant publications and guidance,

Caltrans-specific policies, and 

noteworthy practices from other 

agencies. 

Caltrans, recognizing the need to 

evolve with the changing 

environment and maximize 

statewide efforts to eliminate 

fatalities and serious injuries, has 

committed to issuing guidance and 

MDOT’s Proven Safety Countermeasures 

for Pedestrians and Bicyclists. (Source: 

MDOT)

Caltrans’ PSC web page. (Source: Caltrans)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

– 20 –

standards that support the effective 

implementation of PSCs. 

“We currently have four teams 

working on new PSC guidance,” said 

Russell Wenham, the PSC portfolio 

manager for Caltrans. “We look 

forward to publishing the new 

guidance in summer 2022 and then 

starting up additional teams to tackle 

other PSC topics,” he went on to 

say.

FHWA Resources and Assistance

FHWA’s PSC web pages provide 

many resources to assist agencies 

with implementation of the PSCs in 

their jurisdictions. The PSCs are 

referenced widely throughout many 

other FHWA publications, initiatives, 

and resources. They can be a great 

addition to any agency’s safety 

toolbox when trying to address a 

safety problem. As evidenced by

recent highway safety trends, we 

have a lot of work to do, and the 

PSC initiative is an area where there 

is tremendous opportunity to 

consider and integrate them into 

everything we do. 

For more information or assistance, 

please contact Phillip Bobitz, P.E., at 

Phillip.bobitz@dot.gov. 

STATE OF THE PRACTICE: UPDATES FROM SAFETY 

PARTNERS 

Prioritizing Systemic 

Projects for Horizontal 

Curves in Rhode Island

By Cate Satterfield, FHWA Office of Safety

An ounce of prevention is worth a 

pound of cure. The Rhode Island 

Department of Transportation 

(RIDOT) performed a systemic 

analysis so it could apply proven 

countermeasures at horizontal 

curves before crashes happen. This 

is critical because approximately 40 

percent of roadway departure 

fatalities in Rhode Island occur on

curves, but these crashes often don’t 

happen twice at the same curve. 

RIDOT developed a systemic risk

assessment for all horizontal curves 

on State roadways to determine 

which curves have the highest 

potential for crashes. Using 5 years 

of injury crash data (from 2014 to 

2018) and the RIDOT Model 

Inventory of Roadway Elements 

(MIRE) data for analysis, RIDOT 

found that focus crash types were 

fixed object and motorcycle crashes. 

Crash tree diagrams were developed 

for each crash type to determine the 

risk factors, which included curve 

radius, shoulder width, and traffic 

volume. Being a small State, even 

with 5 years of data, using only fatal 

and suspected serious injuries was 

too small a sample size, so RIDOT 

added in the other injury types.

RIDOT then reviewed the entire 

network for the identified risk factors 

to assign a risk score to each curve 

location. Curves where crashes had

not been reported recently still had a 

high risk score if the curves had 

many of the same features as those 

where crashes have occurred—this 

indicates the curve’s potential for 

future crashes. The risk score 

assisted RIDOT in prioritizing the 

curve locations for countermeasure 

implementation in its transportation 

improvement plan. 

Systemic Process Outwits the 

Pandemic

The year 2020 significantly 

challenged our industry due to the 

pandemic. Data collection halted, 

causing many projects to flounder 

with so many future unknowns. 

Despite the uncertain times and 

inability to collect realistic traffic 

data, this systemic approach to 

implementing countermeasures 

allowed RIDOT to move the project 

forward. During this unprecedented 

time, RIDOT expanded the initiative 

to develop a data-collection 

application to streamline field efforts 

and ongoing data collection at curve 

locations. 

As part of this effort, RIDOT 

developed a flow chart that 

streamlined the diagnosis process. 

The designer begins with planninglevel MIRE data and collects 

additional data in the field, such as 

High friction surface treatment, 

guardrail, and enhanced signage at I95 northbound Pawtucket S-Curve, 

Pawtucket, Rhode Island. 

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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stopping sight distance, speeds, and 

the presence of signage for each 

project. RIDOT applies the 

information collected in the field, 

along with a detailed crash review (if 

crashes occurred), to the flow chart 

to select the appropriate 

countermeasure (or enhancements 

to existing countermeasures). Once 

a countermeasure has been 

identified, the improvements are 

programmed to be implemented via 

maintenance work order (e.g., 

signing, striping, guardrail) or as part 

of a contract (e.g., high friction 

surface treatment, shoulder 

widening). 

Systemic risk assessment is a 

powerful tool to support the 

implementation of lifesaving 

countermeasures. Even when data 

are scarce and a pandemic changes 

the landscape of transportation data 

collection, as RIDOT discovered, this 

method of risk assessment can keep 

a State moving toward zero deaths 

and serious injuries. 

For more information, contact 

Cate Satterfield at 

cathy.satterfield@dot.gov. 

Addressing Lane Departure 

Fatalities in Puerto Rico

By: Dick Albin, FHWA Resource Center and 

Juan Carlos Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rico and 

U.S. Virgin Islands Division

In Puerto Rico, lane departures 

account for 38 percent of roadway 

fatalities. While the number of these 

crashes has been declining, the 

Puerto Rico Strategic Highway 

Safety Plan showed that over 100 

people are killed each year. This is a 

large number for a small island. The 

challenge is amplified by the fact that 

treatments can be difficult to 

implement due to geometric 

constraints, especially in the 

mountainous region of the island. 

As part of the Focus on Reducing 

Rural Roadway Departures 

(FoRRRwD) initiative, Puerto Rico 

Local Technical Assistance Program 

(LTAP) staff attended a train-the-the 

trainer session for a course on 

roadway departure countermeasures 

and then delivered several webinars 

to nearly 300 participants. In 

addition, the LTAP provided 

translations that were used to 

develop Spanish-language versions 

of the FoRRRwD trading cards. 

Translating these cards facilitated 

the explanation and visualization of 

rural roadway departure crash types, 

countermeasures, and tools. 

To combat these crashes, the Puerto 

Rico Highway and Transportation 

Authority (PRHTA) developed 

highway safety corridors where they 

evaluated countermeasures such as 

rumble strips (shoulder and center 

line), horizontal curve warning signs, 

high friction surface treatments 

(HFST), SafetyEdgeSM, and guardrail 

upgrades. As part of the Highway 

Safety Improvement Program 

(HSIP), designers must consider the 

aforementioned countermeasures to 

promote a forgiving approach to the 

highway system. 

More than 200 kilometers 

(125 miles) of shoulder rumble strips 

and 50 kilometers (30 miles) of 

centerline rumble strips have been 

installed in Puerto Rico over the last 

10 years. PRHTA installed HFST on 

five horizontal curves and will be 

evaluating their performance for 

possible use at additional locations 

in the future. PRHTA will continue to 

work on data analysis to identify 

appropriate locations to implement 

Puerto Rico lane departure actual and projected fatalities. (Source: PRHTA SHSP)

High friction surface treatment at 

Mossup Valley Road, Foster, Rhode 

Island. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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FoRRRwD countermeasures, and 

the LTAP will continue to educate 

the professional community. 

For more information, please contact 

Juan Carlos Rivera-Ortiz at 

juan.riveraortiz@dot.gov or Dick 

Albin at dick.albin@dot.gov.

Implementing Highly 

Reflectorized Durable 

Pavement Markings on the 

Pennsylvania Turnpike

By Scott Seibel, E.I.T., Michael Baker 

International

Pavement Marking Program 

Background

Historically, longitudinal pavement 

markings across the Pennsylvania 

Turnpike Commission (PTC) have 

consisted of waterborne markings in 

conjunction with snowplowable 

raised pavement markers (SRPMs) 

to provide travelers with adequate 

lane guidance along the roadway. 

SRPMs, which consist of a 

retroreflective lens with a heavy cast 

iron housing embedded into the 

roadway, have previously been the 

only solution to provide suitable wet 

retroreflectivity in conjunction with 

longitudinal pavement markings.

Although waterborne pavement 

markings are cost-effective to install, 

they degrade significantly over a 

short period of time because of 

winter maintenance activities and 

traffic. Due to the quick degradation 

of waterborne pavement markings, 

PTC installs them two times per year 

(spring and fall) to ensure adequate 

delineation across the turnpike yearround. SRPMs are in place to 

supplement the longitudinal 

waterborne pavement markings and 

better delineate the lane 

assignments for nighttime and wet 

weather conditions. SRPMs require 

inspection and lens replacement 

every 2 years. SRPM maintenance 

is a tedious and manual task that 

requires personnel to be in close 

proximity to live traffic. SRPMs may 

also create a hazard to motorists if 

castings become dislodged from the 

pavement surface.

PTC began to assess the 

performance of highly reflectorized 

durable pavement markings to 

improve the quality and visibility of 

pavement markings across the 

turnpike while also minimizing 

installation and maintenance costs 

and safety risks. These markings 

would replace waterborne pavement 

markings and SRPMs by 

simultaneously providing wet

nighttime retroreflectivity. In 2011, 

PTC began installing highly 

reflectorized durable markings in a 

recessed groove along the roadway 

as a pilot program. As of 2021, PTC

has deployed these markings for 

approximately 80 percent of the 

longitudinal lines across the system.

A Better Alternative for Providing 

Wet Nighttime Retroreflectivity

Typical pavement markings are 

made up of two components: a 

binding material and a retroreflective 

element. Retroreflective elements 

are typically added to, or provided in 

addition to, the binding material to 

improve motorist visibility by 

redirecting light back to its source 

(e.g., a vehicle’s headlights). These 

retroreflective elements typically 

consist of a variation of glass beads. 

However, once the glass beads are 

submerged in rain or water on the 

roadway surface, light is no longer 

reflected back to its source, 

rendering the glass beads 

ineffective. This has historically been 

combated using larger bead sizes or 

installing SRPMs in conjunction with 

the markings.

Highly reflectorized durable 

pavement markings are similar to 

typical markings, except they contain 

additional retroreflective elements 

suitable for wet (submerged) 

conditions. These wet-retroreflective 

elements are comprised of smaller 

beads clustered around a central 

core, making them larger in size. 

Due to the increased size, 

longitudinal markings are typically 

applied in a recessed groove to 

prevent damage from winter 

maintenance operations and traffic. 

With this additional wetretroreflective element, highly 

reflectorized durable pavement 

markings provide adequate 

Shoulder rumble strips in Puerto Rico. 

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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retroreflectivity during wet nighttime 

conditions without the need for 

SRPMs.

Current Program

Currently PTC deploys two types of 

highly reflectorized durable 

pavement markings: recessed allweather tape and recessed highly 

reflective polyurea pavement 

markings. Recessed all-weather 

tape is a premanufactured, highly 

durable, and abrasion-resistant tape 

with an approximate life expectancy 

of 8–10 years. This life expectancy 

allows for a no-touch approach, 

matching PTC’s current pavement 

life cycle at most locations. Highly 

reflective polyurea is a liquid-based 

material that requires adding 

retroreflective elements during 

installation. It has an approximate 

life expectancy of 3–4 years. In 

addition to installing recessed 

polyurea markings, PTC installs 

surface-applied polyurea pavement 

markings if the expected remaining 

pavement life is 2 years or less at 

the time of installation.

While PTC conducts a blanket 

replacement of waterborne 

pavement markings twice per year, it 

conducts a retroreflectivity and 

conditions assessment once per 

year across the PTC to ensure that 

retroreflectivity standards are met 

and all pavement markings are in 

adequate condition. The results are 

integrated into a pavement marking 

asset management system to aid 

PTC’s future planning.

Using historical pavement marking 

degradation rates and costs, PTC 

conducted an analysis to better 

understand the life cycle costs and 

best practices of pavement markings 

across its system. The analysis 

compared and contrasted installation 

and maintenance costs of recessed 

all-weather tape, recessed polyurea 

markings, and waterborne markings 

(with SRPMs) based on varying 

pavement life of the roadway over a 

30-year period. The analysis 

concluded that with PTC’s current 

installation practices, recessed allweather tape and recessed polyurea 

markings are comparable in cost to 

waterborne markings (with SRPMs) 

when considering the entire life cycle 

of the marking. 

PTC has determined that adequate 

pavement markings are a critical 

component of the safe operation of 

the system. Incorporating highly 

reflectorized durable pavement 

markings enhances retroreflectivity 

and creates a safer roadway 

environment for motorists and 

maintenance personnel by 

eliminating SRPMs and the need to

paint the roadway twice each year. 

Although PTC has developed a 

robust highly reflectorized durable 

pavement marking program since 

2011, it continues to test and 

analyze current and new practices to 

improve safety across the system.

For more information, please contact 

Justina Wentling, PTC’s assistant 

manager of traffic engineering, at 

jwentlin@paturnpike.com. 

Estes Park Project Provides 

Equitable Design, 

Engagement for 

Underrepresented 

Community

By: Kerry Perrillo Childress, P.E., RSP1 

Sanderson Stewart, and Dahir Egal, FHWA 

Colorado Division Office

The Town of Estes Park, CO, was 

awarded a Safe Routes to School 

grant to construct sidewalk along 

Graves Avenue, a 1,150-foot-long 

corridor that connects a major 

arterial roadway (Highway 7) with 

the campus of the Town’s 

elementary, middle, and high 

schools as well as the adjacent 

Estes Valley Community Center. 

Approximately 25 percent of the 

school district’s student population 

lives along Graves Avenue or across 

Highway 7, where a pedestrianactuated crossing has been installed 

to help guide pedestrians across the 

highway. Graves Avenue is a 

primary travel route to the school 

district and community center, but it 

lacks continuous sidewalks along 

either side of the road. The existing 

Graves Avenue corridor consists of a 

32-foot-wide paved street with a dirt 

shoulder on both sides and an onRecessed highly reflective polyurea 

pavement markings. (Source: PTC)

Recessed all-weather tape. 

(Source: PTC)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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street parking lane alongside the 

southbound travel lane. There are 13 

driveway access points for 

businesses and multifamily 

residences along the corridor. Crash 

data revealed sight-distance issues 

at these access points, which are 

created by the on-street parking lane 

for vehicles entering and exiting the 

south-side properties, as well as 

sight-distance issues on the north 

side at some steep driveway crests. 

A large Latinx population lives along 

both sides of Graves Avenue and 

across Highway 7. The town’s 

request for proposal specifically 

mentioned providing equitable 

outreach to the Latinx community 

given their elevated presence in this 

area. A Spanish-language website 

and dual-language materials (e.g., 

yard signs, flyers) were created to 

help guide the Spanish-speaking 

community to the website with the 

help of the school district’s translator

and community liaison Jose 

Almeida. The Spanish-language 

website included the initial project 

survey, which asked about concerns, 

desires, and user information for 

students traveling to school via 

Graves Avenue. The analytics 

showed that the website was not 

well utilized during this first phase of 

outreach: Only two initial surveys 

were filled out via the 

Spanish-language 

website.

The project’s 

conceptual design 

phase included more 

planned community 

engagement to allow 

the public to rank its

preferred designs and 

include any additional 

design ideas, 

comments, or 

concerns. Learning from the 

unsuccessful efforts of the first 

phase of the project, a new 

approach was developed to help 

engage the Latinx community. The 

school district partnered with the 

town and the design team to plan a 

summer celebration located in the 

residential parking lot on the south 

side of Graves Avenue. The event 

featured food, ice cream, festive 

music, and a presentation of the 

design options with the intent to 

engage the Latinx community and 

encourage their opinions to be 

voiced on the conceptual designs. 

The school district provided multiple 

translators at this event to help 

facilitate discussion. The event was 

a success and resulted in robust 

participation, including more than 60 

completed surveys. The town 

provided funding for food and

additional outreach to engage this 

traditionally underrepresented 

community, and representatives 

happily served food and mingled 

with residents. 

During the presentation of design 

options, there was an open and 

effective dialogue between Latinx

community members and the town 

that was invaluable and likely not 

attainable from either an online 

survey alone or in a traditional townwide meeting. The Spanish-speaking

community voiced new ideas and 

considerations that had not 

previously been heard or 

considered. The Town of Estes Park 

is a terrific example of making a 

unique and deliberate effort to 

engage diverse populations to 

gather feedback, which will 

ultimately help create a 

transportation system that will better 

serve all members of the community.

For more information, please contact 

Dahir Egal at dahir.egal@dot.gov or 

Kerry Childress at 

kchildress@sandersonstewart.com. 

Rhode Island’s STEP 

Midblock Crossing

Improvement Program

By Wilfred Hernandez, Ph.D., P.E., FHWA 

Rhode Island Division

Project Introduction

Throughout the United States, 

fatalities and serious injuries are on 

the rise among vulnerable road 

users such as pedestrians and 

bicyclists. Rhode Island Department 

of Transportation (RIDOT) 

developed a statewide pedestrian 

and bicycle initiative to address 

these crashes. To help kick off this 

initiative, RIDOT applied for and was 

awarded funding from FHWA 

Summer celebration. (Source: Sanderson Stewart)

Graves Avenue project community outreach 

announcement. 

(Source: Sanderson Stewart)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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through the State Transportation 

Innovation Councils (STIC) to 

advance the development of an 

uncontrolled midblock crossing

evaluation tool. 

Data Collection/Diagnosis

With the support of STIC funding, 

RIDOT’s pedestrian and bicycle 

initiative began to address safety at 

more than 900 State-owned 

midblock crosswalks. An inventory 

and a risk assessment of all State 

crosswalks and roadways were 

conducted to help prioritize 

improvements at unprotected (i.e., 

unsignalized) crosswalks. An 

application was developed for 

collecting data, streamlining field 

visits, and eliminating paperwork. 

The application geolocated signage, 

pavement markings, and the 

supplemental pictures of roadway 

elements that accompany the 

traditional field documentation. 

As this is not a new technology, 

presenting these data within a 

dashboard allowed the team to 

develop an automated 

countermeasure selection for each 

individual crosswalk, which is a 

revolutionary twist on existing 

technology. Through streamlining 

data collection, the dashboard was 

developed to automate crash 

countermeasure selection for each 

inventoried crosswalk. The risk 

assessment was then incorporated 

within the dashboard, allowing the 

team to use predictive methods to 

determine the crosswalks with the 

highest risk factors. 

Creating the fluid dashboard enabled 

the team to pivot from traditional field

inventory techniques and paper 

documentation to a user-friendly, 

geolocated application that allows 

multiple people and groups to 

access and review information. This

dashboard also allows RIDOT to 

track the enhanced crosswalks in 

real time. These data can also be 

cross-referenced for asset 

management purposes. 

To help further diagnose the best 

improvements for each crosswalk, 

RIDOT developed a flowchart of 

several inputs (number of lanes, 

traffic volume, speed, etc.). This 

flowchart is based on FHWA STEP 

guidance and helps RIDOT select 

the most applicable treatment, such 

as enhanced signing and striping, 

geometric improvements, or 

enhanced warning such as rapid 

rectangular flashing beacons 

(RRFB) and pedestrian hybrid 

beacons (PHB/HAWK).

Prioritization and Implementation

RIDOT is currently implementing the 

findings of the newly developed 

RIDOT uncontrolled midblock 

crossing evaluation. Locations were 

prioritized based on the potential risk 

to pedestrians using more than 20 

attributes, including traffic volume, 

crash history, roadway 

characteristics, and adjacent land 

use features such as proximity to 

schools and transit stops. 

To help streamline the 

implementation phase of the STEP 

program, RIDOT applied for and was 

awarded $1 million from FHWA 

through the Accelerated Innovation 

Deployment Demonstration 

Program. As part of this project, 

20 State-owned crosswalks will be 

improved at the most critical 

crosswalk locations. Enhancements

to the crosswalks include innovative 

technologies such as RRFBs and 

PHB/HAWK.

This demonstration program will 

allow RIDOT to kick-start its

pedestrian initiative and evaluate 

and identify how the crosswalk 

enhancements improve pedestrian 

connectivity and community mobility. 

Successful application of this project 

will allow RIDOT to implement these 

technologies as a standard practice 

throughout the State as well as work 

with local municipalities to share the 

results of this evaluation. 

As part of the current SHSP and 

STIP rewrites, RIDOT is allocating 

HSIP funding to this program to help 

address midblock crosswalks on a 

statewide level. RIDOT plans to 

deploy most, if not all, future 

improvements through project 

bundling or other contracting 

vehicles. This will not only maximize 

funding by reducing overhead costs

but also streamline installation. 

Parallel STEP Efforts

RIDOT is also working on pedestrian 

safety through other crosswalk 

improvement initiatives, such as 

installing Road Diets on more than 

20 4-lane roads statewide, 

upgrading pedestrian clearance 

timings, and deploying lead 

pedestrian intervals, where 

applicable, at more than 700 Stateowned signals. 

For more information, please contact 

Wilfred Hernandez at 

wilfred.hernandez@dot.gov. 
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

– 26 –

LEARNING TOGETHER

Cite the Site! Always Share 

the CMF ID When 

Referencing a Specific CMF

By Karen Scurry, FHWA Office of Safety

Did you know that every crash 

modification factor (CMF) in the 

FHWA CMF Clearinghouse has a 

unique identification number (ID)? 

The CMF ID allows you to easily 

document the CMF in a report, 

study, or presentation for future 

reference. The CMF ID also allows 

others to quickly and easily find the 

CMF in the CMF Clearinghouse to 

determine if it is applicable to a 

particular scenario. 

Where Do I Find the CMF ID? 

The CMF ID is listed at the top of the 

CMF Details web page. This page 

provides all the details about a 

particular CMF, as shown in the 

screenshot below. Each CMF Details 

page has a unique URL, or web

address. For example, the URL for 

CMF ID 3127 is 

http://www.cmfclearinghouse.org/det

ail.cfm?facid=3127. The CMF ID is 

noticeable as the final characters at 

the end of that URL. 

How Do I Use the CMF ID to Find a 

Particular CMF? 

There are two ways to locate specific 

CMFs using the CMF ID number, as 

illustrated in the screenshot below:

1) Single CMF ID search: On the 

CMF home page, enter the CMF 

ID number in the search box. 

Select "Single CMF ID" from the 

drop-down menu and click the 

Search button. 

2) Direct navigation: On any CMF 

Details page, replace the ID 

number at the end of the URL 

with your desired CMF ID 

number.

For additional information about the 

CMF Clearinghouse, using CMFs, 

developing CMFs, or finding CMF 

resources, visit 

http://www.cmfclearinghouse.org or 

contact Karen Scurry at 

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

7168. 

Location of unique URL on the CMF web page and searching for a CMF using the CMF ID number. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

– 27 –

Where Highways Meet Rails: 

Crossing Safety Training

By Esther Strawder, FHWA Office of Safety

NHI has a new award-winning, webbased training. The course, entitled 

Where Highways Meet Rails: 

Crossing Safety (FHWA-NHI380126), is an updated, virtual 

version of NHI’s course on highwayrail grade crossing safety that covers 

material from the Highway-Rail 

Crossing Handbook, Third Edition. 

The interactive course is now 

available free of charge on NHI’s 

website for all rail highway 

professionals. 

For more information, contact Esther 

Strawder at 

esther.strawder@dot.gov. 

Training Updates from the 

National Highway Institute 

By: Thomas Elliott, FHWA NHI and Sabrina 

Sylvester, NHI contractor 

FHWA’s National Highway Institute 

(NHI) focuses on providing 

innovative, learner-centric, and 

relevant training that meets the 

needs of today’s transportation 

community. 

NHI has revised the Using 

Interactive Highway Safety Design 

Model (IHSDM) (FHWA-NHI380100) online training course, 

which teaches participants about the

IHSDM software program. IHSDM is 

a collection of software analysis 

tools that evaluates the operational 

effects and safety of geometric 

design decisions on our Nation’s 

highways. The online training 

teaches participants how to evaluate 

highway designs, compare 

alternatives, and provide investment 

decisions through IHSDM and how it 

can produce data-driven 

decisionmaking to make our Nation’s 

highways, roads, and streets safer 

for our communities. IHSDM 

automates policy designs, safety 

performance evaluations, and 

economic assessments that help 

provide data-driven decisionmaking 

in the highway design process.

Participants will also learn the 

concepts behind the IHSDM and 

how the software should be used, 

including using it to analyze and 

evaluate real highway designs.

NHI designed this online training as 

an interactive, engaging, and 

blended course where learners will 

be able not only to learn about 

IHSDM but to use it in real-life 

applications. 

Participants will begin by learning 

the basics of IHSDM at their own 

pace with guided, web-based 

training. Then, they will take virtual, 

instructor-led training where they will 

learn how to apply IHSDM modules 

and outputs to make real-world 

decisions pertaining to highway 

design. 

This course is expected to take an 

average of 14 hours of training time. 

Participants can work through the 

course materials, interact with the 

instructors, and complete all the 

course assignments virtually. At the 

end of the training period, 

participants who pass the exam with 

a grade of 70-percent or higher will 

earn 1.4 continuing education 

credits. More important, participants 

will have a level of understanding of 

IHSDM that will enable them to 

better create, analyze, and justify 

geometric design decisions 

throughout the highway designs 

process. 

To learn about the IHSDM course

along with other highway safety 

training courses, visit the NHI 

website. For more information about 

IHSDM, and to access this free, 

publicly available software tool, visit 

FHWA’s Interactive Highway Safety 

Design Model (IHSDM) Overview 

page. 

For more information, please contact 

Thomas Elliott at 

Thomas.elliott@dot.gov. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Community of Practice 

for Vision Zero Launched!

By: Chimai Ngo, Office of Safety

FHWA is pleased to announce the

launch of the FHWA Vision Zero 

Community of Practice (CoP) web 

page. The Vision Zero CoP offers a 

one-stop shop for technical 

resources and information that local 

communities can use to develop and 

implement safety efforts to reach 

their goal of zero roadway fatalities.

FHWA supports the vision of zero 

deaths, including Vision Zero. The 

Vision Zero CoP is a component of 

FHWA technical assistance efforts to 

bring the latest resources to 

practitioners who have adopted or
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

– 28 –

are considering adopting Vision 

Zero, applying the Safe System 

Approach, and growing a safety 

culture in their communities.

The Vision Zero CoP web page

includes a database of Vision Zero 

action plans; reports, guides, and 

success stories related to planning 

and implementation of Vision Zero; 

funding information; and news and 

events. In addition, there is a section 

with information about the ongoing 

FHWA Vision Zero Community 

Pairing Pilot. FHWA will continuously 

update the CoP web page to bring 

new resources and information to 

visitors. 

The CoP web page is housed in the 

FHWA Roadway Safety Professional 

Capacity Building Program website 

and can also be accessed from the 

FHWA Zero Deaths - Resources

web page. 

For more information, please contact 

Chimai Ngo at chimai.ngo@dot.gov. 

National Work Zone 

Awareness Week – Work 

Zones are a Sign to Slow 

Down

By Martha C. Kapitanov, FHWA Office of 

Operations

The return of warmer weather 

means that more work zones will 

soon appear on the Nation’s 

roadways. For this reason, the 

FHWA and its partners sponsor 

National Work Zone Awareness 

Week (NWZAW) every spring to 

highlight motorist and worker safety 

and mobility issues in and around 

work zones. This year, NWZAW was 

recognized on April 11–15. The 

theme for this year is “Work Zones 

are a Sign to Slow Down.” 

NWZAW provides an opportunity for 

everyone to reflect on how to 

address the ongoing safety 

challenges in work zones. This year 

brings new challenges with a 

potential for more work zones 

following the passage of a new 

transportation funding law as well as 

new opportunities to fund and 

implement new technologies and 

strategies to make work zones safer.

Once-in-a-generation 

Infrastructure Investment = An 

Unprecedented Increase in Work 

Zones. 

The recently passed Infrastructure 

Investment and Jobs Act, also 

known as the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law (BIL), is the basis 

for FHWA programs and activities 

through September 30, 2026. It 

makes a historic investment of $350 

billion in highway programs, 

including the largest dedicated 

bridge investment since the 

construction of the Interstate 

Highway System and a variety of 

new programs. 

This increased investment will 

increase the number of work zones 

on the Nation’s roadways while also 

compounding associated safety 

issues for motorists and workers. To 

help minimize work zone impacts, 

the BIL includes funding to support 

multiple efforts and includes an 

overarching emphasis on keeping 

workers in work zones safe. 

Prioritizing Safety in All 

Investments and Projects

States have successfully 

demonstrated and institutionalized a 

variety of new technologies and 

strategies in recent years to improve 

safety in work zones. For instance, 

more States are conducting datadriven work zone safety analyses, 

such as a “hard braking” data 

analysis conducted by Indiana. 

Vision Zero CoP landing page. (Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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Other States like North Carolina and 

New Jersey are now providing invehicle “dangerous slow down” 

information to commercial motor 

vehicles to improve work zone 

safety. The BIL offers opportunities 

to continue this trend with funding to 

support or expand existing programs 

and for new strategies that can 

improve safety in work zones, 

including those highlighted below. 

Safety contingency funds. Some 

States, like Texas, have successfully 

demonstrated safety contingency 

funds as a mechanism for quickly 

addressing safety issues that arise 

during construction. The BIL now 

allows Federal share for “contractual 

provisions that provide safety 

contingency funds to incorporate 

safety enhancements to work zones 

prior to or during roadway 

construction activities” (Section 

11107). 

Automated speed enforcement.

Although successfully demonstrated 

in work zones in States like Illinois 

and Maryland for a number of years, 

the BIL includes a provision for 

States to “carry out a program to 

purchase, operate, or maintain an 

automated traffic enforcement 

system in a work zone” (Section 

24102).

Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

(SHSP). Some States like California 

and Arkansas include work zones as 

an emphasis area in their SHSP. 

The SHSP is a data-driven plan that 

can be used to help fund Highway 

Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) 

activities. The BIL significantly 

increased HSIP funding activities, so 

States may leverage their 

SHSP to improve work 

zone safety. 

Working Towards a 

Vision of Zero Deaths 

and Serious Injuries

Collectively, the strategies 

and programs highlighted 

above can improve work 

zone safety by reducing 

fatalities and injuries in 

work zones in support of 

USDOT’s top priority: 

safety. On January 29, 

2022, Secretary Pete Buttigieg 

unveiled the National Roadway 

Safety Strategy and unequivocally 

stated that “to change the trajectory 

of roadway safety in this country is a 

single, ambitious shared goal...our 

goal is zero deaths.” FHWA fully 

supports the vision of zero deaths 

and serious injuries on the Nation's 

roadway system and recognizes the 

Safe System Approach as the best 

way to accomplish this goal. Work 

zones remain a key area of focus for 

FHWA to make this vision a reality.

Work zones continue to 

disproportionately impact safety for 

all road users. National Work Zone 

Awareness Week is a reminder to all 

of us to re-commit ourselves in the 

coming year to do everything 

possible to address work zone 

impacts so that we may make the 

Nation’s roadways safer for 

everyone.

For more information on work zone 

management training, regulations, 

resources, and tools visit the FHWA

Work Zone Management website. 

For more information, contact 

Martha Kapitanov at 

martha.kapitanov@dot.gov.

Upcoming Conferences and

Events

NACo 2022 Annual Conference 

and Exposition. The National 

Association of Counties annual 

meeting will be held in Adams 

County, CO, July 21–24, 2022.

ITE Annual Meeting and the 

National Rural ITS Conference 

2022. The National Rural ITS 

Conference will be held jointly with 

the Institute of Transportation 

Engineers’ annual convention in 

New Orleans, LA, from July 31

through August 3, 2022.The theme 

for this year’s event is “Investing in 

our Future.

The 2022 Traffic Records Forum.

The Association of Transportation 

Safety Information Professionals will 

hold its annual meeting from 

August 7–10, 2022, in Denver, CO.

The call for speaker abstracts is now 

open. 

2022 National Work Zone Awareness Week poster. 

(Source: FHWA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER · Spring 2022: Volume 16 Issue 2 

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PWX 2022. The American Public 

Works Association’s annual Public 

Works Expo will be held in Charlotte, 

NC, August 28–31, 2022. Note that 

the call for presentations for PWX 

2023 will open July 8, 2022.

GHSA 2022. The Governors 

Highway Safety Association will be 

meeting in Louisville, KY from 

September 17–21, 2022. The theme 

for this year’s event is “Redefining 

Possible: Traffic Safety in a 

Changing World.” 

Call for Abstracts and Proposals: 

Safer Roads International 

Conference 2023. Organizers of the 

triennial Safer Roads International 

Conference are now accepting 

papers as well as proposals for

educational and poster sessions for 

this event, which will be held 

May 16–18, 2023, in Richmond, VA. 

The theme for this conference is 

“Connecting stakeholders. 

Transforming practices. Saving 

lives.” Proposals will fit into either a 

workshop format with presentations 

that share best practices and 

implemented safety solutions, or a 

technical session consisting of 

similar research. If you already 

submitted a proposal for the 

cancelled 2020/2021 Safer Roads 

Conference, please visit the Call for 

Proposals and Abstracts portal to 

resubmit your original proposal or to 

offer a new one. Early submissions 

are due by May 27, and the final 

deadline is October 21, 2022. 

The Safety Compass Newsletter is a publication of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (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 Tara McLoughlin at: tara.mcloughlin@dot.gov.