FACT SHEET

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Safety and Operations R&D oversees 

nationally coordinated traffic safety and operations research to reduce highway crashes, fatalities, 

and injuries and produce next-generation technologies and tools to improve transportation system 

productivity, efficiency, and performance. The office is structured around the following teams: Safety 

Data and Analysis, Human Factors, Roadway Safety, Transportation Enabling Technology, and 

Transportation Operations Applications. Major projects across the various teams include Complete 

Streets, vulnerable road user safety initiatives, connected and automated vehicles, cooperative driving 

automation (CDA), and vehicle-to-everything technologies research. (See references 1–5.)

The Office of Safety and Operations R&D coordinates research among its 

varied teams and laboratories to advance the objectives of the Safe System 

Approach as described in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National 

Roadway Safety Strategy.

(6) The research pursues the elements of the Safe 

System Approach: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and 

post-crash care.(6) The Office of Safety and Operations R&D’s researchers 

coordinate with professionals across multiple transportation disciplines in 

the public sector, academia, and industry to attain shared objectives.

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

Office of Safety and Operations Research 

and Development (R&D)

ROADWAY SAFETY

The Roadway Safety Team works to 

keep vehicles on the roadway and 

minimize the consequences of conflicts 

between vehicles and nonoccupants 

on roadways and intersections.

Roadway departure research 

considers ways to provide better 

information to drivers about their 

vehicle’s position on the road surface

and protect them with proper 

design and installation of roadside 

safety hardware when their vehicles 

are straying toward a potentially 

dangerous situation.

Intersection safety and design 

research investigates alternative 

design solutions for all users, 

develops short-term safety 

improvements, and defines and 

evaluates long-term, higher payoff 

strategies to improve intersection 

and interchange safety.

Research into the safety and 

operational effects of roadway 

geometric design explores analytical

methodologies and new tools to 

assist with the implementation 

of the American Association of 

State Highway and Transportation 

Officials’ Highway Safety Manual.

(7)

Speed management research 

promotes safer speeds and focuses 

on how to set and enforce speed 

limits through engineering and 

behavioral strategies.

SAFETY DATA AND ANALYSIS

The Safety Data and Analysis 

Team works to improve the data 

quality and analytical tools used 

to evaluate the effectiveness of 

safety improvements. The Safety 

Data and Analysis Team’s mission 

is to provide knowledge for sound 

highway safety decisionmaking by 

researching safety relationships 

through advanced analysis and 

evaluation techniques applied 

to good-quality data. This work 

includes providing highway safety 

data stakeholders and others in the 

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FACT SHEET

Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development

transportation users’ needs and 

limitations. By considering all road 

users’ behaviors and capabilities 

when designing roadways, human

errors can be minimized, and 

public safety can be enhanced by 

decreasing crashes and fatalities. 

Human factors research supports 

many of the research projects and 

programs undertaken within the 

other R&D focus areas.

Current focus areas include 

vulnerable road user safety and

the potential impacts of the 

deployment of automation in 

the transportation system.

The Human Factors Team 

participates in the Traffic Control 

Device (TCD) PFS, in which FHWA 

has partnered with the American 

Traffic Safety Services Association 

transportation community with 

training, technical assistance, and 

access to data and analytical tools 

used to assess and improve roadway 

safety performance.

The team seeks to maximize the 

use of high-value safety datasets, 

including Naturalistic Driving Study 

data, the Roadway Information 

Database, the Highway Safety 

Information System, the Motorcycle 

Crash Causation Study database, 

and the Roadway Lighting database 

in traffic safety analyses. (See 

references 8–12.)

The team manages the Development

of the Crash Modification Factors 

(DCMF) program. The DCMF 

identifies new, effective safety 

strategies to reduce crashes and 

promote nationwide Proven Safety

Countermeasure installations; 

develops crash modification factors 

(CMFs) for low to higher cost safety 

improvements; conducts benefitto-cost analyses; explores advanced 

statistical science for highway safety 

improvements; and manages the 

Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety 

Improvements Pooled Fund Study

(ELCSI-PFS).(13)

The ELCSI-PFS is currently 

the largest pooled fund study 

(PFS), with 41 participating State 

departments of transportation. 

This study, which has been active 

since 2005, evaluates unproven, lowcost priority safety countermeasures 

to develop high-quality CMFs that 

meet the criteria for inclusion in the 

Highway Safety Manual.

(7)

HUMAN FACTORS

Human factors studies help 

researchers better understand 

and 39 stakeholder members, 

including 33 States.(14) The activities 

of this consortium include the 

following: identify human factors, 

safety, and operational issues 

related to TCDs; select new and 

existing TCDs for evaluation; initiate 

and monitor research projects; 

disseminate results; and facilitate 

collaboration and information 

sharing among members.

TRANSPORTATION 

ENABLING 

TECHNOLOGIES

The Transportation Enabling 

Technologies Team focuses on 

research into new and evolving 

technologies used in surface 

transportation, emphasizing 

improved safety, efficiency, and 

mobility in the movement of 

Human factors studies help researchers better understand 

transportation users’ needs and limitations. By considering 

all road users’ behaviors and capabilities when designing 

roadways, human errors can be minimized, and public safety 

can be enhanced by decreasing crashes and fatalities. Human 

factors research supports many of the research projects and 

programs undertaken within the other R&D focus areas.

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FACT SHEET

Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development

people and goods and the resilience 

of the transportation system.

Areas of study include CDA, 

advanced modeling and simulation,

vehicle-infrastructure integration, 

and Transportation Systems 

Management and Operations 

(TSMO). Through this team, 

FHWA is leading national efforts to 

develop, test, and validate concepts 

for CDA and automated driving 

systems (ADS).(15) This work uses 

open-source software to encourage 

collaboration and participation 

among a community of engineers 

and researchers and is based on 

concepts of operations for new TSMO 

strategies, such as identifying traffic 

incident management scenarios 

that provide new strategies for first

responder use cases interacting 

with ADS.(16) This research will 

accelerate market readiness and 

the deployment of cooperative 

automated driving technology 

while advancing safety, security, 

data, and artificial intelligence.

TRANSPORTATION 

OPERATION 

APPLICATIONS

The Transportation Operations 

Applications Team focuses on 

research related to developing 

intelligent transportation systems 

(ITS) and connected and automated 

vehicle application technologies. 

Areas of study include developing 

improved analysis, modeling, and 

simulation (AMS) tools, applications 

of advanced technologies for traffic 

management, and preparing for the 

next generation of transportation 

management systems.

Researchers use AMS tools to 

evaluate the performance of novel 

transportation solutions that 

leverage emerging technologies, 

data sources, and alternative 

designs and strategies to optimize 

transportation safety and efficiency.

(17)While AMS will be used to 

evaluate the potential impacts of 

connected and automated vehicle 

(CAV) applications, current activities 

include defining an AMS framework 

for CAV applications to adapt and 

reengineer the existing set of tools 

available to agencies, validating 

these models and tools, and 

providing a mechanism to 

share these models and tools 

with public agencies.(18)

The team is working with several 

States through the Transportation 

Management Centers (TMC) PFS 

to develop technical resources and 

information to support agencies as 

they plan for and make investments 

in the capabilities needed to actively 

manage and operate the next 

generation of their transportation 

management systems.(19)

Researchers use analysis, modeling, and simulation (AMS) 

tools to evaluate the performance of novel transportation 

solutions that leverage emerging technologies, data 

sources, and alternative designs and strategies to optimize 

transportation safety and efficiency.

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FACT SHEET

Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development

REFERENCES

1. FHWA. n.d. “Complete 

Streets in FHWA” (website). 

https://highways.dot.gov/

complete-streets, last accessed 

November 15, 2023.

2. U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 2019. 

“Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) 

Communications” (web page). 

https://www.transportation.

gov/v2x, last accessed 

November 15, 2023.

3. FHWA. 2022. “R&T Portfolio: 

Connected and Automated 

Vehicles” (web page). https://

highways.dot.gov/research/

rtportfolio/operationsautomated-vehicles, last 

accessed November 22, 2023.

4. FHWA. n.d. “CARMA” (web 

page). https://its.dot.gov/cda/, 

last accessed May 30, 2023.

5. FHWA. 2022. “U.S. Department 

of Transportation Announces 

New Guidance to Improve 

Safety for Vulnerable Road 

Users under President’s 

Bipartisan Infrastructure 

Law” (web page). https://

highways.dot.gov/newsroom/

us-department-transportationannounces-new-guidanceimprove-safety-vulnerableroad-users, last accessed 

November 15, 2023.

6. U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 2022. 

National Roadway Safety 

Strategy. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Department of 

Transportation. https://www.

transportation.gov/sites/dot.

gov/files/2022-02/USDOTNational-Roadway-SafetyStrategy.pdf, last accessed 

November 16, 2023.

7. AASHTO. 2010. Highway 

Safety Manual, First Edition. 

Washington, DC: American 

Association of State Highway 

and Transportation Officials.

8. Virginia Tech Transportation

Institute. 2020. “InSight 

Data Access Website” 

(website). https://insight.

shrp2nds.us/, last accessed 

November 14, 2023.

9. Iowa State University Center 

for Transportation Research 

and Education. n.d. “Roadway 

Information Database (RID)” 

(website). https://ctre.iastate.

edu/roadway-informationdatabase-rid/, last accessed 

November 14, 2023.

10. FHWA. n.d. “Highway Safety 

Information System (HSIS)” 

(website). https://highways.dot.

gov/research/safety/hsis, last 

accessed November 14, 2023.

11. FHWA. 2022. “Motorcycle 

Crash Causation Study” (web 

page). https://highways.

dot.gov/research/safety/

motorcycle-crash-causationstudy/motorcycle-crashcausation-study, last accessed 

November 24, 2023.

12. FHWA. 2023. “Roadway 

Lighting Resources” (web page). 

https://highways.dot.gov/

safety/other/visibility/roadwaylighting-resources, last accessed 

November 24, 2023.

13. FHWA. 2023. Evaluation of 

Low-Cost Safety Improvements

(ELCSI). Publication No. 

FHWA-HRT-23-027. 

Washington, DC: FHWA.

14. National Cooperative Highway 

Research Program. 2023. 

“Traffic Control Device (TCD) 

Consortium (3)” (web page). 

https://www.pooledfund.org/

Details/Study/673, last accessed 

November 16, 2023.

15. FHWA. 2022. “CARMA Program 

Overview” (web page). https://

highways.dot.gov/research/

operations/CARMA, last 

accessed November 16, 2023.

16. FHWA. 2022. “CARMA 

Research Tracks” (web page). 

https://highways.dot.gov/

research/operations/carmaresearch-tracks, last accessed 

November 16, 2023.

17. FHWA. 2021. “Analysis, 

Modeling, and Simulation 

Tools” (web page). https://

highways.dot.gov/research/

laboratories/saxtontransportation-operationslaboratory/AMS-tools, last 

accessed November 22, 2023.

18. FHWA. 2017. Analysis Modeling 

Simulation (AMS) Framework 

for Connected and Automated 

Vehicle (CAV) Applications. 

Publication No. FHWAHRT-17-033. Washington, DC: 

Federal Highway Administration. 

https://www.fhwa.dot.

gov/publications/research/

operations/17033/17033.pdf, 

last accessed November 22, 2023.

19. National Cooperative Highway 

Research Program. 2023. 

“Transportation Management 

Centers Pooled Fund Study 

Phase II” (web page). https://

www.pooledfund.org/Details/

Study/716, last accessed 

November 22, 2023.

FHWA-HRT-24-016

HRTM-20/01-24(50)E

Recommended citation: Federal Highway Administration, 

Office of Safety and Operations Research and 

Development (R&D) (Washington, DC: 2023) 

https://doi.org/10.21949/1521905