Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 1

A Message from FHWA Associate 

Administrator for Safety, Tony Furst

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind the safety 

community of the incredible research potential that will 

be provided by the Strategic Highway Research 

Program’s (SHRP2) efforts to compile the largest, most 

comprehensive naturalistic driving study (NDS) ever.

Initiated several years back, the SHRP2 NDS collects

data on trips taken by over 3,000 volunteers whose 

vehicles are instrumented to record vehicle location, 

forward radar, video of the forward roadway, and the 

driver’s face and hands. This information will be coupled 

with data provided by the vehicle itself, such as braking, 

speed, acceleration rate, brake, gear position, seat belt use, and air bag 

deployment. When the data collection is complete at the end of 2013, the 

database will include information on more than 5 million trips, 30 million 

travel miles, and 1 million driving hours.

This database will be linked by GIS to a Roadway Information Database 

(RID) that will cover the routes most frequently driven by the NDS drivers 

and covers a broad array of urban and rural roadways. This data includes 

roadway inventory information such as number of lanes and their width, 

grade, cross slope, horizontal curvature, and MUTCD signs, in addition to 

crash histories, traffic volumes and patterns, weather, roadway 

improvements, work zones, safety laws, and enforcement campaigns. 

These linked databases will provide a fuller understanding of how drivers 

interact with and adapt to their vehicles, traffic, and driving environment. 

Through the SHRP2 effort, analysis support capacity is being created so 

these enormous databases (over 4 petabytes of data) can be accessed in 

more manageable sizes to address particular research questions. 

The opportunity and the challenge for us all—public, private, and academic 

researchers—is to capitalize and take full advantage of this phenomenal 

investment in highway safety when the data is available in early 2015. I 

encourage you to begin thinking about how these databases could be 

used to create the next generation of safety countermeasures; think about

the full spectrum of a research idea all the way to an operationalized

countermeasure—it could be driver training programs, modifications to 

design guides, vehicle design enhancements, or infrastructure 

improvements—the possibilities are as broad as your imagination.

A Publication of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Program Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1

In This Issue:

New Study Finds Overall Reduction 

in Crashes Due to Improvements 

Implemented From RSAs ...............2

Missouri Implements Systematic 

Lane Departure Countermeasures 

to Combat Fatalities on State 

Roads..............................................3

ConnDOT Overhauls Crash Data 

Program, Partners with UConn to 

Establish Transportation Safety 

Research Center.............................4

Report Proves Rural Two-Lane 

Highways See Safety Benefits from 

Wider Edge Lines ...........................5

New Jersey LTAP Conducts 

Engineering Symposium to Promote 

Safety in Pedestrian Design ...........6

OTREC Studies Impacts of Flashing 

Yellow Arrows on Pedestrian 

Safety..............................................7

FHWA Releases an Evaluation 

Process Model to Help States 

Evaluate their Strategic Highway 

Safety Plan......................................7

White House Hails MnDOT Safety 

Engineer as a Champion of 

Change ...........................................8

Texas LTAP Trains Traffic Signal 

Techs to Improve Urban Safety......9

TXDOT Debuts Combination of 

End-of-Queue Warning System and 

Temporary Rumbles in Work 

Zone..............................................10

NHTSA Issues “SaferCar” iPhone 

App................................................10

Announcements and Events.........11

Anthony T. Furst

Associate 

Administrator, 

Office of Safety
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 2

New Study Finds Overall Reduction in 

Crashes Due to Improvements Implemented 

From RSAs

By Becky Crowe, FHWA Office of Safety

Anyone who has ever performed a Road Safety 

Audit (RSA) or taken RSA training, knows 

instinctively that there are a variety of benefits in 

using this unique safety assessment tool. While 

the benefits of RSAs are substantial, they have not

been quantitatively measured on a national scale 

until now. The new publication, Road Safety Audits: 

An Evaluation of RSA Programs and Projects, 

quantifies the benefits of RSAs at both the program 

and project level. The RSA programs evaluated for 

the publication are summarized in the table below

along with their key factors for success.

The study also evaluated improvements implemented as a result of five specific RSAs. These 

evaluations quantified the safety effectiveness of 

the suggested improvements in reducing crashes. 

This consisted of a before-after analysis to measure the benefits derived from crash reduction versus the cost of conducting the RSA and implementing the improvement.

The five locations exhibited an overall reduction in 

crashes ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent as a 

result of the improvements implemented from the 

RSAs. In addition, the study determined that the 

benefits of these safety treatments exceeded the 

total RSA and implementation costs combined. 

The publication provides detailed information on the 

statistical evaluation methods used for the evaluation of each RSA as well as a summary of the

safety improvements implemented and their benefit/cost ratios. 

The RSA programs and RSAs evaluated provide 

State, local, Federal, and tribal agencies with 

examples and quantifiable results that can help in 

implementing RSAs and further their growth and 

success. Regardless of whether an RSA is 

performed during the design stage or existing 

stage, when compared to the cost of automotive 

crashes, improvements implemented from an RSA 

are cost effective. 

Contact Becky Crowe at Rebecca.Crowe@dot.gov 

for more information about the RSA evaluation 

project, or to obtain a copy of the publication.

Agency Key to RSA Program Success

Rhode Island DOT Focus on high-benefit, low-cost safety and mobility improvements

Nevada DOT Establish RSA champions

Kansas DOT Recurring and well-managed system-wide RSA program

Massachusetts DOT Link RSAs to the Highway Safety Improvement Program

Montgomery County, Maryland Use RSAs to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

Arizona DOT Use RSAs for a collaborative and proactive approach to statewide safety

Tennessee DOT RSA Process is Formalized and Uniform

Collier County, Florida Adoption of an RSA policy, including an RSA requirement for design permits

South Jersey Transportation Planning 

Organization Comprehensive site selection processes
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 3

Missouri Implements Systematic Lane 

Departure Countermeasures to Combat 

Fatalities on State Roads

By: FHWA Office of Safety Staff

Missouri had a problem. In a State where nearly 

100,000 of the total 130,000 centerline miles are on 

local or county systems, nearly three quarters of all 

fatalities in 2005 were occurring on the roughly 

33,000 miles of state roads. The first question the 

DOT had to ask was “why?” 

Fortunately, Missouri has a very robust crash data 

system that incorporates data on crashes on both 

state and non-state roads as well as road features 

at the crash site. This enabled MoDOT staff to sift 

through the data elements to try to find common 

denominators that might lead them to a solution. 

They quickly determined that lane departure 

crashes, which in Missouri include crossing 

centerline crashes as well as run off road right and 

left, were the primary cause of nearly half the 

roadway fatalities Missouri experienced on its state 

system each year. 

Having so much data available also made it 

possible for the DOT to identify the most common 

contributing factors, one of which turned out to be 

cross-median crashes, with the state experiencing 

about 45 to 50 cross-median fatalities per year. 

After considering its options, Missouri determined 

that median guard cable was the best solution not 

only because it had been used successfully before 

in several locations in the state, but also because it 

was a lower cost option than both guard rail and 

concrete barrier with much lower potential for 

vehicle redirects back into traffic after initial impact. 

But clearly the state couldn’t install median guard 

cable on all of its divided roadways, so the state 

again turned to its crash data. It quickly determined 

the highest need roadways and prioritized the 

system. Early on the agency learned an important 

lesson: crashes were occurring in the gaps 

between sections of guard cable, so MoDOT 

decided to pursue a systemic approach and applied 

the treatment on over 690 miles of roadway. As a 

result, by 2011, cross-median crashes were 

virtually eliminated in Missouri.

MoDOT quickly determined that only about 5,600 

miles of the system experienced a majority of 

fatalities (just over 50 percent in 2005), so those 

were the segments that the agency focused on. 

They adopted an approach centered around the 

simple concept of “keep people in their lanes,” and 

turned to low-cost, high-value solutions like adding 

6-inch rumble stripes on roadway edges and 

centerlines to improve nighttime visibility, installing 

larger signs with fluorescent sheeting to increase 

visibility by day and night, and installing emergency 

reference markers on divided roadways every 2/10 

mi. so that, if a driver does go off the road, 

emergency responders can reach the scene more 

quickly.

As a result of these and other efforts focused on 

improving driver behavior (for example, wearing 

safety belts and not texting while driving) and 

treating other high crash location types, the 518 

fatalities Missouri experienced in 2005 on the 5,600 

miles of roads decreased strikingly, down to 265 

just 4 years later. 

But MoDOT hasn’t forgotten about the nearly 

100,000 miles of county roadways where a quarter 

of the state’s fatalities were occurring. Again, the 

agency turned to its crash data, which has shown 

that nearly half of these local roadway fatalities 

occur within only 5 counties, and nearly 70 percent 

occur within 14 counties. While it continues to work 

to identify these counties’ prevalent crash problems 

Best Practice

“If conditions are ripe and consistent across that 

system, you need to be proactive and approach the 

problem from a systematic viewpoint.” 

—John Miller, Missouri DOT

Edgeline and centerline striping are combined with wide 

shoulders to combat lane departure crashes in Missouri. 

(Photo courtesy of Missouri DOT.)
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 4

and the best strategies to combat them, MoDOT is 

now focusing on developing “County Highway 

Safety Plans” for each of the 14 counties. MoDOT 

will use these plans to help local agencies apply the 

crash reduction strategies it has identified in an 

effort to drive down fatalities on local roadways.

For more information about MoDOT’s systemic 

approach to applying safety countermeasures, please contact John Miller at 

John.P.Miller@modot.mo.gov

ConnDOT Overhauls Crash Data Program, 

Partners with UConn to Establish 

Transportation Safety Research Center 

By: Laurie Butts, Volpe National Transportation 

Systems Center

In an effort to dramatically improve crash data 

collection, analysis, and management statewide, 

Connecticut DOT (ConnDOT) partnered with the 

University of Connecticut (UConn) to establish the 

Connecticut Transportation Safety Research 

Center. Development of the center marks a 

significant milestone in ConnDOT’s complete 

overhaul of its crash data program, which began 

just 18 months earlier when the agency sought 

FHWA assistance to evaluate its system.

Eric Jackson, right, assistant research professor and 

director of the Connecticut Transportation Safety 

Research Center, speaks at the press conference. From 

left are UConn Provost Mun Choi, Kazem Kazerounian, 

interim dean of engineering, and James P. Redeker, 

commissioner of the Connecticut Department of 

Transportation. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo).

FHWA’s Crash Data Improvement Program (CDIP) 

offers States a comprehensive, onsite assessment 

of their data programs and provides metrics that 

can be used to measure the quality of crash data in 

terms of timeliness, accuracy, and completeness; 

consistency among reports submitted by different 

agencies; ability to integrate crash data with other 

safety databases; and data accessibility by end 

users.

“State DOTs are often only familiar with their own 

systems because there are few opportunities to 

view how other agencies approach similar issues. 

Having access to an outside expert who was 

knowledgeable about the effectiveness of different 

crash databases, and could evaluate our system 

against national benchmarks, was extremely 

valuable,” said Thomas Maziarz, ConnDOT’s 

Planning and Policy Bureau Chief.

Maziarz said the CDIP was instrumental in 

encouraging the agency to completely revamp its 

data program. “While we had a long-standing 

relationship with UConn,” said Maziarz. “We never 

considered the full scope of the partnership until we 

discussed the successful collaboration between the 

Louisiana Department of Transportation and 

Development (LADOTD) and Louisiana State 

University (LSU) at the CDIP review.”

Once ConnDOT conceived a model for how its new 

university–DOT partnership would work, it wanted 

to validate that the approach would efficiently and 

effectively serve the DOT’s needs. ConnDOT 

applied to FHWA’s Roadway Safety Professional 

Capacity Building (RSPCB) Program to seek 

assistance in organizing and facilitating a peer 

workshop so that ConnDOT could explore the 

LADOTD–LSU relationship further. FHWA’s 

RSPCB Program offers a range of professional 

development resources to help safety experts 

advance their skills and knowledge. The program 

includes access to noteworthy practices, 

communities of practice, industry training, and 

customized peer exchange opportunities, all 

targeted at helping agencies develop and 

implement effective programs that reduce fatalities 

and injuries on public roads.

In March 2012, ConnDOT sent four employees to 

tour the LSU crash data facility and to discuss 

contracting vehicles, IT issues, data access 

considerations, and other best practices gleaned 

from LADOTD–LSU’s 12-year partnership. FHWA’s 

RSPCB Program helped ConnDOT maximize the 

peer experience by using video conferencing to 

engage approximately 15 people from its home 

offices in relevant sections of the workshop. “The 

peer workshop did two things: it enabled us to 

validate the university–DOT data management 
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 5

model we were considering, and it accelerated the 

process,” said Maziarz. Another State DOT with a 

strong interest in developing a university data 

partnership also participated in the workshop.

ConnDOT’s new data repository provides easy 

access to an array of crash information, including 

the number of crashes in a town by location, date, 

street, injury type, and collision type. It also links to 

other criminal justice databases to support 

prosecution of traffic violations and to public health 

databases to measure the medical outcomes and 

costs of injuries. Several community-based 

agencies are already benefiting from access to the 

data, and the repository has recently been 

nominated for the “White House Champions of 

Change: Transportation Technology Solutions for 

the 21st Century” honor.

Like many States, ConnDOT aims to transition from 

paper-based crash reports to a uniform electronic 

report that is aligned with statewide standards for 

data entry, submission, and transfer. ConnDOT 

currently receives about 5,000 crash reports per 

month; only 35 percent are submitted electronically. 

Graduate students working in the UConn center,

and using a special optical scanning technique 

programmed by UConn, have already significantly 

reduced ConnDOT’s 14-month backlog of paper 

reports. While students enter the data, they also 

gain insight into how the electronic crash form 

should be developed and the crash database 

improved. ConnDOT plans to have a uniform 

electronic crash report submission process in place 

statewide by January 2015, and will begin 

prototyping a system later this year.

To learn more about the Office of Safety’s CDIP, 

visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/cdip.

To request a peer workshop or seek technical 

assistance in data management or other roadway 

safety-related issues, visit FHWA’s Roadway 

Safety Professional Capacity Building Program 

website (http://rspcb.safety.fhwa.dot.gov).

Report Proves Rural Two-Lane Highways 

See Safety Benefits from Wider Edge Lines

By: Paul J. Carlson PhD, PE, Texas A&M 

Transportation Institute; Cathy Satterfield, FHWA 

Office of Safety

A soon to be released study provides the most 

compelling evidence yet that wider edge lines on 

rural two-lane highways are a cost-effective, 

statistically-sound approach to reducing run-off-theroad crashes and fatalities. Overall, the findings 

demonstrated that wider edge lines on rural twolane highways can reduce non-winter, nonintersection / non-interchange run-off-the-road 

crashes by 15 to 30 percent. 

In the past, many States adopted wider edge lines 

(six-inch instead of four-inch) for a variety of 

reasons but adoption has been slow and 

uncoordinated without sound empirical findings to 

support the policy change. The recent study 

sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration 

(FHWA) included data from three States (Michigan, 

Kansas, and Illinois) and provides information that 

agencies can use to make sound decisions about 

the use of wider edge lines. 

Rural Roadway Featuring 8-inch Edge Line

(Photo courtesy of FHWA)

“In Michigan DOT, the wider edge lines were 

originally installed as a system-wide effort to 

address elderly mobility.” Mark Bott, State Traffic 

Engineer. “We are pleased that our investment 

addresses all drivers with the shown reduction in 

crashes.”

The study included rural two-lane highways as well 

as multilane highways. Different statistical analyses 

were employed for each State because of the 

different methods each State used to implement 

their wider edge lines. An Empirical Bayes beforeafter analysis was used with the Kansas data, an 

interrupted time series analysis was used with the 

Michigan data, and a cross-sectional analysis was 

used with the Illinois data. Although it is well known 

that causation is hard to establish based on 

observational studies, results from the three 

extensive statistical analyses all led to the same 

findings: wider edge line pavement markings on 

two-lane rural highways lead to lower crash 

frequencies and reduced severity. Findings from 
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 6

these analyses, however, do not support the use of 

wider edge line pavement markings for multilane 

highways. 

Wider edge lines are an effective countermeasure 

in their own right and can also be considered in 

combination with other countermeasures such as 

rumble strips. Ongoing research at TTI is starting 

to identify how wider edge lines and rumble strips 

mitigate different crash types. While rumble strips 

address crashes where the driver is distracted, 

drowsy, or inattentive and can be effective even 

when obscured by snow or rain, wider edge line 

seem to be most effective where the driver is 

looking at the roadway/striping, or where the 

driver’s peripheral vision is picking up the marking. 

FHWA hopes that in the future, States with different 

types of terrain will initiate studies to determine if 

the same crash reduction factors apply. 

The FHWA Final Report is being processed for 

publication but the findings and implications are 

now available in the form of a peer-reviewed paper

(see: 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S00

01457512000486) and a follow-up report (see: 

http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/catalog/record/?id=3

7820). 

New Jersey LTAP Conducts Engineering 

Symposium to Promote Safety in 

Pedestrian Design 

By: New Jersey LTAP Staff

The New Jersey Local Technical Assistance 

Program (NJ LTAP) developed and hosted a oneday symposium on March 21, 2013, to address 

pedestrian safety issues. Designing for 

Pedestrians: An Engineering Symposium was held 

on the campus of Rutgers University and was 

attended by 183 people representing local and 

State agencies, engineering firms, and metropolitan 

planning organizations. This event was made 

possible through funding provided by the FHWA 

Office of Safety’s Accelerating Safety Activities 

Program (ASAP). 

The agenda was developed to address some of the 

challenges faced by New Jersey, which is an 

FHWA-designated pedestrian focus state. The 

program began with a keynote address by a 

representative from FHWA’s Office of Safety. This

presentation provided the foundation for the rest of 

the day’s discussions about identifying problem 

locations and implementing appropriate countermeasures. Presentations were made in the same 

transitional order as problem location, planning, 

and design would: the first topic addressed was 

crash data, how to access data, and how to use 

data. The next topic discussed pedestrian road 

safety audits as a tool to evaluate problem 

locations; this was followed by a discussion on 

potential funding sources for pedestrian safety 

improvements. 

After attendees were introduced to the ways and 

means of determining their problem locations and 

potential solutions, the agenda addressed technical 

aspects of engineering countermeasures. Three 

speakers covered different aspects of signalized 

intersections, including ADA compliance and 

adaptive signal control. The next group of speakers 

addressed unsignalized crosswalks and methods of 

increasing safety, such as hybrid beacons and sign 

enhancements. The program recapped with further 

review of low-cost safety enhancements and a 

review of proven safety countermeasures and 

resources available from the FHWA Office of 

Safety. The final presentation was a case study 

example of a very urban city where many low-cost 

countermeasures have been successfully 

implemented, including curb bump outs and 

pavement marking enhancements.

This event met the project objectives of improving 

participants’ understanding of pedestrian safety 

issues and methods of remediating common 

problems. FHWA set out to provide information that 

encourages implementation of countermeasures, 

and the presentations both addressed many attainable safety enhancements and provided real-life 

examples from local areas. 

Attendees received guidance about crash data and 

its use, including a real-time demonstration of a 

crash data search and mini-analysis. Attendees 

Pedestrian and Bike Friendly Designs Improve Safety

(Photos courtesy of FHWA)
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 7

also had the opportunity to ask questions of the 

speakers, and many stayed afterward to ask additional questions. Speakers explained road diets, 

hybrid beacons, and medians and pedestrian 

crossing islands and provided actual local 

examples.

Participants who filled out evaluation forms for this 

event indicated that the three topic areas they 

found most useful were signalized intersections, 

Plan4Safety crash software, and unsignalized 

crosswalks. 

Presentations from this event will be archived on 

the NJ LTAP website as a resource and can be 

accessed at: http://cait.rutgers.edu/njltap/recapdesigning-pedestrians-engineering-symposium

OTREC Studies Impacts of Flashing Yellow 

Arrows on Pedestrian Safety

By: FHWA Office of Safety Staff

A recent study conducted by the Oregon 

Transportation and Research Education Consortium (OTREC) investigated the effects of Flashing 

Yellow Arrows (FYA) on pedestrian safety, finding 

that the signals may 

have a negative 

impact.

In Oregon, the FYA 

has been used to 

indicate the 

permissive left-turn 

condition for about 

10 years. A flashing 

yellow arrow 

indicates that left 

turns are permitted, 

but drivers must first yield to oncoming traffic and 

pedestrians before proceeding cautiously through 

the left-turn movement. The flashing yellow arrow 

does not replace the solid yellow arrow and its 

meaning; in some signal head configurations, it 

may replace the circular green indication as a 

signal for a yielding left turn. At present, 10 States 

use variations on this type of signal.

Prior to conducting the research, a set of influential 

operational situations were identified as a focus: 

the number of pedestrians and their direction of 

travel relative to the left-turning driver, the volume 

of opposing vehicles, and the type of signal head (a 

three- or four-section head).

The research used a simulator-based approach 

with models based on actual intersections in 

Oregon, with locations for modeling being selected 

based on historical crash data. Study participants 

were exposed to simulated independent left-turn 

movements during which driver gaze information 

(location and duration) was recorded. Additional 

simulator data were collected on vehicle trajectory 

and lateral position; physical intersection 

characteristics such as number of opposing lanes, 

angle of skew, and presence of a median; and 

dynamic attributes such as varying volumes of 

opposing vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Based on the simulated responses, the study found 

that:

• Compared to the case with minimal pedestrian 

activity, as the number of pedestrians increased, drivers focused more of their attention on crossing pedestrians.

• As the number of opposing vehicles increased, 

drivers spent less time fixating on pedestrians.

• Between 4 and 7 percent of drivers did not 

focus on pedestrians in the crosswalk at all.

• There did not appear to be a difference 

between any variable and the presence of a 

three- or four-section head.

In terms of practice, the results suggest that it may 

be desirable to limit permissive operations when 

pedestrians are present, and that the additional 

cost of four-section heads may not be justified. 

Researchers suggest that at some intersections, 

the safety gained by running the pedestrian phase 

separately from the FYA phase may offset any loss 

of vehicle throughput efficiency. To improve 

pedestrian safety further, this approach could be 

combined with a leading pedestrian interval. 

To read the entire report, which is available without 

a fee after registering, visit 

http://otrec.us/project/484.

FHWA Releases an Evaluation Process 

Model to Help States Evaluate their 

Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

By Jennifer B. Warren, FHWA Office of Safety

Evaluation is critical to any safety planning process 

and the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) is 

no exception. By conducting evaluations, States 

can determine the progress and impact of their

Photo courtesy of FHWA
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 8

SHSP, enabling them to recognize their successes, 

uncover challenges, and identify opportunities for 

improvement. 

The SHSP process is ongoing and cyclical, which is 

why it is important to assess how the SHSP is 

managed, developed, and implemented on a 

regular basis. It is also necessary to examine the 

SHSP’s performance and identify whether goals 

and objectives are being met; a fact recognized in 

the new transportation law, Moving Ahead for 

Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). MAP-21 

requires States to evaluate and update their SHSP 

regularly, so the SHSP Evaluation Process Model

(EPM) could not have arrived at a better time. 

The SHSP Evaluation Process Model (EPM)

To help States meet their SHSP evaluation needs, 

the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

developed and recently released the EPM. The 

EPM helps States answer basic questions of 

evaluation, such as: What are we trying to do? How 

well are we doing it? How can we improve?

The EPM provides States with a ready-made tool to 

help them:

• Assess their SHSP management process:

Is the SHSP managed in such a way to 

support effective development, implementation, and evaluation? For example, what is 

the organizational structure that supports the 

SHSP? How is coordination achieved? How is 

data used to identify needs and strategies?

How are other agency plans and priorities 

aligned with the SHSP?

• Determine progress in meeting their SHSP 

performance measures: To what extent have 

strategies and actions been implemented 

(outputs), and to what degree are goals and 

objectives being met (outcomes)? 

• Focus on results: How will results be 

interpreted and used to improve the SHSP 

process and performance? 

But before a State even begins the evaluation, it 

needs to establish evaluation objectives (e.g., what 

SHSP issues or questions need to be addressed), 

determine what data is needed to address the 

objectives, as well as determine who will be 

responsible for the evaluation effort and how the 

results will be used. The EPM walks States through 

those steps as well.

To help States apply or “operationalize” the EPM, 

recommended actions and checklists or selfassessment questions are provided in each 

chapter. The appendix contains chapter-specific 

worksheets, which are intended to encourage a 

deeper review of the selfassessment questions. 

Equipped with this information, SHSP managers 

can more effectively administer their SHSP process, determine their 

State’s roadway safety 

needs, and chart the 

course ahead.

The primary audience for the EPM is the State 

Department of Transportation (DOT) or lead 

agency responsible for the SHSP. SHSP leaders, 

program managers, transportation safety planners, 

and other traffic safety professionals will all benefit 

from the information in the EPM. The EPM is 

located at: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/shsp/.

The FHWA Office of Safety is available to provide 

workshop or conference presentations, webinars, 

and technical assistance to support a State’s SHSP 

evaluation efforts or use of the EPM. For more 

information, please contact Jennifer Warren at 

(202) 366-2157 or Jennifer.warren@dot.gov.

White House Hails MnDOT Safety Engineer 

as a Champion of Change

By: FHWA Office of Safety Staff

The Office of Safety would like to congratulate Sue 

Groth, a Minnesota Department of Transportation 

(MnDOT) State Traffic Engineer, who on May 8 

was named one of 12 Champions of Change in the 

Transportation Technology Solutions for the 21st 

Century category. The Champions of Change 

program is a White House initiative designed to 

highlight individuals, businesses, and organizations 

whose extraordinary stories and accomplishments 

positively impact our communities. 

The individuals or organizations receiving the 

award were selected for having provided exemplary 

leadership in developing or implementing transportation technology solutions to enhance performance, reduce congestion, improve safety and 

facilitate communication across the transportation 

industry at the local, State or national level.

Ms. Groth and the MnDOT Office of Traffic, Safety 

and Technology (OTST) were selected for the 

agency’s work to reduce fatal and life-changing 
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 9

crashes on Minnesota roadways while enhancing 

mobility for all users. OTST is being honored for 

designing, testing, and helping to deploy dozens of 

life-saving rural intersection conflict warning 

systems throughout Minnesota while leading a 

national effort to do more of the same throughout 

rural America. These systems save lives at rural 

intersections that might otherwise not warrant more 

traditional traffic control devices or geometric 

improvements.

For more information on the Champions of Change 

program, or to nominate someone whom 

you believe is a leader in providing an 

innovative transportation solution, visit 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions

Texas LTAP Trains Traffic Signal Techs to 

Improve Urban Safety

By William R. Lowery, P.E., Director, Lone Star 

LTAP Center at TEEX

A 3-day workshop recently conducted by the Lone 

Star Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) 

Center at Texas A&M Engineering Extension 

Service helped a group of traffic signal technicians 

for small urban areas improve their understanding

of signalized intersection safety and the importance 

of properly maintaining signal systems on urban 

roads. Funded by the FHWA Office of Safety’s 

Accelerating Safety Activities Program (ASAP), this 

workshop trained staff from five Texas municipalities, including some with virtually no signal experience, in the basics of operating and maintaining 

their signal system in a way that maximizes safety.

When a municipality’s population exceeds 50,000 

in Texas, it must assume responsibility for the 

traffic signals on State routes within the city. In 

most cases, this becomes the city’s entry into traffic 

signal operation and maintenance. Because it is 

rare for cities of this size—or even somewhat 

larger—to have a qualified traffic engineer on staff, 

technicians are largely left to their own devices for 

dealing with the new challenge. The focus of this 

effort was to assist three such localities (staff from 

five localities were actually trained) and to determine the best way to extend that help to others. 

The training used a workshop format with a small 

group. As a result, it was possible for instructors to 

assess the knowledge and experience of

participants and then to tailor the discussion-based

presentation to fit the trainees’ needs. The workshops resulted in very interactive, open discussions, partly due to the small group size—a total 

of 14 people, 12 from the three selected municipalities and two who were invited as guests of one 

of the selected localities, attended the training. 

Despite the time limitations and a limited level of 

knowledge and experience among participants, the 

training addressed a wide range of topics, 

including: 

• FHWA’s two signal-related proven safety 

countermeasures: backplates with retroreflective borders and pedestrian hybrid beacons; 

• Key operational components of a signal cabinet and their basic functions. (This element 

incorporated complete operational signal 

cabinets as props. Participants also assembled 

at a nearby signalized intersection to see the 

relationship between cabinet components and 

regulation of traffic movements.); 

• NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers 

Association) phasing and how to input basic 

timing into a controller; 

• Critical timing for clearance intervals and for 

pedestrians;

• Good detector maintenance to promote safe 

clearances for both vehicles and pedestrians; 

and 

• Basic trouble-shooting techniques. 

Trainee feedback on the experience was 

universally positive. The workshop introduced participants to helpful new technologies, improved their 

ability to address their own problems, and increased their awareness of the critical importance 

of their work to traffic safety. It also helped them 

recognize their need for more training, and, perhaps most importantly, it increased their awareness 

of their own limitations. In several ways, it helped 

some personnel know what not do without getting 

help from more experienced technicians first. 

Anecdotal though they are, findings among the 

three cities tend to support the idea that smaller 

cities in Texas desperately need, and want, more 

traffic signal training than has been available during 

recent years. It highlights the thin edge existing 

every day, every minute, between routine operations and serious crashes in many smaller cities 

across the State. 
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 10

TXDOT Debuts Combination of End-ofQueue Warning System and Temporary 

Rumbles in Work Zone

By: FHWA Office of Safety Staff

This spring, TXDOT brought online an advance 

warning system for work zones. This combines an 

end-of-queue warning system with temporary 

rumble strips—the first such installation in Texas. 

Each day, between 55,000 and 115,000 vehicles 

travel the Central Texas stretch of I-35 where the 

system will be deployed, with 25 to 35 percent of 

that traffic being trucks. In recent months there 

have been several fatalities at construction zones 

on I-35, some involving 18-wheelers. The advance 

warning system is being implemented as part of the 

96-mile Central Texas I-35 expansion project that

will widen the highway from four to six lanes and 

change two-way frontage roads into one-way lanes. 

The rumble strips selected for deployment are 13 

inches wide, stretch 11 feet across, and are 3⁄4 inch 

high. Built for high-speed traffic and made from an 

engineered resin, each strip comprises three 

sections that are interconnected to prevent 

separation. The strips are placed to alert travelers 

well in advance of a nighttime lane closure, creating 

a subtle “bump-bump” feeling for drivers as their 

vehicles roll over a series of three hard-rubber 

strips. Soon afterward, drivers encounter the first 

portable changeable message sign (PCMS), which 

gives them details about the closure ahead and 

predicted travel times from point A to point B. 

Before they reach the closure itself, travelers will 

roll over another set of rumble strips. 

The end-of-queue warning system uses radar 

detection devices mounted ahead of work-zone

lane closures to monitor and measure the speeds 

of approaching vehicles. The system analyzes 

data from multiple sensors and, as vehicles slow 

down, an algorithm triggers a message for display 

on portable message signs located a few miles 

upstream of the construction site. When a 

slowdown is detected, the message on the PCMSs 

will read “Slow Traffic – 3 miles,” or “Stopped 

Traffic Ahead,” warning motorists far enough in 

advance for them to be prepared to slow down or 

stop. When no queue is detected by the system, 

the PCMSs will display a more generic “Road Work 

Ahead” message. The system will only be used 

from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. in areas where there are lane 

closures in work zones. 

The I-35 projects under construction are scheduled 

for completion in 2017.

NHTSA Issues “SaferCar” iPhone App 

By: FHWA Office of Safety Staff

Kudos to our colleagues 

at NHTSA, who entered 

the app arena with a 

new iOS app for iPhones 

and iPod Touch devices 

that will provide real-time 

vehicle safety information to consumers from 

NHTSA's SaferCar.gov

site. Released in late 

March, the new SaferCar 

app is designed to 

provide consumers with 

quick access to key 

safety information that 

will help them make 

informed decisions about 

vehicle purchases and other vehicle safety 

information. The app’s features allow consumers to:

• Look up crash test ratings and compare them 

across different makes and models.

• Stay on top of safety issues for vehicles they 

already own. Consumers can register their 

vehicles to be notified by NHTSA if a safety 

issue is discovered. The app also makes it 

simple to submit complaints to NHTSA 

regarding possible safety problems with a 

particular vehicle.

• Get driving directions to the nearest child seat 

inspection station and get assistance to 

properly install their car seats and boosters.

Photo courtesy of TxDOT

Image courtesy of NHTSA
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 11

• Receive important news and information from 

NHTSA, as well as recall notices and push 

notices on their recorded vehicles. Users can 

scan in their VIN number and the app will push 

applicable recalls and other alerts for their 

specific vehicle model as soon as they are 

issued.

The SaferCar app for iPhone and iPod Touch devices is free to the public on Apple's iTunes Store. 

Development is currently underway for a version 

compatible with Android devices. 

The app launch coincided with the release of the 

NHTSA Application Programming Interface (API) -

a new way to provide these important safety data. 

The APIs will provide developers with better, more 

flexible access to the data for analysis and 

integration into creative, consumer-friendly web and 

mobile apps. NHTSA will also publish an online 

course to teach developers how to use the new 

APIs.

Announcements and Events 

International NGO Consortium Releases New 

Road Safety Manual for Decision-Makers and 

Practitioners

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World 

Bank, the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and 

Society and the Global Road Safety Partnership 

(GRSP) have released the latest in a series of 

reports designed to address key issues identified in 

the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention

(United Nations Road Safety Collaboration: 

http://www.who.int/roadsafety). The new manual,

Pedestrian Safety: A Road Safety Manual for 

Decision-Makers and Practitioners describes the 

magnitude of pedestrian deaths and injuries; key 

risk factors; ways of assessing the pedestrian 

safety situation in a given setting and prepare an 

action plan; and how to select, design, implement 

and evaluate effective interventions. The manual 

stresses the importance of a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes engineering, legislation 

and enforcement as well as behavioral measures. 

The audience for the manual includes engineers, 

planners, police, public health professionals and 

educators. It is available free of charge at: 

http://www.grsproadsafety.org/sites/grsp.drupalgard

ens.com/files/201304/PedestrianSafety_eng.pdf

Webinars

Improving Safety on Local and Rural Roads, 

July 23, 2013. Join the FHWA Office of Safety for 

a webinar focused on low-cost technology to 

improve safety on local 

and rural roads. The 

discussion will address 

how to make the case 

for using ITS, what 

constitutes an ITS 

device or system, 

typical system components, and how ITS

technologies can work 

alongside and add 

value to existing 

systems. This webinar, which will highlight the 

information provided in a soon-to-be-released 

guidebook called “Using Low-Cost Technology to 

Improve Safety on Local and Rural Roads,” is 

designed for State DOT staff and local practitioners 

working to solve rural road safety issues and 

contractors involved in road construction. The 

webinar will also be of interest to county or local 

officials who want to learn more about the value of 

low-cost ITS solutions in addressing safety 

problems on the roadways within 

their jurisdictions. To register, please go to: 

https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconfere

nce/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webconfid=26136 

Questions? Need assistance registering? Contact 

Jennifer Symoun at jennifer.e.symoun@saic.com.

Conference Calendar

NACO Annual Conference and Exposition, Fort 

Worth, TX, July 19-23, 2013. NACo’s 78th Annual 

Conference and Exposition will bring together 

county leaders and staff to learn, network and 

guide the direction of the association. The Annual 

Conference, held each July, is hosted this year 

by Tarrant County, (Fort Worth) Texas. The 

Annual Conference provides county officials with a 

great opportunity to vote on NACo’s policies 

related to Federal legislation and regulation; 

elect officers; network with colleagues; learn 

about innovative county programs; find out 

about issues impacting counties across the 

country; and view products and services from

participating companies and exhibitors. For 

more information visit the event website at: 

http://www.naco.org/meetings/participate/NACoAnn

ual/Pages/AttendeeRegistrationInformation.aspx 

Photo courtesy of MoDOT
Spring/Summer 2013: Volume 7 Issue 1 Safety Compass Newsletter • 12

National LTAP/TTAP Annual Conference, Boise, 

ID, July 22-25. More than 200 Local Technical 

Assistance Program (LTAP) staff from the 58 LTAP 

and TTAP Centers across the country, along with 

state and Federal transportation officials, will be 

attending this event. This year’s theme, “Rethinking 

Business: Staying Relevant in a New Era” focuses 

attention on issues ranging from Safety Management in a Data-Poor Environment to Mobile 

Interaction and eLearning Tools, and a wide variety 

of other topics. For more information, visit the event 

web site at: http://ltapttap2013boise.com/

ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit, Boston, MA, 

August 4-7, 2013. Join transportation professionals 

from across disciplines where participants will learn 

about strategies to adapt transportation services to 

meet changing technological, demographic, 

political, financial, and environmental needs; 

identify solutions to their biggest transportation 

conundrums straight from their colleagues in Peerto-Peer Roundtables; participate in “walkshops “ to 

explore multimodal transportation, land use, and 

urban design; hear about new sustainable solutions 

to transform your operations and designs; and

explore and experience technology’s impact on the 

industry, ITE, and you. For more information, visit 

http://ite.cvent.com/events/ite-2013-annualmeeting-and-exhibit/event-summary62fee01c848a4cada7084e7b931f9e8d.aspx

Roadway Safety Culture Summit, Washington, 

DC, August 20-21, 2013. The Transportation

Research Board (TRB) is sponsoring the Roadway 

Safety Culture Summit on August 20-21, 2013, in

Washington, D.C. The purpose of this national 

summit is to explore needs and potential strategies

that might help support efforts to advance a 

roadway safety culture across the United States. 

The summit will focus on the potential impacts of 

the safety culture on reducing the number and 

severity of crashes on our nation’s roadways by 

examining issues such as social norms theory and 

the positive community norms framework. 

Participants will discuss ways to improve and 

enhance the highway safety culture amongst road 

users and transportation agencies responsible for 

the local, state, and national roadway systems. The 

meeting will also feature breakout sessions and 

open discussions to identify potential future 

research needs. Special hotel room rate expires 

July 22, 2013. For more information or to register, 

visit http://www.cvent.com/events/roadway-safetyculture-summit/event-summary39eba6b60c964968ad46ba91a85866d4.aspx

National Rural ITS Conference, St. Cloud, MN, 

August 25-28, 2013. “Footpaths to Intelligent 

Highways,” is the theme for this year’s conference, 

which will provide participants an opportunity to 

network and share experiences within and across a 

wide variety of ITS disciplines. In addition to 

traditional ITS topics, this event will bring together 

both traditional and non-traditional ITS users to 

address such issues as rural safety, multi-agency 

coordination, and workforce development, as well 

as EMS and transit issues. The many different 

training and networking opportunities available 

through this event will provide participants with the 

tools necessary to effectively plan and deploy ITS 

technologies within their own jurisdictions. For more 

information, visit the event website at: 

http://www.nritsconference.org/

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.

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 Rosemarie Anderson, rosemarie.anderson@dot.gov.