Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 1 

A Message from FHWA Associate 

Administrator for Safety, Tony Furst

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has 

data.” — Sherlock Holmes

“Information is the oil of the 21st century, and 

analytics is the combustion engine.” — Peter

Sondergaard, Senior VP, Gartner 

“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have 

are opinions, let’s go with mine.” Jim Barksdale, 

former Netscape CEO

Rather than attempt to improve upon or 

embellish these quotes, I’ll let them stand on 

their own. I think they capture the message 

behind multiple articles in this edition of the Safety Compass on 

the criticality of the data that underpins the information upon which 

safety investments are made. 

Absent data, it’s just an opinion. So investment decisionmaking 

doesn’t devolve into a contest of opinions along the lines of Mr. 

Barksdale’s quote, I invite all of you to read to these articles and 

continue to advance and improve data acquisition and analysis so 

that investments are targeted where they will do the most good. 

Roadway Departure: Data-Driven Strategic Planning

Authors: Ana Maria Eigen, D.Sc., FHWA Office of Safety R&D and 

Cathy Satterfield, P.E., FHWA Office of Safety

FHWA developed a Roadway Departure (RwD) Strategic Plan to 

further focus where the highway safety community can make 

advances in reducing these crashes that account for over half the 

traffic fatalities in the United States. The RwD Strategic Plan 

provides a data-based decision on where to focus resources for 

research, policy and guidance, and technical assistance. It also 

reveals where data improvements are needed. In 2008, FHWA 

standardized the criteria it used to define RwD reporting based on 

both concerns and questions that were raised within the States as 

(continued on page 4) 

A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Program Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3

In This Issue:

Roadway Departure: Data-Driven 

Strategic Planning .......................... 1 

Safety Countermeasures Photo 

Contest Winners............................. 2 

USDOT Tests Connected Vehicle 

Crash Avoidance Technology ........ 6 

Accessing, Visualizing, and 

Discussing National Safety Data: 

FHWA’s Roadway Safety Data 

Community of Practice................... 6 

Roadway Safety Data Capabilities: 

Baseline and Action Plan ............... 9 

The Model Inventory of Roadway 

Elements–Management Information 

System (MIRE-MIS) Project: How 

to Effectively Use MIRE ............... 12

Benefit-Cost Methodology for 

Safety Data Investments.............. 14

Arkansas’ Virgual Integrated Safety 

User Assisted Location Tool ........ 14

Accelerating Safety Activities 

Program (ASAP) for 2012 ............ 16

IHSDM Training Uses Federal 

ASAP Funding in Arizona............. 17

Missouri Rolls Out New SHSP at 

Statewide Conference.................. 18

Kentucky LTAP’s Safety Circuit 

Rider Program Improves the Safety 

of Rural, Low-Volume Roads ....... 19

FHWA Releases 2012 Version of 

Interactive Highway Safety Design 

Model............................................ 21

The Systemic Approach to Safety: 

Using Risk to Drive Action............ 21

Announcements and Events ........ 22

Anthony T. Furst

Associate 

Administrator, 

Office of Safety
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 2 

Safety Countermeasures Photo Contest Winners

Safety Compass would like to congratulate the winners of FHWA’s Proven Countermeasures Photo Contest! 

Roundabouts – Jim Norman, Connecticut DOT Enhanced Delineation – Peter Speer, Pexco, LLC

Corridor Access Management – Jim Norman, Connecticut DOT

Backplates with Retroreflective Borders – Jeff 

Shaw, FHWA

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety – Karen Dintz 

Transpo Industries
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 3 

Longitudinal Rumble Strips and Stripes on 2-Lane Roads – 

Kurt Smith, Alaska DOT

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon – 

Sylvia Mousseux, City of Scottsdale, AZ

Medians and Pedestrian Crossing Islands in 

Urban and Suburban Areas – 

Julie Walcoff, Ohio DOT
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 4 

“Road Diet” (Roadway Reconfiguration) – Deborah Schreckengost Casadei, Pennsylvania DOT

 

Safety Edge – 

Andy Mergenmeier, FHWA

Friction for Horizontal Curves – 

Willy Sorenson, Iowa DOT

(continued from page 1)

well as in consideration of newly available data 

elements in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System 

(FARS) database. Based on recent changes to 

FARS, new issues have been identified that will be 

reviewed by a technical working group this winter 

for the purpose of refining the RwD definition and 

criteria.

Defining a Roadway Departure

A RwD is defined as a non-intersection crash in 

which a vehicle crosses an edge line, a center line, 

or otherwise leaves the traveled way. The fatal 

crashes associated with these are reported using 

the FARS to analyze whether the first event in a 

crash is a RwD, such as “run-off road” or “cross 

center line or median.” In 2011, the three FHWA 

safety units (Office of Safety, Office of Safety R&D, 

and Resource Center Safety and Design Team) 

began the development of a RwD Strategic Plan. 

During the process, RwD crashes were analyzed 

based on the most harmful event, revealing that 

three-quarters of the RwD fatalities involve three 

event categories – overturns (31 percent), opposite 

direction crashes (24 percent), and impacts with 

trees and shrubs (19 percent). Four secondary 

areas have also been identified that account for 

another 21 percent of RwD fatalities: posts/poles, 

Before

After
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 5 

barriers, other fixed objects, and roadside 

geometry. 

 

RwD Opposing Direction Crashes

The three predominant events become the primary 

emphasis areas in the new Strategic Plan. Based 

on further analysis of the overturn crashes, the 

safety units’ focus will be on rural areas, highspeed roadways, and curves. Opposite direction 

crashes have the same focus as the overturns, but 

are also over-represented on undivided roads and 

under wet and icy conditions. Research and 

evaluation will be critical as the currently available 

countermeasures to address this issue are limited. 

The prevalence of crashes with roadside vegetation 

(trees/shrubs) was found to be an issue on both 

high- and low-speed roads and under both rural

and urban conditions. Curves accounted for nearly 

half of the fatal crashes involving trees. The 

information in the draft Plan is already being used 

and the RwD Team intends to continue mining data 

within the three primary emphasis areas. 

Data Challenges

Analyzing RwD data has its challenges, and there 

have been a few bumps in the road to quality RwD 

analysis. In 2004 NHTSA introduced the sequence 

of events for each vehicle involved in a crash, 

providing a direct correlation to a departure rather 

than the need for surrogate measures. This 

allowed users of the FARS online program (FARS 

Encyclopedia) to access RwD crashes with a single 

query. Previously it required obtaining singlevehicle RwDs based on where in the roadway 

cross-section an analyst had coded the crash 

location. Then a second query was required to find 

multi-vehicle RwDs considering the manner of 

collision. In 2010, there were major changes to the 

organization of the FARS database that make 

accessing RwD crash numbers from the FARS 

Encyclopedia impossible.

The Good

Rather than reporting the sequence 

of events for each vehicle 

individually, FARS has evolved to 

reporting the sequence of the crash. 

This is done without losing 

information about which vehicle is involved in each 

event in the sequence. There were also several 

new events added that provide more information 

useful to analyzing RwDs, such as “vehicle reentering the roadway.” Additionally, “ground,” which 

can be the most harmful event in a motorcycle 

Roadway Departure Fatalities by Most Harmful Event 

(FARS 2007-2009)

RwD Crashes with Roadside Trees
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 6 

crash, was added as a fixed object. Other event 

types were broken out for clarity; for example, 

cross-median and cross-center line crashes can 

now be considered separately. 

The Bad

The innovation that improved the 

elements and structure of the data

within FARS unfortunately came 

with some lost utility for those who 

use the FARS Encyclopedia. The 

data within FARS is now so robust and complex 

that the online software tool was revised with a 

variety of built-in options. However, one of the 

limits of the software is that we are unable to 

access the first event either for the crash or for 

individual vehicles, making it impossible to use this 

tool to select RwD crashes that are comparable to 

those reported for previous years. Other 

complexities in the new structure of FARS 

necessitate several extra steps in more 

sophisticated software packages, limiting their use 

as well. While we previously could analyze RwD 

data through a variety of tools, the only means to 

apply the RwD definition currently is using SAS 

(Statistical Analysis Software).

The Ugly

As with most data, issues cannot 

be appreciated fully until the data 

is applied to a problem. While 

studying intersection fatalities, it 

was found that a number of States’ 

coding was in conflict with the revised coding 

methodology instituted by FARS 2010. This issue 

affected data users beyond the FHWA intersection 

team, as the FHWA RwD team relies upon the 

intersection variables and attributes to disallow 

those crashes from the RwD crash subset. With 

this inconsistent reporting, it is unclear if there was 

actually a steeper decline in RwD crashes than the 

data in FARS indicates. While NHTSA is taking 

steps to improve reporting consistency, this needs 

to be considered when using 2010 FARS data in 

problem identification or evaluation of 

countermeasures implemented when using the 

current data files. The data is still useful to give 

gross impressions on fatalities and perform many 

analyses, but requires using extra caution when 

comparing 2010 data with previous years and 

working around improperly reported data elements. 

FHWA has been working with NHTSA to report 

these issues and find solutions. 

A fresh look at how RwDs are defined, in 

coordination with the intersection and pedestrian 

focus areas, is on the horizon. An effort to build a 

RwD query into the FARS Encyclopedia is also 

being considered.

USDOT Tests Connected Vehicle Crash 

Avoidance Technology 

Author: Mike Schagrin, USDOT ITS Safety Program 

Manager

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is 

conducting the world’s largest real world test of a 

wireless communications technology for vehicles. 

Nearly 3,000 cars, trucks, and buses have been 

equipped with connected vehicle technology that 

enables them to “talk” to each other and to “smart” 

infrastructure in real time on the streets of Ann 

Arbor, MI as part of a year-long model deployment. 

This test could transform our transportation system 

in a way that innovations such as seatbelts and 

airbags have not. Connected vehicles could help 

people avoid crashes, not just survive them.

Highway crashes account for more than 32,000 

deaths each year and are the leading cause of 

death for Americans between the ages of 4 and 35 

years, according to the Centers for Disease 

Control. The USDOT is committed to reducing this 

number and the negative impacts of transportation 

on American’s lives, and connected vehicle 

technology shows great promise in improving the

safety of our Nation’s roadways. Through wireless 

technology, connected vehicles feature safety 

warnings that alert drivers of potentially dangerous 

conditions—such as impending collisions, icy 

roads, and dangerous curves—before the driver is 

aware of them. National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration (NHTSA) research found that 

connected vehicle technology could potentially 

address approximately 80 percent of the crash 

scenarios involving non-impaired drivers, but more 

research needs to be done to understand the true 

effectiveness of the technology.

Researching Connected Vehicle Technology 

through the Safety Pilot Program

Through the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot 

Program, the USDOT is collaborating with some of 

the world’s largest automobile manufacturers, 

public agencies, and academia to research the 

effectiveness of connected vehicle technology at 

reducing crashes and to show how real-world 

drivers will respond to the technology in their 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 7 

vehicles. The vision for the Connected Vehicle 

Safety Pilot is to provide the world with a model 

deployment that demonstrates the transformative 

nature and benefits of connected vehicle 

technologies for safety and that can be further 

extended to support non-safety needs relating to 

mobility and environmental impacts.

In the first phase of the Safety Pilot, the USDOT 

conducted a series of driver acceptance clinics to 

test connected vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety 

applications with ordinary drivers in controlled 

roadway situations. The data from those clinics 

revealed that an overwhelming majority of drivers 

(9 out of 10) who have experienced V2V 

technology have a highly favorable opinion of its 

safety benefits and would like to have V2V safety 

features in their personal vehicles.

The University of Michigan Transportation 

Research Institute (UMTRI) is conducting the 

second phase of the safety pilot—the model 

deployment, which uses connected vehicle 

technology in a real-world environment to gather 

extensive data about system operability, 

effectiveness, and security. 

How the Safety Pilot Model Deployment Works

Connected vehicle systems are based on dedicated 

short-range communications (DSRC)—a technology similar to Wi-Fi—which is fast, secure, reliable, and unlikely to be vulnerable to interference. 

The model deployment involves installation of 

DSRC devices to send and receive data in 

approximately 3,000 cars, trucks, and buses, as 

well as at 29 infrastructure locations along 73 lanemiles of roadway in northeast Ann Arbor. A 

geographic area and drivers with certain travel 

patterns was selected so as to create the effect of a 

highly concentrated area of equipped vehicles in a 

naturalistic environment. This will maximize the 

number of vehicle interactions, making it possible 

for researchers to collect enough data to evaluate 

the technology’s effectiveness on different road 

types and under various driving conditions.

The DSRC devices being tested in the model 

deployment include integrated safety devices 

(ISDs), aftermarket safety devices (ASDs), retrofit 

safety devices (RSDs), and vehicle awareness devices (VADs). Each of these devices broadcasts a 

basic safety message (BSM) 10 times per second, 

forming the data stream that vehicles and infrastructure use to determine when a potential traffic 

hazard exists. Such hazards include an impending 

collision at an intersection, a vehicle changing 

lanes in another vehicle’s blind spot, a rear collision 

with a vehicle stopped ahead, or a vehicle traveling 

too fast to safely navigate a curve, among others. 

Most of the everyday drivers participating in the 

model deployment are using their own vehicles that 

have been equipped with the DSRC devices. The 

majority of these devices are VADs, which are the 

most simple. VADs focus only on emitting the BSM. 

They do not receive messages from other vehicles 

nor do they provide warnings. The large number of 

VAD-equipped vehicles will provide the connected 

vehicle penetration rate necessary to generate vast 

amounts of data for evaluation of the technology.

Vehicles equipped with ASDs are capable of sending and receiving safety messages via a DSRC 

wireless communications link. The device has a 

driver interface, runs V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure safety applications, and issues audible or 

visual warnings and/or alerts to the driver of the vehicle. This option could provide the means for 

increasing user 

adoption, and 

hence benefits, 

especially in the 

existing U.S. fleet 

of over 250 million 

vehicles.

RSDs have been 

installed on a 

limited number of trucks and buses for the model 

deployment. Unlike ASDs, this type of device 

connects to the vehicle’s data bus and can provide 

highly accurate information from in-vehicle sensors. 

An RSD includes a driver interface, can both 

broadcast and receive BSMs, and can process the 

content of received messages to provide warnings 

to the driver.

In addition, some participants are driving new 

vehicles equipped with ISD for 6 months. Installed 

by the manufacturer, these devices integrate 

directly with the vehicle’s computers. In addition to 

emitting and receiving the BSM, vehicles with 

integrated devices can further communicate data 

on speed, acceleration and deceleration, turning 

movements, wiper activity, and more.

The Results of the Research

NHTSA will use the information collected from both 

phases of the Safety Pilot, and other key research 

projects, to determine by the end of 2013 whether 

to proceed with additional activities involving 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 8 

connected vehicle technology, including possible 

rulemaking—a decision that could help save lives, 

prevent injuries, ease traffic congestion, and reduce 

the environmental impact. For more information on 

the USDOT’s connected vehicle research initiative, 

visit www.safetypilot.us. 

Accessing, Visualizing, and Discussing 

National Safety Data: FHWA’s Roadway 

Safety Data Community of Practice

Author: Heather Rothenberg, Transportation Specialist, 

FHWA Office of Safety

Introduction

MAP-21 is the most recent in a series of 

programmatic and policy efforts aimed at improving 

the ability of the State and Federal governments to 

collect, access, and use data as a key element of 

decisionmaking processes. Safety data has been a

key focus of these efforts. Whether it is deciding 

how to allocate limited resources or measuring the 

overall effectiveness of a safety program in 

reaching fatality reduction goals, data is playing an 

increasingly important role in the development, 

implementation, and evaluation of safety programs. 

US Department of Transportation agencies have 

long been collecting State data for inclusion in 

national databases. For example, the National 

Highway Transportation Safety Administration 

(NHTSA) is responsible for collecting and providing 

access to information about all fatal crashes in the 

United States. Their Fatality Analysis Reporting 

System (FARS) collects information from States, 

conducts a series of data quality checks, and 

provides access to that data through an online 

query system or by downloading the data. 

Similarly, the Federal Highway Administration 

(FHWA) collects vehicle miles traveled (VMT)

information from the States as part of the Highway 

Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). This 

information is made available online in tables that 

can be downloaded. The combination of these 

datasets provides a foundation for a data-driven 

discussion of safety efforts at the national level.

The FHWA Safety Data Community of Practice was 

launched earlier this year as a user-friendly

platform that is geared toward those interested 

specifically in roadway safety data. The web-based 

system allows a variety of users interested in 

highway safety to combine the data, set parameters 

for the data they want to access, and select how to 

view the information. 

What is the Safety Data Community of Practice?

The Safety Data Community of Practice (COP) is 

an online community of transportation professionals 

with a common interest in promoting and sharing 

approaches to effective roadway safety data 

collection, analysis, management, and 

expandability. The COP brings those audiences 

together to a common place to access information 

and interact with each other.

While traditional information sharing has been in 

one direction—from the source to the audience—

the Safety Data COP provides opportunities for 

multi-directional exchange and serves as a single 

access point for transportation safety professionals 

to engage in three types of exchange:

• Source to audience. FHWA will provide 

descriptions of new programs, resources, 

data, and other relevant information to be 

accessed in a single, familiar, user-friendly 

platform.

• Audience to source. FWHA can pose 

questions to the COP, post draft documents 

for commenting by the COP, etc.

• Peer to peer. Members of the COP can ask 

questions, seek solutions to problems, and 

provide insight based on their own 

experiences and perspective.

The Safety Data COP includes two major 

components: the data dashboard and the discussion forum. Both are accessible from the COP 

landing page. 

The data dashboard displays visual representations 

(maps, tables, charts, and graphs) of safety data., 

incorporating fatality and VMT data in a single 

place. Users may select their dashboard focus, 

limiting data viewed by: 

• Area of interest: Roadway departure, 

intersections, pedestrians, urban/rural, etc.

• Geography: US, region, or State(s)

• Type: Fatality frequency or rate, 5 year 

rolling averages, etc.

Once parameters have been selected, users can 

move the resulting data visualizations around to

create a dashboard that meets their individual 

preferences. The dashboard created can then be 

shared with others. There is also a video 

demonstration of the dashboard to assist users 

available from the landing page.
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 9 

The discussion forum is a place for community 

members to exchange information and solutions 

about roadway safety data issues and challenges. 

The forum is structured along four areas that have

been identified as critical to the development of robust and effective roadway data systems: collection, analysis, management, and expandability. 

Users can start their own thread, respond to 

threads started by others, and subscribe to threads.

 What’s Next for the Safety Data COP?

FHWA will continue to improve the COP’s utility. 

Based on information gathered during launch 

webinars, and the data likely to be useful to States 

in response to MAP-21, a list of improvements has 

been developed and will be prioritized based on 

need and available resources. These include adding county-level data, fatality breakdown by functional classification, more national-regional sideby-side comparisons, and adding injury information 

from NHTSA’s General Estimates System. 

Your next step is to visit the Safety Data COP 

website, create and share your own dashboard, 

and contribute to the conversations on the 

discussion forum. You can also provide any 

feedback you might have about additional data you 

would like to see included on the dashboard or any 

other ways you think the COP could be improved. 

The Safety Data COP is accessible at

http://rspcb.safety.fhwa.dot.gov/SafetyCOP.aspx

Roadway Safety Data Capabilities: Baseline 

and Action Plan

Authors: Esther Strawder, Transportation Specialist, 

Office of Safety, FHWA; Ray Krammes, Lead 

Transportation Specialist, Office of Safety, FHWA; 

Heather Rothenberg, Transportation Specialist, Office of 

Safety, FHWA

Introduction

MAP-21 Section 1112 has a lot to say about 

improving State safety data systems as a means to 

the end of reducing fatalities and serious injuries on 

the nation’s highways. In short, improved data 

collection and analysis enables more informed 

decisionmaking, which produces better targeted 

safety investments and yields larger reductions in 

fatalities and serious injuries per dollar invested. 

The 2010 AASHTO Highway Safety Manual 

established the need for and benefit of roadway 

inventory and traffic data, which provide valuable 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 10

context for understanding and interpreting 

crash data; e.g., whether 

the number of crashes at 

a particular location is 

more or less than one 

would expect on that 

type of roadway.

Fortunately, for FHWA and the States, the recently 

completed United States Roadway Safety Data 

Capabilities Assessment (available at 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/downloads/rsdp_usr

sdca_final.pdf) provides an excellent baseline and 

list of potential actions for improving safety data

systems. 

This article highlights key findings of the Capability 

Assessment final report and invites feedback on the 

“key preliminary actions” identified in the final 

report, which FHWA considers candidates for a 

National Action Plan being developed to document

FHWA’s role in encouraging and assisting States 

in improving their roadway safety data and analysis 

capabilities.

Capability Assessment Findings

The capability assessment used a capability 

maturity model to provide a consistent, repeatable, 

and systematic process to assess States’ roadway 

safety data capabilities. The model involved 

assessing the level of maturity (from 1—initial/ad 

hoc—to 5—optimizing) in four areas: 

• Roadway Inventory Data Collection / 

Technical Standards – What roadway 

inventory data are collected? How are they 

collected? What standards must they meet?

• Data Analysis Tools and Uses – How 

does roadway safety data relate to analysis

processes including tools such as HSM, 

IHSDM, Safety Analyst, etc.? 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 11

• Data Management – What policies and 

procedures exist for collecting, maintaining, 

using, and updating roadway safety data? 

• Data Interoperability and Expandability –

How does roadway inventory data relate to 

other data including, but not limited to, crash 

data, citation data, etc.? Can the existing 

data be expanded as new technologies and 

tools are developed in the future?

Each State received an action plan that 

summarized both their current capability maturity 

level and the level they indicated they wanted to 

achieve. It also included suggested actions that the 

State might take to improve from their current to 

their desired level. The results were also rolled up 

to a national average baseline summarized in

Figure 1. The baseline shows the highest capability 

levels in areas including accuracy and uniformity of 

data and expandability and accessibility of 

databases. The lowest capability levels included 

the completeness of data (generally due to the lack 

of roadway inventory and traffic data on locally 

maintained roads) and for policies and technologies 

supporting effective data management. 

Key findings of the assessment include: 

• States want to improve their roadway safety 

data capabilities and take the necessary 

steps to achieve their desired level.

• States need a focused USDOT effort to 

increase awareness of available resources 

to improve their roadway safety data.

• In some States, organizational structure and 

relationships across State agencies and 

with localities impede integration and data 

use.

• In several States, capturing data from 

locally maintained roads is an issue.

• Within States, individual divisions, districts, 

and regions maintain separate databases 

from centralized database.

• States need better coordination among 

Federal agencies on data reporting 

requirements.

• States want to better support their analyses 

by improving their roadway safety data and 

believe the capability assessment results

will assist them.

To assist States in implementing their action plans, 

FHWA is hosting a series of peer exchanges to

provide a forum to share information on both 

challenges and good practices for improving 

roadway safety data systems. Each State has been 

or will be invited to participate in one of the four 

peer exchanges.

What Roles Should FHWA Play?

One objective of the Capability Assessment was to 

identify roles FHWA could and should play. Toward 

that end, possible key preliminary actions FHWA 

could take include:

Roadway Inventory Data Collection/Technical 

Standards:

• Conduct case studies to move costeffective, accurate, and innovative data 

collection practices forward. States need 

examples of how to fund, process, and 

extract roadway inventory items. 

• Pilot and conduct case studies to 

demonstrate a robust process for States to 

include locally owned roadway safety data. 

• Develop a best or noteworthy practices 

guide for collecting intersection, curve, and 

grade inventory data. 

• Research a priority list of data elements to 

improve accuracy through external 

verification and validation. 

Data Analysis Tools and Uses:

• Continue to develop training for nontechnical users in the use of the HSM 

methods and more rigorous analysis 

methods (e.g., empirical Bayes method). 

• Develop advanced training and support in 

SafetyAnalyst to map and link data input 

needs.

• Develop a best practices and/or peer 

exchange related to data analysis tools and 

techniques at the State and national level. 

• Develop a return on investment to provide 

additional guidance related to collecting 

inventory and traffic data on local roads with 

very low crash histories. The research 

would determine the value and provide 

guidance as to where it is beneficial. 

• Determine specific policies or resource 

constraints that may limit the retention of 

historic data and develop guidance to 

address them. 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 12

Figure 1. National Average Baseline for State Data Capability

Note: Element definitions can be found in Roadway Safety Data Capabilities Assessment final report

Data Management:

• Conduct pilots and case studies to identify 

best and noteworthy practices from highly 

ranked data management States. 

• Develop a common glossary of terms and 

training for safety professionals to understand IT terminology and vice versa.

Develop guidance on structuring or 

integrating data from various agencies and 

sources into a comprehensive data 

clearinghouse. 

• Develop guidance on expectations for 

roadway safety data to be made available to 

the public and shared between agencies. 

Data Interoperability and Expandability:

• Vet potential focus States for improving 

roadway safety data capabilities to support 

the vision and goals of the Focused 

Approach to Safety. 

• Pilot an effort to link citation, injury, and 

driver data to other safety data to determine 

the possible safety benefits. 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 13

• Provide national roadway safety data 

training modules to enhance the program’s 

visibility, consistency, and effectiveness. 

FHWA is considering these as candidates for its 

national data action plan for improving State safety 

data systems and welcomes input on which of 

these should be priorities and what other actions 

FHWA should consider. 

Products of two recently completed FHWA projects 

are already addressing some of these proposed 

actions as part of a more comprehensive Roadway 

Safety Data Program. For details, see related 

articles in this issue on the Model Inventory of 

Roadway Elements Management Information

System and Benefit-Cost Analysis of Investing in 

Data Systems. Additional information about the 

Roadway Safety Data Program is also available at 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp. For more 

information, contact Esther Strawder 

(esther.strawder@dot.gov, 202-366-6836), Ray 

Krammes (ray.krammes@dot.gov, 202-366-2175), 

or Heather Rothenberg 

(heather.rothenberg@dot.gov, 202-366-2193). 

The Model Inventory of Roadway ElementsManagement Information System (MIREMIS) Project: How to Effectively Use MIRE

Author: Bob Pollack, Transportation Specialist, FHWA 

Office of Safety

The last decade has seen a marked increase in the 

emphasis placed on data-driven decisionmaking in 

managing the safety programs of State and local 

agencies. A number of state-of-the-art analytical 

tools and resources to analyze and evaluate safety 

data have emerged that rely not only on crash data, 

but also on roadway inventory and traffic data. For 

this reason, safety data of various types are 

becoming increasingly important in safety 

management efforts across the United States.

In 2010, FHWA released the Model Inventory of 

Roadway Elements (MIRE) Version 1.0 

(http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/mirerep

ort/). MIRE is a recommended listing of roadway 

and traffic data elements critical to safety 

management. A critical step toward acceptance 

and implementation of MIRE is the conversion of 

MIRE, which is now a listing of data elements, into 

a Management Information System (MIS). To 

assist States in developing and integrating the 

MIRE into an MIS structure that will provide greater 

utility in collecting, maintaining, and using MIRE 

data, FHWA undertook the MIRE- MIS project. The 

MIRE-MIS included:

• Mechanisms for data collection

• Identification of performance metrics to 

assess MIRE data quality

• A process for data handling and storage

• Details of a database structure for the MIS

The MIRE-MIS effort has resulted in a series of 

reports that can benefit State and local agencies by 

helping them to better adopt and use MIRE data:

• MIRE Element Collection Mechanisms and 

Gap Analysis presents the findings of the 

effort to explore existing and emerging data 

collection technologies to narrow the gaps 

between the elements in the MIRE listing 

and the current data available from 

agencies’ inventories and supplemental 

databases. This report provides data 

managers and collectors with techniques for 

advancing future data collection of roadway 

and traffic inventory data.

• Performance Metrics for Roadway Inventory 

Data report builds upon NHTSA’s Model 

Performance Measures for State Traffic 

Records Systems and identifies issues to be 

considered and performance measures 

used to assess the quality of roadway and 

traffic data. It provides data managers and 

collectors with refined techniques for 

assessing the quality of the roadway and 

traffic data inventory data they collect and 

maintain.

• MIRE Pilot Data Collection identifies how 

technical assistance provided through the 

MIRE-MIS assisted two “Lead Agency” or 

pilot States—New Hampshire and 

Washington—to collect additional MIRE 

data elements to develop an intersection 

inventory. The report identifies two different 

methods of data collection using existing 

data sources and the level of effort 

necessary to collect this data. These 

techniques may assist other states to collect 

and maintain additional MIRE data.

• Development of a Structure for a MIRE 

Management Information System explores 

the development of a conceptual structure 

for MIRE-MIS. It presents a prototype 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 14

structure based on the findings from one of 

the Lead Agency states and identifies 

lessons learned from the Lead Agency pilot 

effort.

• Another report as part of the MIRE-MIS is a 

MIRE Data Collection Guidebook. This 

report examines mechanisms that states 

may wish to consider to collect additional 

MIRE data elements or to more efficiently 

collect MIRE data elements.

Links to these reports and additional information 

about the MIRE-MIS project are available at: 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/. For more information, contact Bob Pollack at 

Robert.Pollack@dot.gov, 202-366-5019. 

Benefit-Cost Methodology for Safety Data 

Investments

Authors: Heather Rothenberg, Transportation Specialist, 

FHWA Office of Safety; Ray Krammes, Lead 

Transportation Specialist, FHWA Office of Safety

Safety analyses have expanded beyond just crash 

data with the development of sophisticated analysis 

tools and methods. The need for improved crash, 

roadway, and traffic data is vital. Using roadway

and traffic data together with crash data can help 

agencies make decisions that are fiscally responsible and improve the safety of the roadways for all 

users.

Deciding to invest in data is often a challenge for 

transportation agencies. Data investments frequently compete for funding with safety improvements to the infrastructure and roadway projects. 

These tangible infrastructure improvements are 

visible to the driving public and often have immediate safety impacts; the impact of data investments 

may not be as obvious to decision-makers and to 

the public.

Agencies often consider the costs and benefits of 

competing priorities when making investment 

decisions. Crash modification factors (CMFs) 

enable agencies to calculate the expected benefits 

of safety infrastructure improvements. The same 

methods for estimating the benefits of investing in 

safety data are not available. To fill this gap, FHWA 

developed a methodology that agencies can apply 

to determine the benefits of investing in data and 

data systems and processes for achieving a datadriven safety program. 

A Guidebook for the methodology is posted at 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/downloads/guideboo

k.pdf. The Guidebook demonstrates how to apply 

the methodologies to a generally acceptable stateof-practice decision-making process. It provides a 

step-by-step approach for representatives of State 

transportation agencies to follow and includes a 

checklist of key elements required for analysis.

Details on development of the methodology are 

provided in the Final Report at 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/downloads/bcareport

.pdf. For more information, contact Heather Rothenberg (heather.rothenberg@dot.gov, 202-366-

2193) or Ray Krammes (ray.krammes@dot.gov, 

202-366-2175).

Arkansas’ Virtual Integrated Safety User 

Assisted Location Tool (VISUAL-T)

Authors: Sharon Hawkins, Arkansas State Highway and 

Transportation Department, Section Head for Mapping 

and Graphics and Jessie Jones, Assistant Division Head 

for Planning and Research

As technology advances and more reliable data is 

needed quickly to perform analysis and support 

data driven investment decisions, the Arkansas 

State Highway and Transportation Department 

(AHTD) realized that the crash location 

methodology needed to be updated to improve the 

timeliness and accuracy of traffic records in the 

State of Arkansas.

THEN (1970’s through June 2011)

Previously, law enforcement agencies that are 

responsible for collecting crash data were provided 

with printed County Highway Route and Section 

Maps. The law enforcement officers were asked to 

report crash locations based on the route, section 

and log mile shown on the map or physical mile 

markers on the highway right of way. Major 

drawbacks to this old methodology included:

1. Law enforcement officers were unfamiliar with 

the route, section, and log mile terminology, or 

were unable to interpolate log miles accurately 

based on the maps provided.

2. The maps and physical mile markers were 

subject to change at all times. Updated maps 

were not always available to law enforcement 

agencies in a timely manner.
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 15

3. All crash reports required verification by AHTD 

crash locators to ensure each crash was 

accurately located on the State Highway 

System. This verification could take a 

significant amount of time, which contributed to 

major delays when finalizing the annual 

statewide traffic records database.

4. Inconsistencies existed among crash locators. 

Although the Arkansas State Police and other State 

agencies experimented with the use of GPS 

equipment to solve this location issue, it was found 

to be difficult to implement widely due to cost, 

technique, and ease of use. 

Not only did AHTD see a problem internally with 

this crash location process, the State’s law 

enforcement agencies also indicated how difficult it 

was to identify a specific log mile location on the 

printed maps. AHTD decided to find a solution to 

help State’s law enforcement agencies without the 

need for any special software packages or 

extensive training. 

NOW (June 2011 to Present)

The Virtual Integrated Safety User Assisted 

Location Tool (VISUAL-T) was developed using 

AHTD’s linear referencing system (LRS) to place a 

point every 100 feet along each route in the LRS. 

Each point contains county, route, section and 

exact log mile information. Subsequently each 

point was spatially intersected with AHTD’s 

roadway inventory data so that all roadway 

characteristics are linked to each point. By 

exporting the point data into a .kml file, location and 

roadway information can be visually displayed in 

Google Earth for every 100 feet along a given 

route. In addition, AHTD is able to publish these 

data points on ArcGIS Online through Arkansas’ 

Geographic Information Office (AGIO). This 

enables effective information transfer from AHTD to 

users through the Internet, smart phones or tablets. 

The VISUAL-T is not only being used by the crash 

locators, but since the summer of 2011, approximately 35 law enforcement agencies around the 

State are also using this tool. That includes the largest agency, the Arkansas State Police, which 

reports for nearly 25 percent of all motor vehicle 

crashes in Arkansas. Many law enforcement agencies using the tool have commented on how easy it 

is to use the tool, and more have expressed interest in using it. VISUAL-T has significantly increased the crash location timeliness and accuracy. 

Major advantages of the VISUAL-T tool include: 

1. Law enforcement can visually locate the crash 

site in Google Earth and then click on the point 

nearest to the crash site to obtain the most

accurate route, section, and log mile information for the crash report. This eliminated both 

the possibility of an officer using a route name 

other than the officially signed highway route 

number and the need for officers to interpolate 

log miles.

2. In addition to the point data, city limits or 

jurisdiction boundaries can be provided to

assist law enforcement and crash locators to 

identify crash locations accurately. 

3. All the .kml files are updated every few months 

to account for route or roadway characteristic 

changes. They are downloadable from a secured AHTD FTP site. Notifications of updated 

files are emailed to all the law enforcement 

agencies that are using the tool. This process 

significantly reduces the time to get the updated 

roadway information to the officers.

When the crash report is filled out with the 

accurate location information, it completely

eliminates the need for AHTD crash locators to 

verify the crash locations.

4. When the crash report is not completed with the 

VISUAL-T, the crash locators can use the tool

to verify locations. Since all the crash locators 

are using the same .kml files, the 

inconsistencies among crash locations are 

significantly reduced.

5. Since the VISUAL-T is displayed in Google 

Earth with a street view function, crash locators 

are able to identify the crash site easily based 

on the description provided in the crash report.

6. Because of the visual nature of the tool, 

minimal training is required.

7. The VISUAL-T can be easily integrated into the 

statewide eCrash system, which is currently 

being implemented in Arkansas. When fully 

implemented, each crash location as well as 

other important information for a crash record 

can be automatically completed with the click of 

a button.

For more information, contact Sharon Hawkins 

(sharon.hawkins@ahtd.ar.gov) or Jessie Jones 

(jessie.jones@ahtd.ar.gov) at 501-569-2201. 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 16

ArcGIS Smartphone App 

Accelerating Safety Activities Programs 

(ASAP) for 2012

Author: Mark Sandifer, FHWA Technology Partnership 

Program 

With a goal of supporting training, outreach, and 

education to better improve the quality of road 

safety, Accelerating Safety Activities Programs 

(ASAP) is designed to provide funding to accelerate 

the advancement of safety efforts in States. This 

program, administered through the FHWA Office of 

Safety, provides State agencies the opportunity to 

raise the level of discussion, build on successful 

efforts, and expand their ability to deliver positive 

results. ASAP can help States to keep the 

momentum going or to provide the impetus to start 

a larger initiative. 

The 2012 program was implemented through a 

partnership between the Office of Safety and 

Technology Partnership Programs with a focus on 

providing support specifically to the 23 States that 

are eligible to participate in the Focused Approach 

to Safety (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/fas). The 2012 

program was centered on promoting the Office of 

Safety’s Proven Safety Countermeasures (see 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/) 

at the local level, emphasizing the importance of

pedestrian safety, intersection safety, and roadway 

departure countermeasures.

To accomplish the program’s goals, the Local 

Technical Assistance Programs (LTAP) and Tribal 

Technical Assistance Programs (TTAP) were 

enlisted as the primary conduit for outreach to the 

local agencies across the Nation. With their unique 

ability to reach out to the locals, the program was 

opened to the LTAP/TTAP Centers in the 23 Focus 

States. 

The LTAP/TTAPs were required to complete a 

short project nomination form describing the project 

(how, what, when, where), current conditions, 

benefits expected, and funding amount requested. 

Nominations were submitted through the FHWA 

Division offices to ensure that each Division had the 

opportunity to work closely with its State, local and 

LTAP/TTAP partners. 

An FHWA panel and a representative from the 

LTAP/TTAP Centers reviewed, ranked, and scored 

the projects. A list of recommended projects was 

provided to the Office of Safety Associate 

Administrator for final approval and distribution of 

funds. Decisions on awards were based on a 

project’s applicability under the Focused Approach
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 17

to Safety and the extent to which it promoted 

proven safety countermeasures with foreseeable 

benefits to local agencies. 

Twenty-one projects were submitted for 

consideration, with only 12 being selected for 

funding. The FY 12 program budget was $100,000, 

with the total cost of submitted projects close to a 

quarter of a million dollars. 

Below is a list of the projects which were selected 

for funding for 2012:

California Safe Journeys: Tribal Pedestrian 

Road Safety Audits

Ohio

Ohio Local Roadways Systemic 

Safety Improvements 

Implementation Plan Safety Peer 

Exchange

New 

Jersey

Pedestrian Safety for State and 

Local Stakeholders

North 

Carolina

Low-Cost Safety Improvements for 

Local Governments - Series of Four, 

One-Day training Sessions Across 

the State

Georgia Accelerating Use of Pedestrian 

Safety Countermeasures 

Ohio Local Road Owners Safety 

Education

Texas Traffic Signal Safety Training for 

Technicians

Florida

Creating Public Service 

Announcement (PSA) to Educate 

Florida's Drivers on Roundabout 

Navigation to Reduce Florida's 

Fatality and Injury Rates

Missouri 2012-2016 SHSP Deployment

Arizona Arizona Tribal Safety Pilot Workshop 

Arizona Interactive Highway Safety Design 

Model (IHSDM Training)

Georgia

Automated Bicycle Traffic Counts to 

More Effectively Deploy 

Countermeasures

If you have any questions about the program 

please feel free to contact Esther Strawder, 

esther.strawder@dot.gov, (202) 366-6836, or Mark 

Sandifer, mark.sandifer@dot.gov, (708) 283-3528. 

If you have any questions about a specific project 

please feel free to contact your state LTAP/TTAP 

Center or your FHWA Division office.

IHSDM Training Uses Federal ASAP 

Funding in Arizona

Authors: Kohinoor Kar, Ph.D., P.E., PTOE, ADOT Traffic 

Safety Section; Rebecca Mayher, Arizona LTAP; and

Kelly LaRosa, P.E., FHWA Arizona Division. 

Arizona is one of the States supporting the national 

Highway Safety Manual (HSM) implementation 

initiative. As a part of Arizona’s HSM 

implementation plan, the Arizona Department of 

Transportation (ADOT) has offered three two-day 

HSM Overview training classes (using NCHRP 17-

38 materials) to ADOT staff and FHWA Arizona 

Division Office staff. ADOT has also started 

applying HSM predictive methods in safety 

evaluations for projects funded under the Federal

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). 

The Interactive Highway Safety Design Model 

(IHSDM) is a companion software program, 

developed and promoted by FHWA, which assists 

in using the predictive methods to make design 

decisions.

While the IHSDM software itself is available at no 

cost, users need to have a good understanding of 

various modules, data requirements, data

importing, running the software, and interpreting the 

output. In an effort to obtain available training on 

IHSDM, the Arizona Local Technical Assistance 

Program (LTAP) Center, in cooperation with the 

ADOT Traffic Safety Section, submitted a proposal 

to request federal Accelerating Safety Activities 

Program (ASAP) funding in FY 2012. The Arizona 

LTAP Center received the grant in the amount of 

$10,000 ($8,000 from FHWA and $2,000 from 

ADOT for a 20% match), and organized a two-day 

IHSDM training offered by the National Highway 

Institute (NHI) at the Arizona LTAP’s training facility 

in Phoenix, Arizona. The training class was full

with 26 participants from ADOT, FHWA and ADOT 

on-call consultants currently working on federally 

funded safety projects. 

ADOT has ongoing safety demonstration projects 

with the applications of HSM predictive methods by 

using IHSDM and NCHRP 17-38 Excel 

spreadsheets. The IHSDM training has provided 

valuable insight into the software and allowed the 

attendees to solve simple hands-on example

problems, including an Arizona case study. ADOT

plans to continue with more safety demonstration 

projects, including applying HSM predictive 

methods in evaluating design exceptions and 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 18

conducting alternatives analysis. ADOT anticipates 

that more projects will use IHSDM as a part of its 

safety evaluation toolkit in the future. The FHWA 

Arizona Division continues to partner with ADOT to 

support the implementation of HSIP-funded HSM 

initiatives in Arizona. 

For more information, please contact Kohinoor Kar, 

Ph.D., P.E., PTOE, ADOT Traffic Safety Section at 

kkar@azdot.gov or 602-712-6857; Rebecca 

Mayher, Arizona LTAP at rmayher@azdot.gov or 

602-712-4252; or Kelly LaRosa, P.E., FHWA 

Arizona Division at kelly.larosa@dot.gov or 602-

382-8991. 

Missouri Rolls Out New SHSP at Statewide 

Conference

Submitted by the Missouri Department of Transportation 

in conjunction with the FHWA Missouri Division Office 

Missouri has been working collaboratively with its 

safety partners over the past year on a new 

Strategic Highway Safety Plan. A multidisciplinary 

working group developed the draft plan, which was 

distributed to safety partners across the State for 

their review and comments. A major benefit of this 

collaborative strategic planning effort was maximizing the combined knowledge of all of Missouri’s 

safety partners to develop a comprehensive 

approach to improving roadway safety. 

The new SHSP, Missouri’s Blueprint to SAVE 

MORE LIVES, along with its new fatality reduction 

goal, was rolled out at a statewide safety 

conference in Branson, Missouri, October 24-26, 

2012. The conference received important funding 

support from the FHWA Office of Safety’s 

Accelerating Safety Activities Program (ASAP) 

through a competitive process undertaken in 

cooperation with Missouri’s Local Technical 

Assistance Program (LTAP). Utilizing a statewide 

meeting to unveil this important document and goal 

offered several benefits for our safety partners and 

the public-at-large. Key benefits included:

• Focusing on a common vision and goal

• Reviewing crash data and roadway safety 

progress 

• Discussing safety countermeasures having 

the greatest opportunity to save more lives

• Reinforcing the value of the state and 

regional safety coalitions

• Expanding roadway safety knowledge

• Sharing crash data and performance 

measurement

• Strengthening existing partnerships

The statewide conference attracted over 230 safety 

partners representing a variety of agencies that 

included:

• City, County, and State Law Enforcement 

Agencies

• Advocacy Groups ( AAA, AARP, MADD, 

ThinkFirst, Missouri Trucking Association, 

PedNet, Trailnet, Safe and Sober)

• Health Agencies (hospitals and health 

departments)

• EMS/Ambulance Districts

• MPOs and Regional Planning Commissions

• Federal Agencies (FHWA, NHTSA, 

FMCSA)

• Prosecutor and Traffic Safety Resource 

Prosecutor (TSRP)

• City, County, and State Highway 

Departments

• Universities

• High Schools

• State Agencies (Missouri Department of 

Revenue, Division of Alcohol and Tobacco 

Control, Office of Prosecution Services, 

Department of Health and Senior Services, 

Department of Transportation)

• Safety Councils

• Consultants

Federal safety partners reviewed elements of MAP21 and reconfirmed their support and willingness to 

assist Missouri in making additional strides in 

saving lives. State safety leadership thanked 

attendees for all their efforts over the past 6 years, 

which has resulted in 2,009 lives being saved. 

They also challenged attendees to continue to work 

together to make even more progress. 

Missouri’s Blueprint to SAVE MORE LIVES is 

dedicated to preventing and minimizing the 

consequences of the “Moment of Impact.” Victims 

spoke about the effect of the “Moment of Impact” - 

lives lost, lives changed, and lives saved to close 

the opening session.

Missouri uses a state and regional coalition model 

as the foundation to implement the strategies in its 

strategic highway safety plan. Currently, there is a 

Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety Executive 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 19

Committee, 10 State-level subcommittees and 7 

regional coalitions working simultaneously to 

improve roadway safety. During the General 

Session selected State-level subcommittees and 

the regional coalitions gave reports highlighting 

their safety activities over the last 2 years. The 

Session culminated in rolling out Missouri’s third 

strategic highway safety plan: Missouri’s Blueprint 

to SAVE MORE LIVES. This vital safety plan 

guides the way for Missouri to reach its fatality 

reduction goal of 700 or fewer fatalities by 2016. 

While Missouri is one of a very few States that has 

experienced 6 consecutive years of fatality and 

serious injury reductions (2006-2011), the safety 

partners recognize that there is much more work to 

do to meet both the new goal and Missouri’s vision 

toward zero traffic fatalities. One of the general 

session speakers provided a statistical overview of 

Missouri’s journey to decrease roadway fatalities 

and serious injuries and also discussed the 

strategies that had been implemented and led 

directly to the reduction in specific crash types. 

Highway Safety Heroes were recognized at an 

awards luncheon which honored both efforts at the 

state and regional levels. There were four 

statewide award recipients and 13 regional 

winners. The statewide awards were Lay Down 

the Law Award, Show-Me Safety Award, Tempe 

Humphrey Award, and Arrive Alive Award. Arrive 

Alive and Show-Me Safety Awards were also given 

at the regional level.

The remainder of the day was dedicated to 

providing the attendees with a variety of workshops 

to help build their safety skill sets. Most of these 

sessions addressed several elements including 

Education, Enforcement, Engineering, EMS, Technology and Public Policy. Workshops included:

• Distracted Driving • Motorcycle Safety

• Impaired Driving • Pedestrians

• Occupant Protection • Young Drivers

• Older Drivers • Commercial Motor 

Vehicles

Closing the conference was a presentation forcing 

attendees to take an introspective look at their 

personal safety behaviors. What behaviors are we 

modeling to our family, friends and community? 

The presentation stressed that safety is personal 

and it begins with each individual.

Missouri’s first statewide SHSP conference 

received Excellent or Good ratings from the 

attendees for both the General Sessions as well as 

the Workshops. When asked if they would attend 

another conference of this type in the future, 100 

percent of those who turn in an evaluation 

responded “yes,” which further supports the use of 

ASAP funding for this important statewide safety 

event. 

To view the new Blueprint go to 

www.saveMOlives.com. For more information, 

contact Leanna Depue, Ph.D., MoDOT Highway 

Safety Director at (leanna.depue@modot.mo.gov, 

573-751-7643) or Marc J. Thornsberry, P.E., Safety 

& Mobility Engineer (marc.thornsberry@dot.gov

573-636-7104).

Kentucky LTAP’s Safety Circuit Rider 

Program Improves the Safety of Rural, LowVolume Roads

Authors: Martha Horseman, Kentucky LTAP Director; 

Todd Morrison, Safety Circuit Rider; and Amy Terry, 

Marketing and Publications Manager

Local agencies own and operate more than 75 

percent of all public roadways in the United States 

and nearly 80 percent of rural roads. Of the 

42,000-plus annual fatalities on the Nations 

roadways each year, more than 60 percent occur 

on our rural roads. These routes carry less than 40 

percent of the total vehicle-miles traveled. 

Kentucky has 120 counties and 426 cities. 

Collectively, they maintain 63 percent of all public 

roadways in Kentucky and 60 percent of the rural 

roads. Of the fatalities that occur in Kentucky 60 

percent are on rural roads. In 2005, the Federal

Highway Administration introduced the Safety 

Circuit Rider Program as a means of improving 

safety on local roads and reducing crashes and 

fatalities. Kentucky was selected as a pilot State for 

this program.

Kentucky saw a need to continue this program and 

funding has been provided by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet with support from the Kentucky 

Division of the FHWA. The Safety Circuit Rider 

Program is part of Kentucky’s Local Technical

Assistance Program (LTAP) at the Kentucky 

Transportation Center, University of Kentucky. The 

program is designed to provide technical 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 20

assistance to local agencies for the implementation 

of low-cost safety improvements.

Local governments are selected through a datadriven, systematic approach using crash data 

analysis conducted by the Kentucky Transportation

Center in the report Analysis of Traffic Crash Data 

in Kentucky. Twelve local roadways with the

highest crash rates on State, local and locally 

maintained roadways will be targeted to receive 

technical assistance, training and guidance in 

implementing low-cost safety improvements. 

Examples of these improvements are removal of 

fixed objects such as trees, brush, stumps, etc. and 

installation of signage per the MUTCD guidelines. 

This technical advice is offered free of charge and 

is helping communities across the state of 

Kentucky save lives every day.

The Safety Circuit Rider Program also offers a free 

course on low-cost safety improvements to local 

agencies. This course is intended for individuals

who are responsible for managing rural roads 

including: county judges, mayors, road supervisors,

public works directors, county and city engineers 

and state officials. Training includes identifying

high crash locations; learning how to maintain 

signs, markings, and the Clear Zone; setting 

advisory speeds; and conducting roadway safety 

audits. 

Selected counties have received assistance in 

areas such as: 

• Setting curve advisory speeds; 

• Placing guardrails with crashworthy end 

treatments; 

• Correcting and updating signs to meet 

current MUTCD standards;

• Clearing and correcting water runoff and 

drainage; 

• Repairing shoulder drop off and width; 

• Removing fixed objects such as trees and 

stumps; and

• Clearing vegetation around signs and intersections. 

Before and After Photos of the Rock Wall on Clear Creek Rd.

Before and After Curve Warning Countermeasure Installation on Vince Rd.
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 21

Jessamine County Judge/Executive Neal Cassity 

fully embraced the opportunity to partner with KTC 

in reducing crashes. 

“Jessamine County is excited to participate in the 

Safety Circuit Rider Program which will make safety 

recommendations to the roadways in Jessamine 

County. We feel our involvement in this program 

will ensure that drivers in our county have a safe 

driving experience,” Cassity said.

Todd Morrison, PE, is Kentucky’s Safety Circuit 

Rider. Todd, who has retired from the Kentucky 

Transportation Cabinet, has worked with 

environmental, work zone, construction, traffic and 

maintenance concerns as an Environmental 

Coordinator, Maintenance Engineer, Resident 

Engineer, Engineering Supervisor, and as a Branch 

Manager for Operations.

For more information, contact Martha Horseman 

(martha.horseman@uky.edu) or Amy Terry 

(amy.terry@uky.edu) at , 859-257-4531.

FHWA Releases 2012 Version of Interactive 

Highway Safety Design Model

Submitted by the FHWA Office of Safety Design 

On September 28, 2012, the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) released version 8.0.0 of 

the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model 

(IHSDM), a suite of software analysis tools for

evaluating safety and operational effects of 

geometric design decisions. This 2012 IHSDM

release includes a Crash Prediction Module (CPM)

that provides a faithful implementation of 

AASHTO’s Highway Safety Manual (HSM), Part C: 

Predictive Method. New for 2012 is a Beta version 

of crash prediction capabilities for mainline freeway 

segments based on draft HSM materials developed 

under National Cooperative Highway Research

Project 17-45. The CPM also covers two-lane rural 

highways, multi-lane rural highways, and urban and 

suburban arterials. Another major enhancement to 

the CPM in the 2012 Release is a new site-based 

data input and analysis capability that provides 

users with more flexibility in how data are entered. 

IHSDM includes five other evaluation modules 

applicable to rural two-lane highways: policyreview, 

design consistency, intersection review, traffic 

analysis, and driver/vehicle. The software is 

available for free download at www.ihsdm.org. For 

more information, please contact Clayton Chen, 

202-493-3054, clayton.chen@dot.gov. 

The Systemic Approach to Safety: Using 

Risk to Drive Action

Author: Karen Scurry, FHWA Office of Safety

The Office of Safety is pleased to launch a website 

dedicated to the systemic approach to safety. The 

systemic approach to safety uses risk to drive

action by first identifying high-risk roadway 

characteristics based on their correlation with 

particular severe crash types. Agencies then widely 

implement countermeasures to reduce the potential 

for fatalities and serious injuries associated with 

these high-risk roadway features. 

The website, http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/, 

contains valuable information to advance 

implementation of the systemic approach to safety 

in your jurisdiction. If you are exploring the idea of

incorporating a systemic approach to safety into

your existing safety management practices, you 

might start with the “Why Systemic” page. There 

you will find a discussion on the need and rationale 

for a systemic approach as well as information on 

the benefits and challenges you might face when

implementing a systemic approach to safety. 

Continue on to the “About Systemic” page, where 

you will find a description of the systemic planning 

process as well as examples of each step in the 

process. The “Resources” page contains link to 

resources that are currently available as well as an 

outline of those that are currently und development. 

Return “Home” to learn more about risk factors,

systemic approaches in practice, and upcoming 

events or noteworthy news. If you are currently 

using a systemic approach to safety in your 

jurisdiction, we also invite you to share your 

practices with your peers by submitting a 

noteworthy practice. Additional information on how 

to submit a noteworthy practice is available on 

“Home” page under Systemic in Practice. The 

systemic approach to safety website is a precursor 

to the Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool, 

which will be available in the spring of 2013. For 

questions or additional information on the systemic 

approach to safety, contact Karen Scurry in the 

Office of Safety at karen.scurry@dot.gov or 609-

637-4207. 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 22

Announcements and Events 

Awards

2013 National Roadway Safety Awards Call for 

Nominations DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: 

March 31, 2013 

The National Roadway Safety Awards highlight 

exemplary roadway safety efforts and publicizes 

best practices. Awards are given for infrastructure, 

operational, and program related improvements 

and programs that address safety needs.

The FHWA and the RSF stress the importance of 

strategic, data-driven approaches to improving 

safety on our Nation's roadways. Applicants are 

encouraged to nominate projects or programs that 

exemplify innovative and effective safety activities 

and maximize the cost effectiveness of Federal, 

State, local, and/or private sector funds. For more 

information or to access a nomination packet, go to: 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadwaysafetyawards/

Conferences

ATSSA’s 43rd Annual Convention & Traffic 

Expo, San Diego, CA, February 22-26, 2013. The 

ATSSA Annual Convention and Traffic Expo brings 

together Roadway Safety Professionals and 

vendors in fields such as pavement marking, 

computer software, protective clothing and ITS. A 

few of the topics that will be addressed in 

workshops and in presentations include: 

• Pavement Markings

• Field Traffic Signs

• Roadway System Analysis Warning Lights

• Loss Prevention Programs

• Pedestrian Safety

• Infrastructure Technology

• Vehicle Safety Equipment

For more information, visit:

http://www.atssa.com/2013Convention.aspx 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 23

Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 

Technical Conference, San Diego, CA, 

March 3-6, 2013. The ITE 2013 Technical 

Conference and Exhibit provides attendees with the 

opportunity to contribute to crucial conversations on 

today's most pressing transportation issues. Topics 

to be explored include, but are not limited to 

intersection planning, design, and operations; 

MAP-21; the growing relationship between the 

health community and the transportation profession, Toward Zero Deaths initiative; new tools 

for traffic impact assessments; and the prognosis 

on federal funding. Register by February 8, 2013 

for Early Bird rates. For more information, visit: 

http://www.ite.org/meetings/index.asp 

2013 Northeast Transportation Safety 

Conference, Concord, NH, April 3-4, 2013. 

Hosted by the New Hampshire Driving Toward Zero 

Deaths Coalition, sessions will include topics 

related to creating a traffic safety culture, managing 

safety data, and how to optimize public relations, 

marketing, and social media through emerging 

channels. If you would like additional information 

about this event, or sponsorship and display 

opportunities please contact: Emily Dewey: 

emily@wedu.com 603.647.9338, Ext 242 or Nick 

Williams: nick@wedu.com 603.647.9338, Ext 246. 

2013 Annual Liversavers Conference, Denver, 

CO, April 14 – 16, 2013. Lifesavers is the premier 

national highway safety meeting in the United 

States dedicated to reducing the toll of deaths and 

injuries on our Nation’s roadways. Drawing nearly 

1,700 participants in 2012, the Lifesavers 

Conference provides a forum that delivers relevant 

and timely common-sense solutions to today’s 

critical highway safety problems. Attendees can 

network with a unique combination of public safety, 

public health, research, volunteers and practitioners 

who address pressing highway safety challenges 

and discuss what has been proven to work. For 

more information or to register, please go to: 

http://www.lifesaversconference.org/ 

National Association of County Engineers 2013 

Conference, DesMoines, IA, April 21-25, 2013. 

Each spring over road and bridge officials, county 

engineers, highway superintendents, public works 

directors and other state and county transportation

professionals gather for the NACE annual

conference. During the first two days of the 

conference, the exhibit show, which will feature 

over 100 exhibits, offers a friendly environment for 

delegates to learn about the latest products and 

services. Attendees will have many opportunities to 

meet road and bridge professionals as well as 

counterparts from other counties around the 

country, to exchange ideas and have some fun. 

The NACE 2013 Annual Meeting and Management 

& Technical Conference, "A Century of Service" will 

be hosted by the Iowa County Engineers 

Association in Des Moines, IA. For more 

information or to register, please go to: 

http://www.countyengineers.org/events/annualconf/

Pages/NACE2013.aspx 

23rd Annual ITS America Annual Meeting, 

Nashville, TN, April 22-24, 2013. This year’s

theme “Real Progress — Great Future” will touch

on how far we’ve come as a nation in the 

deployment of ITS technologies and will also

illustrate just how much further we can go to create 

a connected, efficient, sustainable and safe

transportation system. The goal for the 2013 

program is to weave this theme throughout each 

session as it relates to each of five main topical 

areas: traffic management, safety, commercial 

vehicle and freight mobility, sustainable 

transportation, and cross cutting issues. For more 

information or to register, please go to: 

http://www.itsa.org/annualmeeting. 

Just Released

Illinois DOT Launches New Safety Website. The 

Illinois Department of Transportation launched a 

new website this week to provide a "one-stop shop" 

for safety information about various transportation 

modes and issues across the State. Users have 

quick access to relevant current information (e.g., 

New Year’s Eve drunk driving, winter weather) 

IDOT news; a Frequently Asked Questions page 

that addresses questions about State work zone 

laws, cell phone laws, and tickets; IDOT's Strategic 

Highway Safety Improvement Program, which 

provides a plan to strive toward zero fatalities 

across the State's highways; and much more. Visit 

Illinois DOT’s new safety page at: 

http://www.dot.il.gov/slp/index.html. 
Winter 2012/2013: Volume 6 Issue 3 Safety Compass Newsletter • 24

PIARC Releases “Best Practices for Road

Safety Campaigns”

A new report from the World Road Association –

PIARC presents key findings of a literature review 

of best practices for road safety campaigns by road 

administrations and authorities of fourteen 

countries who responded to a survey questionnaire. 

The report addresses: 

• Road user behavior (including reference to 

theories of behavior change); 

• Types of road safety campaigns;

• Target audiences;

• Campaign media; and 

• Campaign evaluation. 

The report shows how and why these issues should 

be sufficiently researched and understood before 

implemented by road authorities and 

administrations. This report is free to the public and 

may be downoaded at:

http://www.piarc.org/en/order-library/18037-enBest%20practices%20for%20road%20safety%20ca

mpaigns.htm 

PIARC Issues Report on “Comparison of 

National Road Safety Policies and Plans.” This 

Report examines the road safety performance of 

several nations, reviews reported policies and 

strategies in jurisdictions and attempts to establish 

linkages between adopted and implemented road 

safety policies, overarching multi-year strategies 

and performance outcomes. The findings are built 

upon policy survey returns from 15 countries and 5 

states/provinces and strategy survey returns from 

11 countries and 4 states/provinces. The surveys 

requested information on a variety of issues, 

including: road safety vision, ambition and 

approach, road safety management arrangements,

population and driver data, policies adopted to 

address drink driving, drug driving, speeding, and 

improve seat belt and helmet use (motorcyclists 

and cyclists), and several other items. To download 

the report free of charge, visit: 

http://www.piarc.org/en/order-library/18728-enComparison%20of%20national%20road%20safety

%20policies%20and%20plans.htm 

Safety Compass Newsletter

A publication of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 

Federal Highway Administration

The Safety Compass newsletter is 

published for Internet distribution 

three times a year by the:

FHWA Office of Safety

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

Room E71-105

Washington, DC 20590

The Safety Compass can also be viewed at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov.

Editor-in-Chief

Karen Timpone

karen.timpone@dot.gov

Your comments and highway safety related articles are welcomed. This 

newsletter is intended to increase highway safety awareness and information and 

to provide resources to help save lives.

You are encouraged 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 Karen Timpone, karen.timpone@dot.gov.