Nevada Tribal

Transportation Safety Summit

2015 Safety Summit Report

May 4-5, 2015

Atlantis Hotel – Reno, Nevada

Prepared by Western TTAP
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation 

in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no 

liability for its contents or use thereof.

The contents of this report reflect the views of the Western TTAP which is responsible for 

the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Transportation.

The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or 

manufacturers’ names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the 

objective of this document.

QUALITY ASSURANCE STATEMENT

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve 

Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. 

Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and 

integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its 

programs and processes for continuous quality improvement.
Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit Report

5. Report Date

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Raquelle Myers, National Indian Justice Center

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Western TTAP

National Indian Justice Center

5250 Aero Drive 

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

10. Work Unit No.

11. Contract or Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Office of Federal Lands Highway

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE

Washington, DC 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Meeting Report

Nov. 2013

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary Notes

FHWA COTM: 

16. Abstract

This report documents the Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit held May 4-5, 2015, in Reno, 

Nevada. The Summit brought together a range of interested parties to discuss transportation safety issues 

and to begin developing coordinated strategies toward the ultimate goal of reducing crash-related injuries 

and deaths within Native American communities. Specifically, the objectives of the Summit were:

1. Review Nevada’s tribal road safety issues and challenges;

2. Increase awareness of NV DOT, FHWA and Tribal transportation safety projects; 

3. Share experiences and begin developing new tribal safety initiatives; and

4. Develop a process for continuing the dialogue and for addressing identified safety concerns 

among the Federal, State and Tribal transportation communities.

The following report includes background information, themes discussed by Summit speakers and participants, Summit results, and next steps for moving forward.

17. Key Words

transportation safety, traffic safety, road safety, 

Native Americans, California

18. Distribution Statement

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No of Pages 22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed pages authorized
Table of Contents

Background....................................................................................................................................1

Purpose of the Summit.................................................................................................................1

Themes............................................................................................................................................4

Theme 1 - Developing tribal transportation safety programs and reducing injuries and 

fatalities.......................................................................................................................4

Theme 2 - Strategies for gathering tribal specific crash data ..................................................7

Theme 3 - Transportation safety planning ...............................................................................9

Theme 4 - Building Safety Measures into Transportation Facilities ....................................12

Theme 5 - Conducting Road Safety Assessments and Road Safety Audits........................ 13

Summit Findings.........................................................................................................................18

Appendix A: Agenda...............................................................................................................A-1

Appendix B: Participant Roster.............................................................................................. B-1
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

1

Background

Every year, more than 30,000 motorists die and almost 3,000,000 

are injured on our Nation’s roadways. For ages 4 to 34, motor 

vehicle-related injuries are the leading cause of death in the United 

States, and Native Americans are at particularly high risk.1

 Among 

the Native American population, motor vehicle-related injuries are 

the leading cause of death up to age 44.2

 Considering all 

roadways, Native Americans are between two and three times 

more likely to be killed in motor vehicle crashes than other 

citizens. The full impact of severe crashes on Native Americans is 

not known as researchers and traffic safety experts agree Tribal 

roadway crash data is under reported.

The Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit conducted May 

4-5, 2015 was an important step toward reducing traffic fatalities 

and injuries among members of Native Nations. This document 

describes the Summit, focusing on the insights gained, lessons 

learned, and ideas for moving forward. 

The Summit was carried out through the collaborative efforts of 

representatives from the Western Tribal Technical Assistance 

Program (TTAP), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-

Federal Lands Highway, FHWA-California Division, California, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) – Pacific Region, Indian Health 

Services, Department of Transportation (NVDOT), Nevada Tribes

and the Intertribal Council of Arizona.

 Purpose of the Summit

The Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit brought 

together a range of interested parties to discuss transportation

safety issues and to begin developing coordinated strategies 

toward the ultimate goal of reducing crash-related injuries and 

deaths within Native American communities. The Summit

pursued that goal by identifying key tribal safety challenges and 

the resources (human, technical, material, and financial) available 

 1Subramanian R., Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a Leading Cause of 

Death in the United States, 2005, DOT HS 810 936. April 2008. U.S. 

DOT, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.

2Hilton J., Race and Ethnicity in Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes 

1999-2004, DOT HS 809 956. May 2006. U.S. DOT, NHTSA.

The 2013 American Indian 

Population and Labor Force 

Report from the BIA, reports 

that: 

• Less than a thousand 

people live on Nevada 

tribal lands, 45,952 

total Native Americans 

reside in Nevada with a 

majority living near the 

vicinity of the Tribe.

An April 2013 Report entitled 

Nevada Transportation by the 

Numbers: Meeting the State’s 

Need for Safe and Efficient 

Mobility, reported that:

• From 2007 to 2011, on 

average 289 people 

were killed annually in 

Nevada traffic crashes, 

a total of 1,443 

fatalities over the five 

year period

• From 2007 to 2011, on 

average 289 people 

were killed annually in 

Nevada traffic crashes, 

a total of 1,443 

fatalities over the five 

year period.

• The fatality rate on 

Nevada’s noninterstate rural roads is 

nearly two times higher 

than on all other roads 

in the state 

(1.91fatalities per100 

million vehicle miles of 

travel vs. 0.98)
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

2

to address them, and by stimulating multidisciplinary collaboration among safety stakeholders. 

Specifically, the objectives of the Summit were to:

1. Highlight developing Tribal Transportation programs in 

Nevada and their activities;

2. Increase awareness about tribal crash data sources, collection, 

analysis, and sharing;

3. Increase collaborations particularly on transportation safety 

planning and safety improvements;

4. Identify a list of action items to improve Tribal transportation 

safety and collaborations in Nevada; and

5. Develop a process for continuing the dialogue and for 

addressing identified safety concerns among the Federal, State 

and Tribal transportation communities.

The Summit began with opening words from Joseph 

Myers, Western TTAP, Gerry Emm, Deputy 

Superintendent, BIA – Western Nevada Agency and Adam 

Larsen, TTP Safety Engineer, FHWA-FLH. The opening 

session provided an opportunity for these leaders to speak 

about the importance of improving transportation safety. 

Joseph Myers, Western TTAP, National Indian Justice 

Center, stated that tribal communities need to engage 

safety efforts at the local level. From tribal leadership to 

tribal youth, we all need to be on the same page with 

respect to transportation safety. 

Gerry Emm, Deputy Superintendent, BIA – Western 

Nevada Agency shared that information about growing up 

in a tribal community that had very few paved roads. The 

development of the paved roads within tribal communities 

coincided with Gerry’s first car. The development of paved 

roads within tribal communities was a time of transition. 

It marked an era of more fatalities in small communities. 

The impacts were multifaceted and devastating 

sometimes. Planning and road safety features keep the 

tribal community safe. Although building roads is 

expensive, tribal communities have effectively shared 

resources and equipment with other tribal roads 

departments. Gerry stated that roads departments play a 

huge part in making life in each community really as good 

Joseph Myers, WTTAP, 

NIJC, stated:

• Tribal work on highway 

safety is conducted 

within the context of 

partnerships. These 

partnerships are 

intertribal and 

intergovernmental 

networks which are 

essential for improving 

transportation safety.
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

3

as it can be.

Adam Larsen, Safety Engineer, FHWA, stated that the Federal 

Highway Administration has been involved with tribal 

transportation safety since 2008. FHWA developed strategic 

highway safety plan (SHSP) for Indian lands. And as part of that 

plan, recommendations encouraged more events like this tribal 

transportation safety summit which is a great opportunity for the 

tribal transportation personnel to meet tribal, state and federal 

transportation personnel that can serve as resources to you. 

The Safety Summit proceeded with a series of sessions that offered 

participants with information from tribal, state and federal 

transportation partners, and resources to assist in that 

implementation of safety programs in tribal communities in 

Nevada. A detailed Summit agenda is included in Appendix A.
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

4

Themes

Building on the foundation set forth by the keynote speakers, the

themes that emerged from Safety Summit presentations were to

improve transportation safety in Nevada’s Indian Country 

through (1) developing tribal transportation safety programs and 

reducing injuries and fatalities, (2) strategies for gathering tribal 

specific crash data, (3) transportation safety planning, and (4) 

accessing resources to build effective safety measures into 

transportation facilities. 

 Developing Tribal Transportation Safety 

Programs and Reducing Injuries and Fatalities

The first panel session discussed the development of Tribal 

Transportation Safety Programs. The first panelist was July 

Thompson, Injury Prevention Specialist for the Duckwater 

Shoshone Tribe presenting on the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe –

Motor Vehicle Crash Injury Prevention Project. 

The presentation provided background information on the tribal 

community at Duckwater Shoshone Reservation; an overview of 

the project’s coalition departments, surveillance, strategies, traffic 

codes, internships, strengths and challenges. The Duckwater 

Shoshone Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Coalition (the 

Coalition) consists of ten (10) members representing: Law 

Enforcement, Emergency Management, Division of Natural 

Resources, Tribal Management, Division of Planning, Duckwater 

Contract Health Service and Indian Health Service 

representatives from Reno and Elko, NV. The coalition meets 

once, or if possible, twice in each quarter.

The Coalition has collected crash data from Duckwater Law 

Enforcement which covers the past fourteen (14) years. The total 

number of crashes is 24. The total number of fatal injuries is 5. 

The number of serious injuries is 1. The number of property 

damage crashes is 18. 

This presentation included an overview of the Coalition’s project 

goal, objectives and activities. The project goal is to reduce 

unintentional motor vehicle injury within the Duckwater 

Community and surrounding areas by focusing on the following 

seven (7) objectives:
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

5

• Objective (1) - Maintain a Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention 

Coalition 

• Objective (2) - Maintain a record of all motor vehicle 

crashes 

• Objective (3) - Educate the community about motor 

vehicle injury prevention 

• Objective (4) - Road Safety Audit 

• Objective (5) - Training for TMVCIPP staff and coalition 

• Objective (6) - Policy review and development

• Objective (7) - Establish an injury prevention internship

The project activities included Coalition meetings, quarterly 

update of the crash data spreadsheet, conducting a Bicycle Rodeo, 

Halloween Safety Tip presentation at the elementary school, 

quarterly child passenger safety seat installation presentations, 

quarterly seatbelt surveys, seatbelt safety and education flyer 

distribution, revising the Duckwater Traffic Code and conducting 

a Road Safety Audit (RSA). The major challenges facing the 

Coalition include limitations on patrol officer time within the 

community and a decrease in seatbelt usage observed in the 

quarterly seatbelt survey. 

The second panelist was Aaron Sam, Traffic Specialist 

for the Te-Moak Tribe who presented on the Te-Moak 

Tribe of Western Shoshone Motor Vehicle Crash Injury 

Prevention Project (TMVCIPP). 

The Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone consists of 

four (4) bands: Battle Mountain Band, Elko Band, Wells 

Band and the South Fork Band. The bands are located 

on three colonies and one reservation in northeastern 

Nevada. About 2,096 Tribal members reside on the 

three Colonies and South Fork Reservation.

The TMVCIPP coalition started in June 2012 and 

includes Elko Band, South Fork Band, Wells Band, Battle 

Mountain Band, Nevada DOT, Indian Health Service and Crime 

Prevention. The TMVCIPP surveillance strategy includes 

collecting and analyzing crash data, observational seatbelt 

surveys and distracted driving surveys. The communities have 

had a total of 30 crashes from 2006 to 2015. Six were serious 

injuries and 24 were property damage crashes. There have been 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

6

no fatalities reported during this period although the coalition is 

aware of three deaths. 

TMVCIPP used the 11-question National Employees Traffic 

Safety survey to measure distracted driving. In years 2 and 3, on 

average 19% of 48 participants drove distracted. The top 3 

distractions were reading, personal grooming and emails.

The TMVCIPP project goal is to increase traffic safety awareness 

in all 4 communities through the following objectives:

Objective (1) Conduct 24 Observational Seatbelt Surveys in 

Battle Mountain, Wells, South Fork, and Elko

Objective (2) Conduct 4 Distracted Driving Surveys at 

community events

Objective (3) Collect crash data for 12 months with the tribal 

Police Department

Objective (4) Conduct 4 outreach activities, following the 

National Traffic Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

campaigns 

Objective (5) Reach out to each community through printmedia

Objective (6) Have 4 quarterly coalition meetings 

Objective (7) Complete internship by August 31, 2015

Objective (8) Address Primary Seat Belt Code by August 31, 

2015

Objective (9) Address Road Safety Audit recommendations 

through a Tribal Safety Plan

Objective (10) Build capacity of coalition to address motor 

vehicle crash injury prevention by August, 31 2015 

(Administration)

The project activities consisted of educational and 

engineering activities such as the distracted driving survey, 

educational bulletins and newsletters promoting seat belt 

use, a Bike Traffic Skills Training and Bike Maintenance 

workshop, a Road Safety Audit, sign inventory and 

development of a tribal safety plan. Challenges for the 

project include time constraints for coalition members, 

TMVCIPP Distracted 

Driving Survey 

Results:

In years 2 and 3, on 

average 19% of 48

participants drove 

distracted.

The top 3 distractions 

were reading, 

personal grooming 

and emails.
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

7

“If a disease were killing 

our children in the 

proportions that injuries 

are, people would be 

outraged and demand 

that this killer be 

stopped.”

C. Everett Koop, MD

Former U.S. Surgeon General

consensus building and maintaining the project 

achievements.

The third panelist was Jason 

Hymer, Reno District Injury 

Prevention Coordinator, IHS Phoenix Area who presented on the

Indian Health Service Injury Prevention Program.

In Nevada, injuries are the leading cause of death for AI/AN ages 

1-54, and the 2nd leading cause of death overall. Injuries (both 

unintentional and intentional combined) are the 2nd leading 

cause of death for AI/AN in Nevada. Injuries are responsible for 

approximately 16% of all deaths. Unintentional Injuries account 

for 11% of all AI/AN Deaths in NV.

The goal of the IHS Injury Prevention Program is to raise the 

health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the 

highest possible level by decreasing the incidence of severe 

injuries and death to the lowest possible level, and increasing the 

ability of tribes to address their injury problems. Jason provided 

additional information on the public health approach to prevent 

injuries, the focus area of the Phoenix Area IHS Injury Prevention 

Program, seat belt usage studies and funding opportunities.

 Strategies for Gathering Tribal Specific Crash 

Data

The second panel was titled Gathering and Analyzing Data which 

consisted of two presentations. The first presentation was Crash 

Analysis using Law Enforcement Data presented by Adam Larsen, 

TTP Safety Engineer, FHWA-FLH.

The term Safety means different things to different stakeholders. 

For the road user, it is a question of personal safety. For the 

Engineer, safety is whether the road meets design standards or the 

crash frequency falls below the threshold number of crashes. Data 

sources may be difficult to access but try to focus on the best 

available data source. Incident or collision data may come from 

various sources including BIA / Tribal Police Data, 

State/County Crash Database, EMS / Search & Rescue Logs, 

Police/EMS Staff Interviews, and Community Surveys. Nonincident data may come from IHS Injury Prevention Specialist 

Seatbelt Surveys, Community Surveys, Public Meetings, Citation 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

8

records, surrounding jurisdictions, safety plans or risk based 

analysis. 

Adam provided information about the Strategic Transportation 

Safety Plan Toolkit for Tribal Governments. The Toolkit is 

available online at http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/ttp/safety. 

The Toolkit consists of several downloadable or viewable files 

including the Plan Template, State Safety Contacts, Draft RFP, a 

webinar and other resources. 

The presentation focused 

on the Data Review step of 

the Safety Planning process 

including the identification 

of contributing factors to 

crashes. The presentation 

continued with information 

that should be included in a 

strategic transportation 

safety plan as well as how 

to select counter measures 

to address the safety 

concerns. In this section 

Adam identified specific 

safety areas of concerns and 

their relevant 4E strategies. 

The presentation included 

strategies for distinguishing 

and addressing hot spots 

locations from systemic safety issues. Participants were taught 

about network screening methods for specific performance 

measures including average crash frequency, crash rates, 

equivalent property damage only (EPDO) average crash 

frequency, and relative severity index. Participants also learned 

about nominal safety (meeting standards) vs. substantive safety 

(site specific safety measures).

The second presentation was Motor Vehicle Crash Injury in 

American Indian Nevada Residents - Indian Health Service (IHS) 

Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS) Data presented 

by Erica Weis, MPH, Epidemiologist. 

Erica provided background information on the National Data 

Warehouse and the General Data Mart which served as the data 

source for her Medical Record Coding Project. The objectives of 

her projects were to (1) Identify all injuries in EDM to American 

Indian (AI) due to motor vehicle crashes (MVC) in Nevada, and (2) 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

9

Identify frequencies (including demographics, injury type, injury 

cause and person injured in the motor vehicle crash). Utilized 

2005-2014 reported injury data in the IHS EDM data set where 

American Indian status was “Yes”, the project identified n=824 

total motor vehicle crash injuries to American Indian residents of 

Nevada during the period of 2005-2014. The charted data showed 

a trend of decreasing annual number of crashes generally. Other 

findings included that females experienced 55% of the injuries in 

motor vehicle crashes; the age group of 15-24 experienced the 

greatest percentage (34%) of crashes compared to all other age 

groups; a total of 1014 injuries occurred and the greatest percent 

(30%) were sprains. Of the 827 injury crashes, 38% were collisions 

with objects and 39% (greatest percent) were unknown crash type. 

Noted limitations on this study included (1) Contract Health 

Service records do not contain as much information as IHS service 

records; (2) Residency information may not be up to date, (3) 

Diagnoses that IHS did not deliver or pay for are not included, and 

(4) E-codes are not always used consistently at all facilities so some 

MVC injuries may be missed.

 Transportation Safety Planning

The third panel presentation of the day was 

entitled Transportation Safety Planning and 

consisted of three presentations. 

The first presentation was Tribal Transportation 

Program Safety Fund (TTPSF) Update: The Need 

for Data in Tribal Safety Plans and TTPSF Grant 

Applications by Adam Larsen, TTP Safety 

Engineer, FHWA-FLH. Tribal transportation 

safety efforts are supported by several funding 

sources: Tribal Transportation Program Safety 

Fund provides $8.5 million annually for eligible 

activities through a competitive grants program. 

IN addition, other funding sources include CDC 

Injury Prevention Program, BIA Indian Highway 

Safety Program, DOJ Community Oriented Policing Grants, State 

Administered Federal Programs (i.e., HSIP, HRRR, SR2S) and State 

SHSP programs.

The all transportation modes are eligible under TTPSF. Project 

categories include Engineering, Education, Enforcement and 

Safety Planning. Proposals may be submitted for multiple 

categories. For FY 13 and FY 14, the bulk of awards went to 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

10

engineering projects with the next largest percentage of awards 

going to Safety Planning and Enforcement/EMC categories. The 

ranking criterion for TTPSF applications require that projects are 

data driven, included in a safety plan, have a comprehensive 

approach, information about matching funds though not required, 

road ownership for engineering projects only and information 

from any safety studies though not required. Applications that did 

not meet the eligibility requirements usually failed to provide 

enough data related to the project. For 2015, the NOFA will have a 

new format. Adam shared the TTPSF Application Preview. 

For the remainder of this presentation, Adam focused on Safety 

Planning. Adam provided more detailed information concerning 

the Strategic Transportation Safety Plan Toolkit for Tribal 

Governments and described the elements of an effective strategic 

tribal transportation safety plan. He described the roles of the 

Safety Partners in developing the transportation safety plan. He 

emphasized that the data must support the targeted emphasis 

areas within the safety plan.

The second presentation was an Update on 

the Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

(SHSP), by Mike Colety, Kimley-Horn. The 

Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

focuses on the critical emphasis areas of 

occupant protection, impaired driving, lane 

departures, intersections, pedestrian safety, 

and motorcycles. They have a goal of zero 

fatalities and currently have a 3% reduction 

in fatalities as well as a 3% reduction in 

serious injuries from 2008 to 2013. 

Strategies related to the reduction in 

injuries and fatalities related to impaired 

driving include increasing the number of 

high-visibility DUI programs; enhancing 

programs on impaired driving for young drivers; and reducing the 

number of repeat DUI offenders. Strategies related to reduction in 

injuries and fatalities due to lane departures include creating 

education/awareness programs for how to maintain vehicles on 

the roadway lanes; keeping vehicles in their lanes through 

engineering modifications; and lessening crash severity in the 

event of a roadway departure. Strategies related to reduction in 

injuries and fatalities due to lack of occupant protection include 

enhancing data collection and analysis to identify gaps and 

improve seat belt usage in Nevada; improving seat belt 

enforcement and media campaign(s); enhancing public education 

to groups with lower than average restraint use; and providing 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

11

traffic safety education to visiting motorists. Strategies related to 

reduction in injuries and fatalities involving pedestrians include 

enforcing pedestrian laws at high-crash locations; providing 

pedestrian safety education for pedestrians and motorists; 

developing criteria to identify high-crash locations and placement, 

designing and implementation of guidelines for pedestrian 

amenities; and supporting the creation and implementation of a 

Washoe County pedestrian safety action plan.

The SHSP crash data review focused on data from 2009 to 2013 

Nevada Citation and Accident Tracking System. The greatest 

number of crashes by county, 40,570, occur in Clark county (79.8%) 

followed by 6,112 crashes in Washoe County at (12.0%) from 2009 

to 2013. The Angle and non-collision crash types comprised the 

greatest percentage of fatal and serious injury crashes at 44.3% and 

33.2%, respectively. With respect to the emphasis areas, 48.4% of 

the fatalities were in the run off the road emphasis area.

The third presentation was Te-Moak Safety Plan by Molly Obrien, 

Kimley-Horn. A Tribal Highway Safety Plan is a data-driven 

approach to identify and address areas of greatest safety concerns 

on Tribal roadways that tie into the Nevada SHSP Critical 

Emphasis Areas. Te-Moak was one of five Tribes in Nevada to 

receive a $12,500 grant from the FHWA Tribal Transportation 

Program Safety Fund in 2013. Nevada DOT is matching that 

$12,500. Te-Moak THSP process involves project management, a 

kick-off meeting, THSP development workshop, draft THSP, 

comment meeting and the final THSP. The draft THSP outline 

was as follows:

• Introduction

• Vision

• Safety Partners

• Process

• Existing Efforts

• Data Summary

• Emphasis Areas (defined in the Workshop)

• Evaluation and Implementation

Te-Moak reviewed crash data from NDOT, Tribal crash data, seat 

belt surveys, Indian Health Service’s Resource and Patient 

Management System data as well as community needs 

assessments. An analysis of the data showed specific tribal data 

that was then aligned with the state emphasis areas. See the 

following chart from Molly’s presentation that shows a 

comparison of tribal and state data and highlights the emphasis 

areas. 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

12

 Building Safety Measures into Transportation 

 Facilities

The fourth presentation of the day was entitled Building Safety 

Measures into Transportation Facilities and provided information 

on potential funding and other resources that tribes may access to 

implement safety measures. Raquelle Myers, Staff Attorney, 

WTTAP, NIJC and Adam Larsen, FHWA filled in for this 

presentation and provided information on the Transportation 

Alternatives Program, Safe Routes to School Programs and Every 

Day Counts initiative which does not provide grant programs but 

does provide pilot projects on new technologies. 

More detailed information can be found at the following sites:

• Transportation Alternatives Program: 

https://www.nevadadot.com/TAP/

• Nevada Safe Routes to School Program Information
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

13

A Road Safety Assessment 

(RSA) is the formal safety 

performance examination 

of an existing or future 

road or intersection by an 

independent, multidisciplinary team. It 

qualitatively estimates 

and reports on potential 

road safety issues and 

identifies opportunities 

for improvements in 

safety for all road users.

o http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/programtools/find-state-contacts/nevada

o http://www.nevadadot.com/About_NDOT/NDO

T_Divisions/Planning/bikeped/bicycle.aspx

• 2013 List of Nevada Transportation Funding Programs: 

https://nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Public_In

volvement/Transportation_Planning/2013_04_16_Transpo

rtation_Funding_Programs.pdf

• FHWA Every Day Counts Initiative 

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

edcnews/

 Conducting Road Safety Assessments and Road 

Safety Audits

On the second day of the Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety 

Summit, the presentations were focused on Conducting Road 

Safety Assessments and the Roundtable Discussion. 

The first presentation was entitled General Principles of Road 

Safety Audits (RSA) and Pedestrian Safety Audits presented by 

Ken Mammen, Chief Traffic Safety Engineer, NDOT. Ken began 

his presentation by clarifying that Nevada DOT conducts road 

safety assessments which are planning level documents that 

suggest how we can improve the safety on our roadways. The 

Needs Assessments provide recommendations to the engineers on 

how to improve safety aspects of projects. In 2000, NDOT Safety 

Engineering started using RSAs on safety projects on an ad hoc 

basis only. (9 RSAs from October 2000 to January 2006.) In 2006, 

NDOT started developing RSA Guidelines and Procedures 

applicable on Nevada roadways, and they are now used regularly 

on any given project. The Guidelines were approved by the NDOT 

Assist. Director of Engineering in July of 2009. (200 RSAs from 

September 2006 to December 2014.)

FHWA in coordination with NHI and the LTAP center have 

conducted Road Safety Assessment Training Sessions statewide 

and offer these courses every other year or upon demand. 

Information learned from the RSAs is shared in regular meetings 

throughout the state (i.e., Traffic Records Coordinating 

Committee, APWA, and Tribal Partners). Ken recommends 

visiting the following website to learn more about RSAs: 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/. In addition, you can contact 

NDOT which has 3 consultants that perform RSAs or you can seek 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

14

potential RSA Team Members from the more than 100 persons that 

have been trained on conducting RSAs. 

The second presentation was on the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe 

RSA as presented by Kim Townsend, Assistant Planner, 

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe. Kim provided some background on 

the Duckwater Shoshone tribal community population (150 

persons), environment and economic demographics. High school 

students travel 100 - 120 miles round trip per day. The community 

sits 5 to 6 hours from any metropolitan areas such as Reno, Las 

Vegas or Salt Lake City. Extreme road conditions impact all facets 

of transportation. 

Duckwater 

used the 8-

step Road 

Safety Audit 

process. 

Their specific 

detailed steps 

were as 

follows: 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

15

STEP 1) State Route 379 link between Hwy 6 and Hwy 50

STEP 2) Law Enforcement, Planning, Administration, I.H.S., ITCA, 

NDOT, 3 counties maintenance road crew

STEP 3) Conference call, person meeting, coalition meetings

STEP 4) Perform Field Reviews under Various Conditions

STEP 5) Conduct RSA Analysis and Prepare Report Findings

STEP 6) Present RSA Findings to Owner/Design Team

STEP 7) Prepare Formal Response

STEP 8) Incorporate Findings into the Project when Appropriate

The Tribe requested crash data from NDOT for 

SR379 for a prior 10 year period. Local crash 

data was compiled and consolidated with the 

NDOT crash data. That data was provided to 

Kimley Horn and Associates for crash data 

mapping and analysis.

Kim then provided information about the 

tribal safety plan. Duckwater Tribe’s 20 year 

transportation plan was done in 2008 and their 

RSA was completed in 2013. The nine proven 

safety counter measures were evaluated for 

use within the tribal community. Their 

current focus is to improve pedestrian crossing 

from the Duckwater Shoshone Elementary 

School to the Division of Health (Clinic).

Through these efforts, the tribal community finds that they must 

employ collaborative efforts to build and maintain safe 

transportation infrastructure. They have 

found that some road users have been 

harmed by inaccurate GPS data, lack of 

proper signage and the lack of funds for 

engineering improvements. Roads within 

the community are owned by the tribe, 

BIA, three counties and the State of 

Nevada. These efforts support and 

reinforce the need for collaborative 

partnerships.
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

16

The third presentation was on the Te-Moak Tribe of Western 

Shoshone Road Safety Audit as presented by Aaron Sam, Traffic 

Specialist, Te-Moak Tribe. The Te-Moak RSA Team focused on 

specific concerns within the several Te-Moak communities, as 

follows:

• Elko Smoke Shop, Day Care, and Head Start area, and traffic 

using undesignated roads

• Closeness of I-80 to Tribal Administration buildings in Elko 

(large trucks could crash into buildings, spill hazardous 

materials)

• South Fork signing and pavement markings on new project 

for BIA 1/Lee Rd, pedestrian/bike activity in housing area

• Wells business incubator across street from residential

• Battle Mountain Smoke Shop area, street lighting, and

• Other general concerns:

o Speeding concerns

o Repeat DUI offenders – no license repercussions for 

DUI violations

o No seat belt law

o Inter-jurisdictional law enforcement cooperation 

hampered by insurance issues

During the kick off meeting the RSA Team reviewed the areas of 

concern, reviewed policy issues (i.e., seat belt laws, legality of DUI 

checkpoints, photo enforcement), and identified good safety 

practices. The presentation provided information on specific 

serious safety concerns for the several communities ranging from 

sight obstruction to extreme drop offs. The RSA resulted in 

specific recommendations to address the safety concerns ranging 

from speed study evaluations to speed reduction counter 

measures. 
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

17

Summit Findings

To conclude the Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit, the 

WTTAP provided a brief overview of the Safety Circuit Rider 

Program then engaged the participants in a Roundtable to 

identify priorities, next steps and necessary resources. 

Priorities Identified

• Data Collection –

o Inclusion of tribal data in BRASO (NDOT 

database) 

o Tribes need to have access to cumulative data as 

well as the capacity to insert local tribal data. This 

is essential to the identification and planning to 

address engineering safety concerns.

o Coding of state data using tribal jurisdiction codes

o More road mile markers in tribal communities to 

assist in identifying crash locations.

• Transportation Safety Plan Development

• Speed Reduction and Speed Limit Enforcement, Law 

Enforcement Collaboration

o Washoe has identified a specific area and 

timeframe where speeding occurs by non-tribal 

residents to avoid traffic on other roads. The area 

has a head start program. The tribe has 8 officers 

but it is not enough.

 Similar problem in Susanville was 

addressed by tribal-state police 

enforcement.

 Speed humps were introduced as well but 

some cars still cross over them at high 

speeds.
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

18

o Traffic Code Development and Implementation

 Primary seatbelt laws

 Regulatory law enforcement for large 

trucks

• Specific Challenges

o Wildlife and Livestock on the roads, particularly at 

night.

o Equipment – potential use of TERO programs for 

obtaining equipment

o T

• More Collaborative Efforts between Tribes and NDOT

o Road Safety Assessments - More tribes should be 

conducting RSAs 

o More participation of tribes in the NV Highway 

Strategic Safety Plan Emphasis Areas

o Tribes and NDOT need to collaborate on education 

campaigns, particularly the Bike – Pedestrian 

program

• Education –

o Transportation safety education programs for 

tribal youth and tribal elders

o Incorporating more tribal departments into the 

transportation safety education efforts

o Crash data analysis education at all levels 

including law enforcement, community and 

leadership

o Turnover at agencies that are collaborative 

partners requires tribal partner to reeducate the 

new agency personnel in order to maintain the 

productivity of the partnership. Education 

resources could help this effort.
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

19

More information about resources available from state, regional, 

and Federal partners involved in the Summit can be found at:

Western TTAP: www.nijc.org/ttap.html;

NDOT: http://www.nevadadot.com;

ITCA Epidemiology Center:

http://itcaonline.com/?page_id=128 ;

FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway: 

http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/irr/safety;

FHWA Office of Safety: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov; and

BIA: http://www.bia.gov.

Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

A-1

Appendix A: Agenda

Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

Engineering, Enforcement, Education & Emergency Services

May 4-5, 2015

Reno, Nevada

AGENDA

DAY ONE - Monday, May 4, 2015:

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

o Joseph Myers, Executive Director, National Indian Justice 

Center

o Gerry Emm, Deputy Superintendent, BIA, Western Nevada 

Agency

o Adam Larsen, TTP Safety Engineer, FHWA-FLH

Overview and Purpose of the Safety Summit

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Developing Tribal Transportation Safety Programs

- Duckwater Shoshone Tribe – Motor Vehicle Crash Injury 

Prevention Project (July Thompson, Injury Prevention 

Specialist, Duckwater Shoshone Tribe)

- Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Motor Vehicle 

Crash Injury Prevention Project (Aaron Sam, Traffic 

Specialist, Te-Moak Tribe)

- Indian Health Service Injury Prevention Program (Jason 

Hymer, Reno District Injury Prevention Coordinator, IHS 

Phoenix Area)

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. BREAK

10:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Gathering and Analyzing Data

- State and Federal Injury and Morbidity Databases

- Crash Analysis using Law Enforcement Data –

(Adam Larsen, TTP Safety Engineer, FHWA-FLH)

- Motor Vehicle Crash Injury in American Indian 

Nevada Residents - Indian Health Service (IHS)
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

A-2

Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS)

Data (Erica Weis, MPH, Epidemiologist)

12:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch on own

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Transportation Safety Planning

- Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund 

(TTPSF) Update: The Need for Data in Tribal 

Safety Plans and TTPSF Grant Applications (Adam 

Larsen, TTP Safety Engineer, FHWA-FLH)

- Update on the Nevada Strategic Highway Safety 

Plan (SHSP), (Mike Colety, Kimley-Horn)

- Te-Moak Safety Plan (Molly Obrien, Kimley-Horn)

3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. BREAK

3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Building Safety Measures Into Transportation Facilities

- Every Day Counts

- Funding for Safety Improvements 

o MAP-21 Safety Set Aside

o Transportation Alternatives

o Safe Routes to School

DAY TWO - Tuesday, May 5, 2015:

8:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Conducting Tribal Road Safety Audits

- General Principles of Road Safety Audits and 

Pedestrian Safety Audits (Ken Mammen, Chief 

Traffic Safety Engineer, NDOT; Juan Balbuena, Safety 

Engineer, FHWA NV Division)

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. BREAK

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Conducting Tribal Road Safety Audits (continued)

- Duckwater Shoshone Tribe RSA (Kim Townsend, Assistant 

Planner, Duckwater Shoshone Tribe)

- Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone RSA (Aaron Sam, 

Traffic Specialist, Te-Moak Tribe)

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch On Own

1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Safety Circuit Rider
Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

A-3

- Kimberly Johnston-Dodds, Western TTAP Safety Circuit 

Rider

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. BREAK

2:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: Documentation of priorities and 

next steps

Nevada Tribal Transportation Safety Summit

B-1

Appendix B: Participant Roster

Abdelmoez Abdalla 

Environmental Program Manager

FHWA

705 N. Plaza Street

Carson city, NV 89403

775-687-1231

Sharon Aina

Traffic Intern

Te-Moak Tribe of 

 Western Shoshone

525 Sunset St

Elko, NV 89801

775-738-9251

Juan Balbuena-Merle

Safety & LPA Engineer

FHWA

705 North Plaza Street, Suite 220

Carson City, NV 89701

775-687-8582

Rob Beltramo

Planning Director

Washoe Tribe of NV & CA

919 U.S. Highway 395 South

Gardnerville, NV 89410

775-265-8600

Russell Burriel

Public Works

Susanville Indian Rancheria

865 Joaquin St

Susanville, CA 96130

530-260-0421

Lori Campbell

HSIP Program Manager

Traffic Safety Engineering, NDOT

1263 S. Stewart Street

Carson City, NV 89712

775 888-7462

William Campbell

Tribal-State Environmental Liaison

Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada

901 South Stewart St. Suite 5001

Carson City, NV 89703

775-687-9483

Mike Colety

Transportation Safety Engineer

Kimley-Horn

6671 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Suite 320

Las Vegas, NV 89119

Esther Corbett

Project Manager

ITCA Tribal Epidemiology Center

2214 N Central Ave, Suite 100

Phoenix, AZ 85004

602 258-4822

Chyanne Corley

Student Intern

FHWA, NV Division

705 N. Plaza Street, Suite 220

Carson City, NV 89701

775-687-8583
Kenneth Cruz

Roads Program Manager

Washoe Tribe of NV & CA

919 U.S. Highway 395 South

Gardnerville, NV 89410

775-265-8600

Tracy Duval

Transportation Specialist

FHWA

Jeff Foltz

Project Manager

Parsons

3480 GS Richards 

Boulevard, Suite 202

Carson City, NV 89703

775-885-2249

Mary P. Freeman

Tribal Transportation Coordinator

CTGR

435-234-1308

Johnnie Garcia

Transportation Planner

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe

PO Box 256, 208 Capitol Hill 

Rd

Nixon, NV 89424

775-574-1000

Sabra Gilbert-Young

Native American Consultation 

Coordinator

Nevada Department of Transportation

1263 S. Stewart Street, Room 104

Carson City, NV 89712

775-888-7483

Jason Hymer

Injury Prevention 

Coordinator

Indian Health Service

1395 Greg Street, Suite 101

Sparks, NV 89503

775-784-5327

Megan Jensen

Civil Rights/Environment Specialist

FHWA

705 N Plaza St, Suite 220

Carson City, NV 89701

7756875336

Jennifer John

Grants 

Administrator/Writer

Fallon Paiute Shoshone 

Tribe

565 Rio Vista Drive

Fallon, NV 89406

775-423-6075, ext. 2

Kimberly Johnston-Dodds

Western TTAP Safety Circuit Rider

National Indian Justice Center

5250 Aero Drive

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

707-579-5507
B-4

P.D. Kiser

Asst. Chief Traffic Safety 

Engineer

NDOT

1263 So. Stewart Street

Carson City, NV 89712

775-888-7459

Adam Larsen

Safety Engineer

FHWA TTP

610 E 5th Street

Vancouver, WA 98661

360-619-7751

Ken Mammen

Chief Traffic Safety Engineer

NDOT

1263 south Stewart Street

Carson City, NV 89712

775-888-7335

Joseph Myers

Executive Director

National Indian Justice Center

5250 Aero Drive

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

707-579-5507

Raquelle Myers

Staff Attorney

National Indian Justice Center

5250 Aero Drive

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

707-579-5507

Molly O'Brien

Associate

Kimley-Horn

5370 Kietzke Lane, Suite 201

Reno, NV 89511

775-200-1979

Tommy Pete 

Road Maintenance Operator

CTGR

435-234-1306

Aaron Sam

Traffic Specialist

Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone

525 Sunset St

Elko, NV 89801

775-738-9251

Paul Schneider

Assistant Division 

Administrator

Federal Highway 

Administration

705 N. Plaza Street, Suite 220

Carson City, NV 89701

775-687-5321

Fawn Thompson

Program Manager

TTAP Program, FHWA

703-235-0538

B-4

July Thompson

Injury Prevention Specialist

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe

P.O. Box 140005, 209 Newe 

Street

Duckwater, NV 89314

775-863-0178

Kim Townsend

Assistant Planner

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe

P.O. Box 140068

Duckwater, NV 89314-0068

775-863-0444

Erica Weis

Epidemiologist

Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, 

Tribal Epidemiology Center

2214 N Central Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85004

602-258-4822

Susan Zazueta

Tribal Administrator Assistant

Elko Band Council

1745 Silver Eagle Drive

Elko, NV 89801

775-738=8889