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Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-SA-16-116

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

4. Title and Subtitle

Building Links to Improve Safety: How Safety and Transportation Planning 

Practitioners Work Together

5. Report Date

November 2016

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Robert Hull, P.E.

Susan Herbel, Ph.D.

Danena Gaines, Ph.D.

Nicole Waldheim

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name And Address

Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

555 12th Street, Suite 1600

Oakland, CA 94607

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-10-D-00020

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration

Office of Safety and Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Resource Guide

September 2015 to December 2016

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

FHWA HSA and HEP

15. Supplementary Notes

FHWA Project Manager: Chimai Ngo

Technical Panel: Karen King, Lorrie Lau, Tameka Macon, Jim Thorne, Caroline Trueman, and Jennifer Warren.

Additional FHWA Reviewers: David Cohen, Nick Fortey, Ken Kochevar, Paul LaFleur, Kelly Larosa, David Morena, Robert Ritter, 

Karen Scurry, Spencer Stevens, and Esther Strawder.

Other Reviewers: Tom Bruff (SEMCOG), Tim Barnett (ALDOT), Steven Buckley (KSDOT), Tim Chelius (retired - SJTPO), David 

Ennis (NHTSA), and Kristy Rigby (UT Department of Public Safety).

Interviewees: State DOTs, MPOs, local and Tribal transportation agencies, and FHWA Division Offices in Arizona, California, Iowa, 

Oregon, and Virginia.

Other FHWA Division Offices also provided input throughout the development of the document.

16. Abstract

The 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21) included safety as a priority planning factor in the transportation

planning process. The legislation provides an opportunity to identify effective safety strategies and to integrate these strategies 

into all phases of the performance-based transportation planning processes. An explicit consideration of safety issues can be part 

of every phase of the transportation process from planning through design, construction, and operations. The ultimate goal is to 

identify, early in the transportation planning process, methods for addressing safety issues and reducing the human, economic, 

and environmental consequences of fatal and serious injury crashes. The purpose of this Resource Guide is to provide State 

Departments of Transportation (DOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Division offices, Metropolitan Planning 

Organizations (MPO), and local and Tribal agencies a toolkit of strategies to integrate the safety and transportation planning 

processes. Also, State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) may benefit from the information presented on the planning processes. 

The Guide is presented as three modules: information on safety and the safety planning process for transportation planners, the 

second with information on the transportation planning process for safety specialists, and the third presenting strategies and 

practices to integrate the safety and transportation planning processes.

17. Key Words

Transportation planning, safety, planning, 

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

58

22. Price

N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

Building Links to Improve Safety: 

How Safety and Transportation Planning Practitioners Work Together

iii

Table of Contents

Preface...............................................................................................................................................................1

1.0 Module 1: Fundamentals of Safety.......................................................................................................3

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................3

Safety Stakeholders...............................................................................................................................3

Safety Legislation...................................................................................................................................5

Safety Plans and Processes .................................................................................................................8

Safety Data and Analysis Methods.....................................................................................................12

Safety Funding .....................................................................................................................................17

Summary ...............................................................................................................................................18

2.0 Module 2: Fundamentals of Transportation Planning......................................................................19

Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................19

Transportation Planning Stakeholders ..............................................................................................20

Planning Legislation ............................................................................................................................21

Transportation Plans and Processes.................................................................................................22

Transportation Planning Data and Analysis Methods......................................................................27

Transportation Funding.......................................................................................................................29

Summary ...............................................................................................................................................30

3.0 Module 3: Improving Safety through Coordination ..........................................................................31

Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................31

Multidisciplinary Communication and Collaboration.......................................................................32

Data Sharing and Analyses.................................................................................................................35

Long-Range, Metropolitan, Regional, and Local Transportation Planning Coordination ............37

Integrate Safety into Transportation Planning Processes...............................................................39

Education and Training Programs .....................................................................................................44

Summary ...............................................................................................................................................45

Appendix A. Glossary.........................................................................................................................47
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List of Tables

Table 1. KABCO scale.....................................................................................................................................13

Table 2. Key Transportation planning products...............................................................................................23

Table 3. Multidisciplinary communication and collaboration. ..........................................................................35

Table 4. Data sharing and analyses. ...............................................................................................................37

Table 5. Long-range, metropolitan, regional, and local transportation planning coordination. ......................38

Table 6. Integrate safety into transportation planning processes....................................................................44

Table 7. Education and training programs.......................................................................................................45

List of Figures

Figure 1. Performance-based transportation planning process. .....................................................................26
Building Links to Improve Safety: 

How Safety and Transportation Planning Practitioners Work Together

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Preface

In August 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported for 2015, 35,092 people 

died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, about a 7.2 percent increase compared to the 32,744 fatalities in 2014. 

The fatality rate for 2015 also increased from 1.08 to 1.12 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT). 

The increases are particularly significant among motorcyclists, pedestrians, and pedal cyclists.

1

These alarming statistics call for a renewed emphasis on safety in policy and practice. An explicit 

consideration of safety issues can be part of every phase of the transportation process from planning through 

design, construction, and operations. The purpose of this Resource Guide is to provide State Departments of 

Transportation (DOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Division offices, Metropolitan Planning 

Organizations (MPO), and local and Tribal agencies a toolkit of strategies to integrate the safety and 

transportation planning processes. Also, State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) may benefit from the 

information presented on the planning processes.

In the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Congress included safety as a priority 

planning factor in the transportation planning process. The requirement has been enhanced and renewed in 

all transportation reauthorization legislation since. The legislation provides an opportunity to identify effective 

safety strategies and processes and integrate the findings into all phases of the performance-based 

transportation planning processes. The ultimate goal is to identify, early in the transportation planning 

process, methods for addressing safety issues and reducing the human, economic, and environmental 

consequences of fatal and serious injury crashes.

The Guide is presented in three modules. 

• Module One—Introduction to safety and the safety planning process for transportation planners.

• Module Two—Introduction to the transportation planning process for safety specialists.

• Module Three—Strategies and practices to integrate the safety and transportation planning processes.

The strategies and practices represent a collection of information gathered from a literature review, a 

questionnaire completed by FHWA Divisions, interviews conducted with transportation planners and safety 

specialists in five States with a successful track record of linking the transportation and safety planning 

efforts (Arizona, California, Iowa, Oregon, and Virginia), and experiences and observations of the consultant 

team and FHWA personnel on the project management team.

 

1 NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: 2015 Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview, August 2016, DOT HS 812 318.

Building Links to Improve Safety: 

How Safety and Transportation Planning Practitioners Work Together

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1.0 Module 1: Fundamentals of Safety

This module describes safety as a discipline within the transportation industry. It is designed to inform 

transportation planners and practitioners with adequate knowledge of safety and opportunities for 

incorporating a consideration of safety in all phases of the transportation planning process. The module 

includes a discussion of identifying the safety stakeholders, legislation, plans and processes, data and 

analysis methods, and funding.

Introduction

The goal of safety planning is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Safety planning is a 

collaborative and integrated approach that brings together safety partners to leverage resources for a 

common safety goal. A data-driven safety planning process can identify opportunities to address the safety 

performance of a roadway.

Transportation safety is a required factor in the planning process and transportation planners are key 

partners ensuring that safety is an integral component of all planning processes. With knowledge and 

understanding of safety and safety planning, transportation planners can enhance collaboration, 

communication, and coordination with their safety specialist partners to achieve the goal of reducing serious 

injuries and fatalities.

Safety Stakeholders

Transportation safety performance is linked to a variety of elements, including roadway design, traffic law 

enforcement, road user behavior, and emergency response time. Therefore, effective transportation safety 

warrants a multidisciplinary approach. Over the past 15 to 20 years, safety practitioners have found value in 

partnering with a variety of other disciplines, such as public health, advocacy groups, universities, and others 

to more fully engage the community and the public in safety enhancements. The key players differ from State

to State and community to community. Safety stakeholders are becoming increasingly adept in recognizing 

opportunities for partnerships to help attain safety goals and objectives. This section identifies major safety 

stakeholders and their roles in the safety planning process.

The 4 Es of Safety

To plan for and shape a safer transportation system, agencies typically consider strategies from engineering, 

education, enforcement, and emergency medical services (EMS) to improve safety outcomes.

Engineering: Engineers play a critical role in identifying and recommending solutions to address safety 

performance of the transportation infrastructure. Some of their responsibilities may include managing and 

participating in the development and implementation of a Statewide or regional road safety plan; collecting 

and managing crash data; analyzing crash data to identify safety issues and projects; utilizing analysis 

methods, such as network screening, and sharing the results; identifying safety projects and 

countermeasures; designing improvements; conducting before and after studies; managing roadway 

improvements; and coordinating safety issues with other Statewide, regional, and local engineers.

Enforcement: Law enforcement personnel generally are responsible for collecting crash data, traffic law 

enforcement, behavioral safety campaigns, and sharing information with transportation professionals. In the 
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event crashes do occur, law enforcement collect data for crash reports, which provide details on the crash 

itself, such as the people and vehicles involved and the environmental circumstances. This information is 

critical to planners and engineers who use it to identify and address safety issues.

Emergency Medical Services: This group includes first responders and paramedics, fire and rescue 

personnel, law enforcement, Department of Transportation (DOT) personnel, and tow truck operators. Crash 

survival and injury severity are integrally linked to response time and the medical care received after a crash. 

EMS personnel understanding of impediments to effect response and recovery can be critical. Emergency 

responders can provide insights into health and trauma data recorded at the crash scene and updated at the 

hospital to more accurately report fatalities and serious injuries; advise on emergency responder safety as 

they work a crash scene; discuss how to collect better data (i.e., blood draws) at the crash scene to 

understand all the factors involved; and share knowledge on roadway connectivity or other issues, which 

may hinder rapid emergency response and transport.

Education: Transportation systems users are not always aware of the risks associated with their behaviors. 

This community may include school teachers and administrators, hospital and emergency medical services 

personnel, driver education instructors, health educators, advocacy groups, DOTs, Metropolitan Planning 

Organizations (MPO), State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO), and others. Specific roles differ by agency or 

group, but the main purpose is to administer, advocate for, and implement safety education programs for all 

road users.

Key Safety Partner

SHSO: Every State has an SHSO, which is led by a Governor’s highway safety representative (also referred 

to as SHSO directors and highway safety or 402 coordinators). SHSO staff is responsible for planning and 

implementing programs to address behavioral traffic safety issues, such as impaired driving, distracted 

driving, speeding, occupant protection, etc. While engineers typically are focused on infrastructure safety, the 

SHSO staff address behavioral safety issues, such as impaired driving, occupant protection, speeding, and 

the safety of vulnerable road users. The combination of roadway and driving behavior represent nearly all of 

the crash causation factors and demonstrate the importance of a strong connection between the engineering 

and behavioral areas.

Other Safety Stakeholders

Health Department Personnel: Many State and local health departments have injury prevention programs, 

which often include efforts to prevent motor vehicle crashes and resulting injuries and fatalities. This 

stakeholder group can be particularly effective in providing safety data and analysis skills and insights, 

lessons learned from other public health efforts, public health approaches to transportation concerns, and 

advice on topics, such as transportation access, walking, biking, and active lifestyles in general.

Safety Advocates: Many States have locally based groups of safety advocates committed to addressing 

transportation safety concerns and can be effective in driving awareness and change. The groups typically 

consist of citizens, law enforcement, public health, medical, diverse groups, government, business, civic and 

service groups, and the general public. Where available and effective, they serve as a useful resource for 

advocacy, community education, and fund raising.
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Tribal Governments: Tribal governments are responsible for the transportation issues and needs of their 

citizens. Tribal areas usually experience disproportionately high rates of transportation-related fatalities 

based on population, so it is critical to engage them in the safety planning process.

Planners: State DOT, MPO, local jurisdiction, and Tribal transportation planners have multiple job functions, 

which may include duties related to safety. Safety responsibilities vary, but general tasks might include 

participating in safety plan development and implementation; cooperating on Statewide or regional safetyrelated committees such as emphasis area teams, to discuss and collaborate on safety issues, crash data 

collection and management, and data analysis tools, such as geographic information system (GIS) crash 

mapping. Transportation planners may specialize in a specific transportation mode, such as transit, freight, 

bicycle, or pedestrian. Planners identify existing and future short- and long-range needs, identify projects and 

programs, help in establishing priorities, and evaluate outcomes. Experience from each of these areas may 

provide insight on current safety issues and needs, as well as effective methods for addressing them.

Elected Officials: Decisionmakers sometimes serve as powerful advocates for road safety. They may 

champion safety needs and direct resources towards the most pressing safety issues; attend ceremonies to 

publicize newly constructed safety projects; and vocalize support for safety efforts, such as a Vision Zero or 

Towards Zero Deaths campaigns. Some agencies successfully recruit elected officials to participate in safety 

plan development and implementation as executive committee members.

Safety Legislation

Reviewing the major pieces of legislation affecting transportation safety provides a historical perspective and 

a better understanding of current practice in road safety management practices. This action also assists with 

detecting future trends and needs.

History and Background 

Federal transportation highway safety funding eligibility and use requirements are documented in United 

States Code (U.S.C.), title 23, Highways. Information on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) programs 

and plans relevant to safety planning is addressed in chapter 1—Federal-Aid Highways (§101-§181). 

Chapter 4—Highway Safety (§401-§412) addresses National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

programs and plans. Specific sections are described below.

Early legislation includes The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 which established the 

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and regulations motor vehicle manufacturers are required 

to follow, authorized research and development, and expanded the National Driver Register to track 

individuals whose licenses have been denied, terminated, or withdrawn. The Highway Safety Act of 1966 

created a highway safety grant program requiring States to develop and maintain a highway safety program 

in accordance with uniform standards established by the Secretary of Transportation. The standards have 

since been replaced by priority program areas. Section 402 of the Act provided funding specifically for the 

purpose of improving road user behavior and reducing crashes. It became the basic building block for State

highway safety programs.

The Acts passed in 1966 established the basis for vehicle and road user behavioral safety programs, but it 

wasn’t until the Highway Safety Act of 1973 that a Federal mandate for roadway safety was introduced. The 

1973 Act established a specific methodology for improving roadway safety from an engineering perspective 

and required the States to conduct a survey of all hazardous locations; study the contributing crash factors at 
Building Links to Improve Safety: 

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those locations; conduct a benefit-cost analysis of proposed mitigation strategies; and prioritize 

improvements based on the results of the benefit-cost ratio analysis.

The Highway Safety Acts of 1966 and 1973 established the foundation for roadway safety management by 

focusing efforts on the vehicle, the driver, and the roadway. This legislation also further clarified the 

relationship between the Federal Government and the States—an important component in road safety. The 

Federal Government establishes program guidelines for investments but States choose projects and 

priorities within broad program direction; a Federally assisted State delivered program.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Congress established the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP)

which provides financial assistance to States to reduce the number and severity of crashes and hazardous 

materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV) through inspections of trucks and carriers, 

and driver regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is responsible for providing 

oversight for the MCSAP programs.

The 1990s brought further changes, the first of which was The Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act 

(ISTEA). ISTEA required States to develop and implement a series of managements systems, including a 

safety management system (SMS), but the management system provision was made optional in 1995. 

In 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) reduced the number of transportation 

planning priorities to seven, one of which is “safety and security.” TEA-21 represents the first time safety was 

mentioned as a priority transportation planning factor. Prior to TEA-21, safety may have been incorporated 

into the vision or goals of a State or MPO long-range transportation plan (LRTP), but specific strategies to 

increase safety were seldom included in Statewide and metropolitan planning processes or documents.

The importance of safety was further heightened by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Transportation Equity 

Act—A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which established the Highway Safety Improvement Program 

(HSIP) as a new “core” funding program. The amended 23 U.S.C. §148, nearly doubled the funds for 

infrastructure safety, allowed increased flexibility in program funding, and required a focus on results. This 

program grew out of the former Hazard Elimination Safety (HES) program that focused on addressing safety 

issues on the highway system and highway-rail grade crossings.

Program requirements included the development of Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) in consultation 

with other key State, Tribal, and local highway safety stakeholders and established a number of reporting 

requirements. A key element of the SHSP is the direct link to the HSIP. Additionally, to ensure the HSIP is 

implemented in an organized, systematic manner to achieve the greatest benefits, a formalized HSIP 

process has been established consisting of three components: planning, implementation, and evaluation. 

Additional detailed information on the SHSP and HSIP is presented later in this module.

Other programs started under SAFETEA-LU include Safe Routes to School, data improvement programs, 

traffic records systems improvements (23 U.S.C. §408), and increased funding for 23 U.S.C. §402 (highway 

safety grants) and several other behavior-oriented grant programs. The legislation also included incentive 

grants and transfer programs, some of which were carried over from TEA-21. Transfer programs move funds 

from construction funding categories to safety programs when States fail to pass certain laws or implement 

specific programs. As in the past, road user behavior programs focus for the most part on occupant 

protection and impaired driving programs.
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Current Legislation and Federal Rules

SAFETEA-LU was replaced by Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), with MAP-21 being 

followed by the most recent legislation of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. These 

Acts and the implementing rules require a performance and outcome-based Federal-Aid Highway Program. 

Transportation performance management helps agencies prioritize needs and align resources for optimizing 

system performance in a collaborative manner. The specific requirements are outlined below.

Federal Highway Administration Highway Safety Improvement Program

23 U.S.C. §148—Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) describes the requirements for the HSIP 

and SHSP. The purpose of the HSIP is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious 

injuries on all public roads. The Safety Performance Management (PM) Final Rule adds Part 490 to title 23 of 

the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to implement the performance management requirements under 23 

U.S.C. §150, including the specific safety performance measure requirements for the purpose of carrying out 

the HSIP to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on all public roads. The Safety PM Final Rule establishes 

five performance measures as the five-year rolling averages for: 1) Number of Fatalities; 2) Rate of Fatalities 

per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT); 3) Number of Serious Injuries; 4) Rate of Serious Injuries per 

100 million VMT; and 5) Number of Nonmotorized Fatalities and Nonmotorized Serious Injuries. The Safety 

PM Final Rule also establishes the process for State DOTs and MPOs to establish and report their safety 

targets, and the process that FHWA will use to assess whether State DOTs have met or made significant 

progress toward meeting their safety targets. There are prescribed financial penalties associated with not 

meeting the safety targets. The Safety PM Final Rule also establishes a common national definition for 

serious injuries.

Together, these regulations will improve data; foster transparency and accountability; and allow safety 

progress to be tracked at the national level. They will inform State DOT and MPO planning, programming, 

and decisionmaking for the greatest possible reduction in fatalities and serious injuries.

The main HSIP components are a SHSP, a Railway-Highway Crossing Program, and a program of safety 

improvement projects. To obligate HSIP funds, a State must develop, update, and implement an SHSP that 

identifies and analyzes safety issues and structure a program of projects to correct or improve hazardous 

road segments, locations, or features. Eligible projects are enumerated in 23 U.S.C. §148(a). Specific 

requirements for the HSIP include the following:

• A comprehensive, data-driven SHSP with performance-based safety goals and a program of strategies 

to improve safety.

• A safety data system to perform problem identification and countermeasure analysis on all public roads; 

adopt strategic and performance-based goals; advance data collection, analysis, and integration 

capabilities; determine priorities for the correcting safety issues; and establish evaluation procedures.

• HSIP and railway-highway crossing program annual reports describing progress made towards achieving 

long-term safety outcomes and safety performance targets.

• A subset of Model Inventory Roadway Elements (MIRE) on all public roads to support enhanced safety 

analysis and project investments. MIRE is a recommended listing of roadway inventory and traffic 

elements critical to safety management. http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/mirereport/.
Building Links to Improve Safety: 

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NHTSA Programs

23 U.S.C. §402 is known as the State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program. It provides grants to 

States to improve driver behavior and reduce fatalities and serious injury crashes. 23 U.S.C. §402 supports 

programs focused on impaired driving, speeding, and other unsafe driving behaviors; school bus deaths and 

injuries; occupant protection; motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle safety; traffic law enforcement; driver 

performance; traffic records; emergency services; and teen driver programs. The projects and activities are 

documented in the annual Highway Safety Plan (HSP). Additional detailed information on the HSP is 

presented later in this module.

The National Safety Priority Programs (23 U.S.C. §405) supports additional programs focused on occupant 

protection, traffic safety information system improvements, impaired driving, distracted driving, motorcycle 

safety, graduated driver licensing laws, and nonmotorized safety. States may be eligible for grant funding in 

each of these program areas. See http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/programs/405_map21.html. 

MAP-21 specifies a single application deadline for all highway safety grants and emphasizes the requirement 

that all States have a performance-based highway safety program designed to reduce traffic crashes and the 

resulting deaths, injuries, and property damage. The Final Rule for Safety Performance Management 

requires the State DOTs to report identical targets for the common measures annually, which ensures 

coordination between the State DOT and SHSO. The HSP and HSIP share four common performance 

measures, which are the five-year rolling averages for: 1) Number of Fatalities; 2) Rate of Fatalities per 100 

million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT); 3) Number of Serious Injuries; and 4) Rate of Serious Injuries per 100 

million VMT.

States are required to submit their Section 402 and Section 405 consolidated grant application by July 1 of 

each fiscal year. NHTSA has 60 days to review and approve the consolidated grant application. Once 

approved, funds are apportioned to the States under the same formula as SAFETEA-LU: 75 percent population 

and 25 percent road-miles. At least 40 percent of Section 402 funds must be spent by local governments or be 

used for the benefit of local governments. See http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/programs/405.html.

More information on the NHTSA programs can be found at 

http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/whatsup/tea21/tea21programs/.

Safety Plans and Processes

U.S.C., title 23-Highways outlines the Federal transportation safety requirements. This section addresses 

SHSPs, HSIPs, HSPs, Commercial Vehicle Safety Plans (CVSP), and regional/local safety plans. Particular 

attention is focused on the SHSP because it is designed to serve as the “umbrella” safety plan for all other 

State, regional, and local safety plans. The process follows basic strategic planning guidelines, which all 

safety plans are expected to address.

Strategic Highway Safety Plans

A SHSP is a major component and requirement of the HSIP (23 U.S.C. §148). It is a data-driven Statewidecoordinated safety plan that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing highway fatalities and serious 

injuries on all public roads. An SHSP identifies a State’s key safety needs and guides investment decisions 

towards strategies and countermeasure with the most potential to save lives and prevent injuries. SHSPs 

were first required under SAFETEA-LU, which established the HSIP as a core Federal program. The FAST 
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9

Act continues the HSIP as a core Federal-aid program and the requirement for States to develop, implement, 

evaluate and update an SHSP that identifies and analyzes highway safety problems and opportunities on all 

public roads.

An SHSP is developed by the State DOT in a cooperative process with Local, State, Federal, Tribal, and 

other public and private sector safety stakeholders. It is a data-driven, multi-year comprehensive plan that 

establishes Statewide goals, objectives, and key emphasis areas and integrates the 4 Es of highway 

safety—engineering, education, enforcement and emergency medical services. The SHSP allows highway 

safety programs and partners in the State to work together in an effort to align goals, leverage resources and 

collectively address the State’s safety challenges.

The Federal SHSP requirements are documented in 23 U.S.C. §148, and additional information is available on 

SHSP development, implementation, and evaluation practices in the SHSP Final Guidance, The Champion’s 

Guide to Saving Lives, the Implementation Process Model (IPM), the Evaluation Process Model (EPM), and 

other relevant supplementary guidance documents and tools. These resources are available at 

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/legislationandpolicy/fast/shsp_guidance.cfm. See State SHSPs and noteworthy 

practices at the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Community of Practice. https://rspcb.safety.fhwa.dot.gov/

shsp_cop.aspx.

Strategic Highway Safety Plan Requirements

DOTs work closely with FHWA division offices to ensure the requirements are adequately met. The Division 

Offices are responsible for approving the SHSP development process. A selection of SHSP requirements are 

summarized below:

• Evaluate and update at least once every five years.

• Consult with stakeholders, specifically the State governor’s highway safety representative and highwayrail grade crossing representatives; regional transportation planning organizations and metropolitan 

planning organizations (MPO), representatives of major modes of transportation, State and local traffic 

enforcement officials, motor carrier safety program representatives, motor vehicle administration 

agencies, county transportation officials, State representatives of nonmotorized users, and other major 

Federal, State, Tribal, and local safety stakeholders.

• Analyze and make effective use of safety data to address safety problem improvement opportunities on all 

public roads. Include the findings of road safety audits; location of fatalities and serious injuries, locations 

without an empirical history of fatalities and serious injuries but contain risk factors, rural roads, pedestrian 

and bicycle fatalities and serious injuries, cost effectiveness, and rail-highway grade crossings.

• Adopt performance-based goals consistent with FHWA safety performance measures and coordinate the 

goals with other State highway safety (e.g., HSIP, HSP, CVSP, and local road safety plans) and 

transportation plans and programs.

• Consider the 4 Es of safety (engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services) to 

determine effective strategies.

• Identify emphasis areas and strategies with the greatest potential to reduce highway fatalities and 

serious injuries, and focus resources on areas of greatest need.

• Describe the process and potential resources for implementing the strategies in the emphasis areas.
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For more information, refer to the SHSP Final Guidance http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/legislationandpolicy/

fast/shsp_guidance.cfm and the HSIP Final Rule http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/legislationandpolicy/

fast/qanda.cfm.

SHSP Process

The basic approach used to develop a safety plan involves multidisciplinary engagement to develop vision 

and mission statements; collect, manage, and analyze safety data; identify goals and objectives 

(performance measures and targets); develop emphasis areas, strategies, and action plans. Steps for 

implementing and evaluating the plan often are identified during and after the development process. This 

planning approach is highly transferable and generally followed for the development of most safety plans 

(e.g., SHSP, HSP, regional, local, and Tribal safety plans). Using SHSP as a model, the basic steps are 

further described below.

SHSPs generally begin with vision and mission statements. The vision statement provides the overall 

direction for a SHSP and drives subsequent discussions and decisions related to planning, prioritizing, and 

programming safety projects. The mission statement provides a general description of how the safety 

planning process will accomplish the mission.

SHSPs must be developed in consultation with stakeholders. Participants generally include engineers, 

enforcement agencies, educators, and emergency responders, and outreach to other agencies listed in the 

Federal requirements. While not required, DOTs often involve the public during SHSP development. To 

obtain input throughout the planning process, approaches include hosting Statewide and/or regional safety 

summits, one-on-one meetings with the stakeholders required by Federal legislation, forming a steering 

committee to oversee the SHSP, online surveys, and committees or working groups for each of the 

emphasis areas.

SHSPs are required to be data driven and identify safety issues on all public roads, select emphasis areas 

(i.e., areas where the potential for safety improvement is greatest), develop strategies for affecting the 

emphasis areas, create action plans for implementing strategies, monitor progress toward goals, measure 

effectiveness of programs and projects, and direct resources to the areas of greatest need. The Safety Data 

and Analysis Methods section that follows provides an overview of the types of safety data used for SHSP 

development. However, the crash data, which are stored in a State database and often maintained by the 

State DOT, serve as the primary data source used to inform SHSPs. Crash data are made available to State

DOT personnel and other agencies through a variety of methods (i.e., specific request, online portal, 

searchable database, etc.). States continually strive to improve safety data and do so through the Federally 

required Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC), the Crash Data Improvement Program (CDIP), 

the Roadway Data Improvement Program (RDIP), or NHTSA’s Traffic Records Assessments. Once data are 

collected and analyzed, analysis outputs are used to identify emphasis areas, strategies, and actions, and 

performance measures and targets. 
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Emphasis areas represent the key factors contributing to 

crashes, which helps stakeholders focus resources on the top 

priorities. Once emphasis areas are identified, strategies

describe general approaches or methods for lowering fatalities 

and serious injuries, while action steps detail actions for program 

and countermeasure implementation. To select emphasis areas, 

some States start with a list of emphasis areas, such as those 

identified in the Towards Zero Deaths: A National Strategy for 

Highway Safety http://www.towardzerodeaths.org/ and then look 

at the number of traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries and select those areas with the greatest number. 

After SHSP completion, stakeholders begin to implement the strategies and actions described in the plan. 

States approach implementation differently, but a common method is to retain the SHSP steering committee 

and/or emphasis area teams as implementing structures. The stakeholders meet regularly to provide 

updates and discuss challenges.

Safety-related performance management helps a State

measure and monitor progress on fatalities and serious 

injuries. The SHSP can support performance management by 

adopting performance-based goals consistent with the safety 

measures FHWA established in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 

§150. In addition to these performance measures, SHSPs may 

also set performance-based goals and objectives for each 

emphasis area.

Evaluation is another required SHSP component, and it is an 

ongoing process beginning when the SHSP is developed and continuing throughout the life of the plan. 

Evaluation assesses progress toward strategy implementation and meeting SHSP goals and objectives. 

Most States have mechanisms in place for regularly tracking SHSP implementation and monitoring progress.

Highway Safety Improvement Program

The HSIP is a core Federal-aid program which allocates funds to highway safety improvement projects to 

reduce the number and severity of crashes. HSIPs must describe the progress being made to implement 

highway safety improvement projects, assesses the effectiveness of those improvements, and describe the 

extent to which the improvements have contributed to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on all public 

roads. Eligible HSIP projects are primarily infrastructure improvements such as intersection safety 

Improvements, pavement and shoulder widening, geometric improvements, and can include transportation 

safety planning, data collection, analysis, and improvement, and Road Safety Audits (RSA), for safety 

purposes. See 23 U.S.C. §142(a) for the complete list. According to 23 CFR 924.15, the HSIP report shall be 

submitted annually and address all projects implemented with HSIP funds, including local projects and 

noninfrastructure projects. The HSIP report consists of four parts: program structure, progress in 

implementing HSIP projects, progress in achieving safety performance targets, and assessment of the 

effectiveness of the improvements.

National Strategy Emphasis Areas

• Safer Drivers and Passengers.

• Safer Vulnerable Users.

• Safer Vehicles.

• Safer Infrastructure.

• Enhanced Emergency Medical 

Services.

• Improved Safety Management and 

Data Processes.

California SHSP

Goal

• Towards Zero Deaths.

Objectives

• A 3 percent per year reduction for 

the number and rate of fatalities.

• A 1.5 percent per year reduction for 

the number and rate of severe 

injuries.
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Highway Safety Plans

As administered by NHTSA, the HSP is an annual work program that outlines programs and projects, which 

primarily address behavioral safety issues, such as speeding, impaired and distracted driving, failure to use 

required safety equipment, motorcyclist safety, and pedestrian/bicycle safety. 

The HSP must be data driven, set performance targets for 15 performance measures, include strategies 

describing how the State will meet its targets, and share successes on how targets from the previous year 

were met. NHTSA requires States to develop and submit a State Highway Safety Annual Report and 

coordinate the HSP with the SHSP. Details for the HSP requirements are contained in 23 U.S.C. §1200.10 

to §1200.15.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan

FMCSA requires States to develop a CVSP as an annual work program. CVSP identifies a State’s 

commercial motor vehicle safety objectives, strategies, activities, and performance measures. A CVSP must 

reflect a performance-based program and include 18 items. The planning details are described in 49 U.S.C.

§350.105.

Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans, which means 

public transportation systems operators must develop a safety plan based on the safety management system

approach. The planning details are described in 49 CFR §659.19.

Regional and Local Safety Plans

At the State level, the SHSP is considered the primary safety 

document; however, MPOs, Tribes, or local jurisdictions may 

choose to develop safety plans to identify safety issues, needs, 

programs, and projects for their specific planning areas. These 

plans should be consistent with the direction and goals of the

State SHSP but can elements that are significant to the localized 

area. The results of crash analysis in these plans can be used to 

inform and prioritize the selection of transportation projects.

Safety Data and Analysis Methods

All elements of the SHSP process, from development to evaluation, require States to analyze and make 

effective use of State, regional, local, and Tribal safety data. Data enable managers to identify safety 

problems, select appropriate strategies and countermeasures, monitor progress toward achieving goals and 

objectives, measure strategy effectiveness, identify needed improvements, and direct limited resources to 

the highest potential for reducing fatalities and serious injuries. Some States identify the need to upgrade, 

improve, and standardize the traffic records information system as an SHSP emphasis area.

NHTSA requires all States to develop and maintain a TRCC empowered to improve traffic safety data 

collection, management, and analysis by coordinating the activities of safety data stakeholders and 

facilitating information sharing across stakeholders. To accomplish the purpose, the States maintain and 

Memphis Metropolitan Planning 

Organization Regional Bicycle and 

Pedestrian Plan

The Memphis MPO developed a Bicycle 

and Pedestrian Plan to identify 

opportunities for enhancing bicycle and 

pedestrian travel in the region. During 

the planning process the MPO 

conducted a crash analysis to ensure 

current and future bicycle and pedestrian 

infrastructure becomes safer.
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regularly update a TRCC Strategic Plan, which includes strategies to improve traffic records accessibility and 

accuracy. TRCCs are responsible for implementing the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC)

(http://mmucc.us/). The committee also reviews and manages revisions to its State Crash Report Form. 

Contact the State’s TRCC Chair or Coordinator for more information see https://www.transportation.gov/

government/traffic-records/state-trcc-personnel.

States strive to improve the safety data needed to identify priorities for Federal, State, regional, Tribal, and 

local highway and traffic safety programs. To effectively advance data gathering capabilities, safety 

stakeholders develop active partnerships with the TRCCs, which are responsible for identifying data system 

enhancement strategies affecting access to data, as well as its accuracy, reliability, and timeliness. Both 

FHWA and NHTSA sponsor data improvement programs designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses 

of State safety data systems and offer expert consultation and recommendations for corrections and other 

improvements.2

Types of Safety Data

The primary types of data used to conduct safety analyses include data on crashes, roadway characteristics, 

and traffic volumes or exposure. Additional data sets often are used to provide information on drivers, 

passengers, and vehicles; hospital data; injury control (e.g., EMS response time); and citations and 

adjudications (e.g., driver citation and arrest records). The following section describes common data sources.

Crash data are used to identify the location and characteristics of crashes. A large set of information is 

collected by law enforcement at the scene of any crash that meets a minimum injury or property damage 

reporting threshold. Officers use a crash report form to transcribe information about the crash and the 

vehicles and people involved. Crash report forms vary by State, but generally, information is collected on 

specific crash data elements outlined in the MMUCC Guideline, which has more than 70 data elements, such 

as crash date and time, direction of travel before crash, whether occupants were ejected, contributing 

circumstances, and more. One of the data fields notes the injury level of the persons involved in the crash, 

which is coded according to the KABCO scale. Table 1 shows the KABCO injury severity scale. Some States 

use other scales to rate injuries (e.g., the Manual on Classification of Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents or 

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) D.16). FHWA and NHTSA have developed a conversion table 

to convert serious injuries from other scales to KABCO. Crash data are stored in a database, which is 

managed by the State DOT or a sister agency.

Table 1. KABCO scale.

KABCO Scale Severity

K Fatality

A Suspected serious injury

B Suspected minor injury

C Possible injury

O No apparent injury

(Source: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/resources/fhwasa09029/sec4.cfm.)

 2

 FHWA. (October 2012). A Champion’s Guidebook to Saving Lives, 2nd Edition, FHWA-SA-12-034, Washington, DC.
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In addition to State databases, NHTSA maintains the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Data/Fatality-Analysis-Reporting-System-(FARS), which provides a Nationwide census 

on all reported fatal crashes and fatalities involving a motor vehicle operating on a roadway when a person 

involved in the crash dies within 30 days. FARS provides publicly accessible data regarding fatal injuries 

suffered in motor vehicle crashes. Fatality data are available from 1975 to present. Queries can be 

conducted for individual States and at the local/Tribal level. FARS data are obtained from various State

documents and reports from law enforcement, death certificates, State vehicle registration files, coroners and 

medical examiners, driver licensing files, hospitals, highway departments, EMS, vital statistics, and others.

Roadway characteristics refer to the information that 

describes the physical attributes and conditions of the street 

network. All States have a roadway inventory database 

managed and maintained by the State DOT. This information 

is useful to transportation planners and safety practitioners because crashes can be associated with road 

attributes, such as functional class, number of traffic lanes, speed limits, and average daily traffic. Safety 

specialists may collaborate with transportation planners to understand the uses of roadway data, brainstorm 

opportunities to pair the data with other data sets, and determine specific plans and corridor studies where 

roadway data are needed. When roadway data are linked with crashes, planners are able to characterize 

crashes by roadway features (i.e., number of crashes per year by roadway functional class, number of traffic 

lanes, speed limit). The HSIP Final Rule (23 CFR 924) requires States to collect and use MIRE Fundamental 

Data Elements (FDE) on all public roads to support enhanced safety analysis and safety investment 

decisionmaking. http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/mirereport/ The HSIP Final Rule establishes three 

categories of MIRE FDEs based on functional classification and surface type. States must incorporate specific 

quantifiable and measureable anticipated improvements for the collection of MIRE FDEs into their Traffic 

Records Strategic Plan by July 1, 2017 and have access to the complete collection by September 20, 2026.

State DOTs are required to collect and submit traffic counts data on public roads classified as National 

Highway System (NHS) routes and all other roads, excluding those functionally classified as minor collectors 

in rural areas and local roads in any area through FHWA’s Highway Performance Monitoring System 

(HPMS). Understanding the correlation between crashes and traffic volumes helps planners develop 

methods to calculate crash rates for segments or intersections and prioritize locations for improvement. The 

HPMS provides a source of information for VMT and can be utilized to calculate the required fatality and 

serious injury rates.

Additional data sets used to understand safety issues and needs include data on citations and adjudications, 

hospitals and traumas, vehicles, and driver/passenger information. Citation and adjudication data refer to 

driver arrest and conviction records for traffic offenses; injury data includes prehospitalization and hospital 

information regarding injuries, which may differ from the crash report; vehicle data provides information on 

vehicle safety technologies, as well as vehicle type (i.e., passenger vehicles, commercial motor vehicles); 

and driver and passenger data reflect human behaviors contributing to a crash.

Safety Analysis Methods and Tools

A number of approaches and tools are used to analyze safety data. Quantitative safety analysis assists with 

integrating safety performance into highway investment decisions. This section summarizes the common 

factors and methods used to analyze safety data, and introduces quantitative safety analysis tools. It 

provides an understanding of safety analysis applications in the safety management process.

The FHWA Roadway Safety Data 

Program includes tools to build or

enhance safety data.
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An examination of nominal safety versus substantive safety is key to understanding the importance of safety 

analysis. Nominal safety refers to the design elements meeting all of the design criteria or standards for a 

roadway. Substantive safety refers to the safety performance (i.e., crash history relative to crash expectations) 

for a roadway. It is important to understand that substantive safety (safety performance) of a roadway does not 

always correlate to the nominal safety (design standards) of the roadway. It is not uncommon for a roadway to 

meet design criteria but at the same time demonstrate poor safety performance. Safety analysis moves beyond 

the concept of nominal safety to the advantage of examining safety performance.

Most agencies with safety responsibility commonly conduct basic analyses to determine crash frequency, 

severity, rates, contributing factors, and types to determine priority projects and programs associated with 

the greatest potential for reducing fatalities and serious injuries. Frequency is the number of crashes 

occurring within a specific jurisdiction on a roadway segment, or at an intersection while severity describes 

the extent to which persons are injured or killed in the incident. This is useful to safety practitioners because 

locations with more severe crashes are typically prioritized; however, this approach only takes into account 

injury severity without attention to the roadway, vehicles, human factors, etc.

Rate compares crash frequency with traffic volume or exposure data. Safety practitioners use crash rates to 

assess safety of roadways, segments, and intersections compared to other similar facilities. Locations with 

crash rates higher than the Statewide average are prioritized as resources become available. However, 

careful examination of crash rate is required as an increase in traffic volume without a decrease in crash can 

produce misleading results of safety improvement. Contributing factors include attributes, such as driver 

behaviors, events, and roadway infrastructure characteristics. Most crashes have more than one contributing 

factor. Crash type describes the manner of collision, such as rear-end, sideswipe, head-on, fixed object, 

pedestrian, overturned, run off the road, etc. Safety practitioners usually assess and prioritize overrepresented 

crash types.

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) (http://www.highwaysafetymanual.org/Pages/default.aspx) presents an 

overarching science-based approach to safety management and a variety of predictive analysis tools for 

quantitatively estimating crash frequency or severity at a variety of locations. This approach provides for a 

quantitative information-based decisionmaking process. The HSM is divided into four parts: Part A provides 

an introduction to the HSM, knowledge about human factors, and the fundamentals of highway safety; Part B 

covers the roadway safety management process; Part C introduces predictive methods for different facility 

types; and Part D provides information on the development and use of crash modification factors (CMF). The 

effects of implementing countermeasures, geometric or operational changes to the roadway can be 

quantified as a CMF.

The HSM methodologies advance beyond the limitations of the basic safety analysis approach of assessing 

frequency, severity, and rate. Instead, the HSM provides a substantive safety approach referring to the 

actual or expected safety performance of a roadway based on its characteristics. Examples of the HSM 

methods include predictive analysis, systemic analysis, and network screening.

Predictive analysis uses safety performance equations known as safety performance functions (SPF) to 

estimate predicted average crash frequency as a function of traffic volume and roadway characteristics. This 

information can be used to compare and predict safety performance, and quantify the safety impacts of 

transportation decisions. 

Systemic analysis examines crash history on an aggregate basis to identify high-risk roadway 

characteristics, such as sharp curves combined with high traffic volumes, sharp curves and narrow 
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shoulders, etc. Subsequently, low-cost solutions and countermeasures are implemented on a systemwide 

basis. Systemic improvement examples include installing cable median barriers, rumble strips and stripes, 

guardrail, the safety edge, and shoulders on narrow two-lane roads; rehabilitating and/or upgrading traffic 

control devices, pavement marking, surface friction, and lighting; widening lanes and shoulders. FHWA 

provides a number of resources relevant to systemic analysis on the Systemic Approach to Safety Web site 

(http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/).

Network screening analysis pinpoints roadway segments and intersections experiencing more crashes 

than would be expected for comparable sites. From this analysis, safety practitioners identify specific 

locations that may benefit from safety improvements and, with more detailed analysis, the specific 

modifications for any given site. Information in the Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety 

Toolkit provides additional information on network screening (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/

fhwasa14072/sec4.cfm). 

All States must have a highway safety improvement program which uses a roadway safety management 

process; the HSM Part B contains a process for conducting network screening which could serve as a 

model. Safety practitioners often utilize Part C, Predictive Methods, because it helps evaluate the expected 

crash frequency for design alternatives associated with corridor or intersection planning projects.

The FHWA Every Day Counts (EDC) effort provides resources to 

practitioners on a variety of innovative tools and processes. As an 

example, the Data-Driven Safety Analysis (DDSA) initiative builds on 

decades of work and collaboration among the various entities in the 

transportation community to promote the broader implementation of 

quantitative safety analysis. It has become an integral component of safety management and project 

development decisionmaking. The effort has inventoried tools agencies can use for safety analysis. The 

following paragraphs summarize some examples of those tools.

The EDC-3 Data-Driven Safety Analysis Web site (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc3/ddsa.cfm) provides a list of analysis tools practitioners can use to inform decisionmaking and optimize 

investments. These tools include:

• AASHTOWare Safety Analyst—a set of software tools used by State and local highway agencies for 

network screening and countermeasure identification.

http://www.aashtoware.org/Safety/Pages/Analyst.aspx?PID=1.

• FHWA Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM)—a suite of software analysis tools for 

evaluating safety and operational effects of geometric design decisions on highways.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/safety/comprehensive/ihsdm/.

• CMF Clearinghouse—a regularly updated online repository of the CMFs used to forecast the impact of a 

countermeasure on crash frequency and severity. http://www.cmfclearinghouse.org/.

• FHWA Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool—tools for selecting locations and countermeasures, 

achieving the correct balance between systemic and traditional safety investments, and evaluating 

effectiveness. http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/systemic/fhwasa13019/.

• Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox—online tool used to identify data collection analysis and 

management resources. http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsdp/.
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Safety Funding

The HSIP, NHTSA grant funding, and FMCSA safety grants are the primary Federal-aid safety funding 

sources available for infrastructure and behavioral safety improvements. However, funding from other 

Federal, State, and local programs is used to implement safety projects and programs.

The HSIP is a core Federal-aid program managed by FHWA. Its purpose is to reduce the number of fatalities 

and serious injuries on all public roads. The HSIP includes three components: the SHSP, a Railway-Highway 

Crossing Program, and a program of safety improvement projects. To identify and prioritize eligible projects, 

States are required to utilize a safety data system with the ability to perform safety problem identification and 

countermeasure analysis. 

NHTSA manages the primary funding for HSP projects and programs. The funding comes from 23 U.S.C. 

§402 (State and Community Highway Safety Program) and 23 U.S.C. §405 (National Priority Safety 

Programs) grant programs. The programs provide grants to States to improve driver behavior and reduce 

fatalities and serious injury crashes. 23 U.S.C. §402 funds can be used on a wide array of countermeasures 

identified in the HSP, including programs that reduce impaired driving or speeding, encourage the use of seat 

belts, improve motorcycle safety, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, reduce school bus deaths and injuries, 

reduce crashes from unsafe driving behavior, improve enforcement of traffic safety laws, improve driver 

performance, improve traffic records, to implement teen driver programs, and enhance emergency services.

23 U.S.C. §405 grants support specific behavioral programs: §405(b) addresses occupant protection, 

§405(c) is for improving traffic safety information and data systems, §405(d) is for impaired driving and 

ignition interlock laws, §405(e) is for distracted driving, §405(f) is for motorcycle safety, §405(g) is to 

encourage graduated drivers licensing programs, and §405(h) is for nonmotorized roadway user programs.

FMCSA offers a number of safety grants for commercial motor vehicle activities. The grants are available for

border enhancements, commercial driver license program implementation, CMV operator safety training, 

commercial vehicle information systems and networks, motor carrier safety assistance program (basic and 

high-priority grants), new entrant safety audits, performance and registration information systems 

management, and safety data improvements. See: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants.

Additional funding sources include 23 U.S.C. §1106 National Highway Performance Program (NHPP) 

projects, which must be on an eligible facility and support progress toward achievement of national 

performance goals for improving infrastructure condition, safety, mobility, or freight movement on the 

National Highway System (NHS) and be consistent with metropolitan and Statewide planning requirements.

The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG), administered by FHWA (23 U.S.C. §133), lists 

eligible projects, such as “highway and transit safety infrastructure improvements and programs, installation 

of safety barriers and nets on bridges, hazard eliminations, projects to mitigate hazards caused by wildlife, 

and railway-highway grade crossings.” STBG has the most flexible eligibility requirements among all Federalaid highway programs.

Transportation Alternatives, administered by FHWA (23 U.S.C. §133(h), eliminated the Transportation 

Alternatives Program (TAP) and replaced it with a set aside of STBG funding. These grants support a variety 

of smaller-scale transportation projects, such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe 

routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation 

management, and environmental mitigation related to storm water and habitat connectivity.
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State funding from taxes, or other funding sources, sometimes are leveraged to support transportation 

improvements. For examples, in Iowa, the Traffic Safety Improvement Program provides State safety funds 

to Iowa cities, counties, and the Iowa DOT for site-specific countermeasures, traffic control devices, and 

research. See: http://www.iowadot.gov/tsip.htm.

Summary

Safety practitioners analyze data, assess countermeasures, estimate cost benefit, and select and prioritize 

projects with respect to both safety and general transportation projects with safety components. Meaningful 

improvements to safety performance on the transportation network warrant collaboration, coordination, and 

communication among many disciplines. The safety planning process includes the development of the 

SHSP, HSP, HSIP, CVSP, and the integration of safety into transportation plans. The goal is to identify a 

combination of behavioral and infrastructure approaches to most efficiently and effectively reduce fatalities 

and serious injuries. Safety practitioners from the 4 Es are active participants in the safety planning process, 

but transportation planners also can become engaged to shape safety considerations for transportation 

infrastructure. The following module focuses on the transportation planners; roles, responsibilities, and 

opportunities for improving the safety of the nation’s roadways.
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2.0 Module 2: Fundamentals of Transportation Planning

The purpose of this module is to provide a basic introduction to transportation planning, especially for safety 

planners, stakeholders, and other audiences. It is designed to inform safety practitioners with adequate 

knowledge of the planning process and exhibit opportunities for incorporating safety as a consideration in all 

phases of the transportation planning process. It defines the basic steps of the transportation planning process 

by identifying the stakeholders, legislation, plans and processes, data and analysis methods, and funding.

Introduction

Transportation planning defines a State, region, or community’s vision for the future. It is a collaborative, 

data-driven process carried out by transportation planners at Departments of Transportation (DOT), 

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), public transit agencies, and local and Tribal governments. 

Transportation planning is a cooperative, performance-driven process by which long- and short-range 

transportation improvement priorities and investments are determined. MPOs, States, and transit operators 

conduct transportation planning, with active involvement from the traveling public, the business community, 

community groups, environmental organizations, and freight operators. It includes 1) a comprehensive 

consideration of possible strategies; 2) an evaluation process that encompasses diverse viewpoints; 3) the 

collaborative participation of relevant transportation-related agencies and organizations; and 4) open, timely, 

and meaningful public involvement.

The 3C planning process (continuing, comprehensive, and 

cooperative) dates back to the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 

1962. It is designed to engage the public and stakeholders in 

establishing shared goals and a vision for the community. 

Planners use various tools to forecast population trends, 

employment growth, and projected land use and to identify 

major transportation needs and opportunities for investment. 

This process requires planners to establish existing conditions 

and needs, review available funding resources, establish 

transportation performance measure targets and goals, and 

develop strategies to meet the goals. The information is 

documented in the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Metropolitan Transportation 

Plans (MTP). The Performance-Based Planning Process (PBPP), (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/

performance_based_planning/pbpp_guidebook/) provides tools to establish system performance targets 

based on informed investment decisions, which are documented in the Statewide Transportation 

Improvement Program (STIP) at the State level and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at the 

MPO level.

Transportation safety is a required factor in the planning process. Safety specialists play a significant role in 

transportation planning and this role can be enhanced if they have working knowledge and understanding of 

transportation planning job functions, products, and plans. The tools and methods developed by safety 

practitioners provide data and input when developing short- and long-term transportation safety goals and 

strategies. Better collaboration, communication, and coordination between safety specialists and 

transportation planners ensures the integration of safety into the transportation planning process and

optimizes opportunities to address the most critical transportation safety issues.

National Performance Goals

23 U.S.C. §150 specifies seven 

national goal areas for the Federal-Aid 

Highway Program:

1. Safety.

2. Infrastructure condition.

3. Congestion reduction.

4. System reliability.

5. Freight movement and economic 

vitality.

6. Environmental sustainability.

7. Reduced project delivery delays.
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Transportation Planning Stakeholders

Transportation planning covers a range of topics, disciplines, and stakeholders from the traveling public, 

private industry, community advocates, and local transportation agencies and operators. According to 

23 U.S.C. §134 and §135, transportation planning processes should provide reasonable opportunity for 

involvement from interested parties, which might include representatives of public transportation, employees, 

public ports, providers of freight, providers of transportation (including intercity bus operators, employerbased commuting programs, transit benefit program, parking cash-out program, shuttle program, or telework 

program), users of public transportation, users of pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities, 

representatives of the disabled, and other interested parties.

State DOTs and MPOs use a variety of methods to engage the stakeholders in the planning process to 

comply with public involvement practices. The techniques include holding public meetings at convenient and 

accessible locations and times, employing visualization techniques to describe plans; and making public 

information available in electronically accessible formats and means (e.g., World Wide Web, social media, 

and phone-based/virtual information sessions). Task forces, focus groups, and technical committees assume 

various roles in the planning process and are used to gather information and provide input on the 

transportation system and priorities. Specific methods and information transportation planners can glean 

from safety practitioners and stakeholders include the following:

• Data—Planners utilize crash data, but safety specialists are familiar with crash data and other data sets 

that may be useful to planning (e.g., demographics and health data, the results of behavioral surveys, or 

effective education/enforcement programs). Planners can utilize this information to make decisions about 

infrastructure investments.

• Safety Expertise and Knowledge—Safety practitioners provide knowledge relevant to safety areas. 

They are more likely to be involved in the Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) process. Sharing this 

knowledge will help shape the Statewide LRTPs, MTPs, as well as Statewide and metropolitan 

transportation improvement programs (S/TIP).

• Information Sharing—Safety practitioners can share information about upcoming enforcement and 

education campaigns, safety workshops/meetings, behavioral research, and the safety performance of 

planned infrastructure investments with transportation planners, encouraging them to learn from and 

leverage safety opportunities as part of their job responsibilities. This information exchange also can 

highlight the need to include specific safety-related projects in the Statewide LRTP/MTP or S/TIP.

• Statewide LRTP/MTP Update—For a plan update, State DOTs and MPOs utilize outreach to solicit 

input from different stakeholder groups. They may form specific committees, visit stakeholders one on 

one, or host workshops. Safety practitioners can contact the State DOT Planning Office or MPO to obtain 

more information on the next update cycle and opportunities to participate. A safety committee or ad hoc 

task force may be convened to gather information on the State or region’s traffic safety challenges and 

potential countermeasures. The DOT or MPO’s Public Participation Plan could include specific strategies 

to collect information on safety issues and needs during the public involvement process and 

opportunities to integrate the collected information into the LRTP, MTP, and SHSP.

• MPO Committees—All MPOs have Transportation Policy Committees (TPC) or Policy Boards and most 

have Technical Advisory Committees (TAC). These are used to inform and make decisions about all 

transportation planning topics. TPCs and TACs are actively engaged in the development of the MTP and TIP. 
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Safety practitioners’ attendance at these meetings maximizes opportunities to educate elected officials and 

contribute information about regional safety issues and programs, other planning efforts (e.g., freight plans, 

transit studies, corridor plans, bicycle and pedestrian plans, etc.) or an update on SHSP-related topics.

• Special Topic Committees—Some MPOs have specific safety committees or task forces to discuss 

behavioral or infrastructure-related topics. 

Planning Legislation

This section explains the legislation and Federal rules governing the Statewide, nonmetropolitan, 

metropolitan, and transit planning processes.

Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning 

The Statewide and nonmetropolitan transportation planning 

process requirements are described in 23 U.S.C. §135. 

States must develop transportation plans and programs for all 

areas of the State, including nonmetropolitan areas. State

DOTs cooperating with existing Regional Transportation 

Planning Organizations (RTPO) may conduct transportation 

planning for nonmetropolitan areas. The plans and programs 

provide for transportation facilities, which function as an 

intermodal State transportation system. The intent of the 

process is to inform investment decisionmaking and 

considers all modes of transportation. States are required to coordinate with the metropolitan transportation

planning activities. The legislation outlines the transportation plans and products States must develop, and the 

government agencies and public stakeholders who should be engaged.

Metropolitan Transportation Planning

23 U.S.C. §134 and the planning regulations (23 CFR 450.306) establishes the required transportation 

planning factors that must be addressed in a metropolitan transportation plan, including operational and 

management strategies to improve performance by targeting congestion and improving safety of existing 

facilities. Safety considerations are included in several portions of the planning rule.

Transportation Planning Factors

This section defines key terms and explains the general requirements for States and MPOs to implement the 

transportation planning process. The key Federally required planning factors or considerations are the same 

for State DOTs and MPOs and include the following:

• Support the economic vitality of the United States, the States, nonmetropolitan areas, and metropolitan 

areas, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency.

• Increase the safety of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users.

• Increase the security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users.

The State may establish Regional 

Transportation Planning Organizations 

(RTPO) to assist them in carrying out the 

Statewide and nonmetropolitan 

transportation planning process. The 

RTPO consists of nonmetropolitan area 

local officials and transportation system 

operators who volunteer and represent 

their jurisdictions in the Statewide 

planning process.
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• Increase the accessibility and mobility of people and freight. 

• Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve the quality of life, and 

promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and 

economic development patterns.

• Enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system across and between modes 

throughout the State, for people and freight.

• Promote efficient system management and operation.

• Emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system.

• Improve transportation system resiliency and reliability and reduce (or mitigate) the stormwater impacts 

of surface transportation.3

• Enhance travel and tourism.4

Transit Planning

Transit planning is governed by the 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53, which provides funding to support public 

transportation; establishes standards for the state of good repair of public transportation infrastructure and 

vehicles; and promotes continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning that improves the performance 

of the transportation network. Statewide and metropolitan planning requirements for public transportation 

mirror those of 23 U.S.C. §134 and §135.

Transportation Plans and Processes

Legislation requires transportation planners to complete a Statewide LRTP, MTP, STIP, and TIP. State 

DOTs must also develop a State Planning and Research Guide (SP&R). MPOs also are required to develop 

a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). Transportation planners conduct other planning efforts based on 

State, regional, and local needs. 

 3 FAST Act expanded the scope of consideration of the metropolitan planning process to include this factor.

4 FAST Act expanded the scope of consideration of the metropolitan planning process to include this factor.
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Table 2 summarizes the key transportation planning products. The transportation plans are described below.

Table 2. Key Transportation planning products.

Who

Develops?

Who

Approves?

Time 

Horizon Content

Update 

Requirements

Statewide LRTP State DOT State DOT 20 years Future Goals, 

Performance 

Measures, and 

Strategies

Not specified

MTP MPO MPO 20 years Future Goals, 

Strategies, and 

Projects

Every 5 years 

(4 years for 

nonattainment 

and maintenance 

areas)

STIP State DOT Federal Highway 

Administration 

(FHWA)/Federal 

Transit 

Administration (FTA)

4 years Transportation 

Investments

Every 4 years

TIP MPO MPO/Governor 4 years Transportation 

Investments

Every 4 years

UPWP FHWA/FTA/

MPO

MPO 1 or 2 years Planning Studies 

and Tasks

At least once 

every 2 years

State Planning and 

Research Work Program 

(SP&R) Guide

State DOT FHWA Not specified Planning and 

Research

Not specified

Congestion Management 

Process (CMP)

MPO MPO Not specified Congestion 

Management 

Objectives, 

Performance 

Measures, 

Strategies

Periodic review 

and update

Public Participation Plan MPO MPO Not Specified Public 

Engagement 

Strategies and 

Goals, 

Incorporating 

Input, Responding 

to Comments

Periodic review 

and update

(Source: FHWA, The Transportation Planning Process Briefing Book, 2015 Update.)
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Long-Range Transportation Plan/Metropolitan Transportation Plan

The Statewide LRTP/MTP is the primary transportation planning 

document required for the State DOT and MPO planning process. 

The plans are guided by the planning factors listed in 23 U.S.C. 

§134 and §135. Data analysis results, travel demand model 

outputs, and stakeholder/public input are used to identify the key 

roadway and transit issues and needs over the next 20-plus 

years. To meet those needs, MTPs detail capital improvements, 

and operations and maintenance projects that are fiscally 

constrained. Statewide LRTPs are not required to be fiscally 

constrained, but may include a financial plan. The Statewide 

LRTP may be a policy plan and may not include any specific projects. Statewide LRTPs/MTPs must include a 

description of the performance measures and performance targets, as described in 23 U.S.C. §150(b), used in 

assessing the performance of the transportation system, a system performance report, and subsequent updates 

evaluating the condition and performance of the transportation system, with respect to the performance targets.

Statewide LRTPs and MTPs address a wide range of transportation topics (e.g., air quality, environment, 

health, connectivity, and mobility), but an essential component is the safety of the transportation network. A 

range of approaches should be used to integrate safety into Statewide LRTP/MTPs. Safety may be 

addressed in the Statewide LRTP/MTP as a chapter or element and as project evaluation and selection 

criteria. Some MTPs address safety more broadly and develop a separate Regional Safety Plan, which 

provides a detailed 4 Es (Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency medical services) regional 

approach to safety improvement project development and implementation.

Statewide Transportation Improvement Program/Transportation Improvement Program

State DOTs and MPOs must develop STIPs/TIPs to identify projects that are to be funded, the 

implementation timeframe, and the available or committed funding sources for each project. The STIP/TIP is 

a financial program that describes the schedule for obligating funds to State, regional, and local projects over 

a four-year period.

The TIP draws from the pool of projects identified in the cost-feasible MTP that will be implemented over the 

next four years. Project selection criteria are then used to rank projects and match available funding streams to 

projects and strategies. Safety can be one of the project selection criteria. The TIP contains funding information 

primarily for roadway and transit projects, and is updated regularly to reflect the highest priority projects.

The STIP includes Federally funded transportation projects in consultation with MPOs, Tribal governments, 

and local governments in nonmetropolitan areas, and the public. Additional projects may come from the 

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), nonmetropolitan regional transportation planning 

organizations (RTPO or RPO), and transit operators. 

Unified Planning Work Program 

MPOs are required to prepare a Unified Planning Work Program. It is an annual or biennial statement of 

work identifying the planning priorities and activities to be carried out within a metropolitan planning area. 

MPOs list work relevant to safety in the UPWP, including upcoming safety plans or studies, data collection 

efforts, corridor studies, and development of the MTP and TIP. 

Basic Elements 

of a Performance-Based LRTP

• Goals, performance measures, and 

desired trends or targets.

• Status report of current conditions.

• Assessment of needs.

• Investment priorities, policies, and 

strategies.

(Source: FHWA Performance-Based 

Planning Guidebook.)
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State Planning and Research Program

State DOTs are required to prepare a State Planning and Research Program, which outlines how they will 

conduct their research and technology program with SP&R funds.

Congestion Management Process

The Congestion Management Process (CMP) is a structured 

process for analyzing congestion and air quality issues using 

a systematic and regionally accepted approach. The process 

includes development of congestion management objectives, 

establishment of multimodal transportation system measures, 

data collection, and system performance monitoring to 

determine the extent and duration of congestion, identification of strategies to manage congestion, 

implementation activities, and evaluation of strategies. A CMP is required in MPO urbanized areas with 

populations exceeding 200,000, known as Transportation Management Areas (TMA). The CMP is developed 

and implemented as an integrated part of the metropolitan transportation planning process. In TMAs 

designated as ozone or carbon monoxide nonattainment areas, Federal law prohibits projects that result in a 

significant increase in carrying capacity for single-occupant vehicles (SOV) from being programmed into 

these areas’ TIPs, unless the project is addressed in the CMP.

Public Participation Plan

Public involvement is a key component of the transportation planning process. To ensure the public’s needs 

and preferences are considered in the planning process, State DOTs and MPOs are required to document 

public and stakeholder engagement in transportation planning. State DOTs are required to document the 

process for Statewide engagement of the public and interested agencies and organizations. Public 

involvement should be coordinated with MPOs and RTPOs, when relevant. MPOs prepare Public 

Participation Plans (PPP), which describe how the MPO involves the public and stakeholder communities in 

transportation planning. The Transportation Planning Stakeholders section of this module describes the 

broad group of stakeholders to be engaged in the public involvement process and specific opportunities for 

safety specialists to engage in the transportation planning process.

Other Transportation Plans

While not required, State DOT and MPO planners undertake a range of planning activities to meet regional 

needs. These activities may include small area studies, corridor or subarea studies and plans, transit plans, 

freight and logistics plans, and bicycle and pedestrian plans. Safety is often addressed as part of a corridor 

or subarea plan to identify solutions for crashes in a specific area. Modal plans (e.g., bicycle and pedestrian, 

freight, and transit plans) explore opportunities to expand or enhance the use of the modes and often include 

safety components. Subarea plans propose growth and mobility options for a planning area, and also address 

the safety for all transportation users. 23 CFR 450.306(d)(4) requires State DOTs and MPOs to integrate 

directly or by reference the goals, objectives, performance measures, and targets described in other 

transportation plans and transportation processes. This includes applicable portions of the HSIP and SHSP.

Agencies may conduct the planning processes differently, but all agencies use the framework similar to one

outlined to the Performance-Based Planning Process (figure 1) to identify, prioritize, implement, and evaluate

transportation projects. The process framework asks four basic questions with the expectation that the plans 

Transportation Management Areas 

(TMAs) are required to develop and 

implement a CMP. TMAs are 

urbanized areas with populations 

exceeding 200,000.
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will answer them. The questions are: Where do we want to go? How are we going to get there? What will it 

take? and How did we do? Transportation safety can be addressed during the answers to each of the 

questions. State DOTs and MPOs are required to integrate other performance-based plans, such as the 

SHSP, into the transportation plans. Transportation planners participate in the performance management 

process by developing performance measures to address established goals, conducting data analysis and 

forecasting to determine the future performance of the transportation system, setting performance targets, 

identifying a plan of action to achieve desired results, tracking progress in achieving the targets, and 

developing performance reports.

Figure 1. Performance-based transportation planning process.

(Source: FHWA, The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues, 2015 Update.)

The transportation planning process follows a process similar to the safety planning process summarized in 

Module 1. The process must be transparent and cooperative and includes several steps, such as collecting 

and analyzing data, establishing goals and objectives, identifying performance measures, prioritizing 

projects, implementing and evaluating projects and programs.

As with safety, transportation planning is multidisciplinary involving public involvement and coordination; 

however, in the case of transportation planning public involvement is foundational and required by law. 
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Stakeholders and the public are involved and engaged, throughout the transportation planning process, in 

workshops, meetings, committees, focus groups or one-on-one meetings. The purpose of these outreach 

activities is to obtain input from stakeholders to be used during the process and to inform the resulting 

products (e.g., long-range transportation plans).

Goals address the key desired outcomes for the transportation network and are usually developed for all the 

major transportation modes and topic areas. State and regional transportation agencies often utilize the 

planning factors as a guide to establish goals. Objectives describe methods for achieving the goals, and 

performance measures track progress towards goals and objectives, which assess the extent to which 

goals and objectives are met. This is similar to the SHSP in the sense that emphasis areas, strategies, and 

actions provide the structure for the plan. Performance measures and targets are used to describe and 

assess the expected outcomes and achievements for safety.

To initiate a planning process, planners utilize data, forecasting tools, and stakeholder input to identify 

current and future transportation needs and develop investment priorities to address them. The analysis will 

consider factors such as travel modes, mobility, connectivity, environment, air quality, economy, health, 

security, and safety. Planners may also analyze alternatives or scenarios to produce the best program of 

projects for addressing future needs, given a fiscally constrained revenue budget.

States and MPOs use a project prioritization or programming process to evaluate potential projects-based 

on performance-based planning priorities. The prioritization process results in the S/TIP. The project 

prioritization process may involve a scoring system which incorporates planning factors and priorities. Once 

projects have been programmed into the S/TIP, they are eligible to begin further project development. 

During the implementation and evaluation process, programs and projects in transportation plans are 

implemented and performance measures are used to understand how the projects impact system 

performance goals. Finally, planners and decisionmakers continually consider alternatives for achieving 

future performance goals.

For more information see: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/performance_based_planning/pbpp_guidebook/pbppguidebook.pdf.

Transportation Planning Data and Analysis Methods

To initiate transportation plans, State DOTs and MPOs obtain data and analyze it using the travel demand 

model and other tools to identify future transportation trends, issues, challenges, and needs. The most 

common data sources and analysis tools are discussed below.

Types of Planning Data

The Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP) are based on data from the American Commuter 

Survey (ACS), which is designed to help transportation planners understand commuter information (e.g., 

where people are commuting to and from and how they get there). The data are used to inform the travel 

demand model to forecast future travel trends and decisions regarding infrastructure investments. The ACS 

data are organized by where workers live (residence geography tables), where they work (workplace 
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geography tables), and by the flow between those places (residence to workplace flow geography tables).5

See: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census_issues/ctpp/data_products/acsdataprod.cfm.

The United States Census Bureau collects quality data about the Nation’s people and economy that can be 

used by transportation planners for the travel demand model or qualitative assessment. Population, 

employment, income and poverty, education, health, and housing information, all collected through the 

Census, inform future transportation investments. The four primary methods for accessing Census Bureau 

data include: 1) the American FactFinder Web site; 2) DataFerrett (Ferrett stands for Federated Electronic 

Research, Review, Extraction, and Tabulation Tool); 3) the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) download system; 

and 4) Census application program interface (API). See: http://www.census.gov/en.html.

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) provides comprehensive data on travel and transportation 

patterns in the United States. The data include information on trip purpose, transportation means, travel time, 

time of day and day of week, number of people in the vehicle, driver characteristics, and vehicle attributes for 

private vehicle trips. Planners utilize the data to quantify travel behavior and understand travel patterns to 

inform future infrastructure needs. State DOTs and MPOs also typically conduct household travel surveys to 

obtain specific information for the State or region. See: http://nhts.ornl.gov/.

Traffic count data help planners understand the volume of vehicle travel on highways and roads in a 

planning area. The data are used to calibrate and validate the travel demand model, show growth trends, 

and inform decisions about how and where to program future transportation funds.

DOTs and MPOs develop and utilize transit passenger surveys to evaluate the travel patterns and 

demographics of public transportation users. The information allows planners to consider future transit 

routes, service changes or cuts, service expansion, and access/egress to services.

In transportation planning, planners use a wide range of data to make informed decisions. Freight data, land 

use information, economic development, environmental data, historic preservation, recreation and tourism 

data, and natural resources are examples of the types of data used in the planning process. The FHWA 

Planning Web site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/ provides information on planning data and other 

planning resources.

Transportation Planning Methods and Tools

Travel demand modeling is a tool that uses the best available transportation, population, employment, and 

socioeconomic data to assess existing travel conditions (baseline) and forecast future travel by testing the 

impacts of projects or sets of projects on expected performance. The model estimates the amount of travel 

within, into, and out of a specified area, calibrated to actual existing conditions. The transportation network in 

the model can be modified to include new projects to see how travel patterns, transportation modes utilized, 

and congestion changes under these new conditions. Another major application of travel demand models is 

to demonstrate conformity of future transportation investments with air quality emissions levels. State DOTs 

and MPOs rely on the results of the model and qualitative inputs (e.g., public and stakeholder engagement) 

to identify future transportation investments.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is another tool that captures, stores, and displays spatial transportation 

data. Transportation planners can use GIS to show information to devise programs and projects. Some examples 

 

5 ACS data for 2012 to 2016 will soon be released and replace the 2006-2010 data.
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of GIS displays include transportation scenario comparisons, crash clusters, bike routes, land uses, planning 

study areas, functional classifications, and more. GIS gives meaning to short- and long-range transportation 

plans by providing innovative ways to visualize data.

A tool that could prove useful to transportation planners is The Transportation Planner’s Safety Desk. The 

Desk Reference provides a summary of how safety can be integrated into the transportation planning 

process (http://tsp.trb.org/assets/FR1_SafetyDeskReference_FINAL.pdf). This reference, a resource 

providing a range of safety strategies in 22 emphasis areas that may be implemented by or coordinated by 

transportation planners. The strategies in the document are derived from the National Cooperative Highway 

Research Program’s (NCHRP) Report 500 Guidance for Implementation of the American Association of 

State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Strategic Highway Safety Plan that covers the 22 key 

emphasis areas identified in the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan, as well as additional sections on 

collecting and analyzing highway safety data and developing an emphasis area plan (http://www.trb.org/Main/

Blurbs/152868.aspx). Each emphasis area section provides an overview of the problem, data defining the 

problem, and descriptions of strategies that are most relevant to planners. When available, crash modification 

factors are included that can be used to determine the safety performance of specific safety improvements. 

Each section provides lists of additional resources and best practices, when available. 

One of the strengths of transportation planning is looking at a range of issues and the interrelationships and 

interactions of these issues. There is a number of tools and applications available for the transportation planning 

areas of travel demand modeling, scenario planning, land use planning, motor vehicle emissions, and other 

environmental issues. As examples of these tools, PlanWorks (https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/) is a 

resource that assists collaborative decisionmaking in the transportation planning and project development 

process. This resource provides information to improve development, prioritization, and apprise transportation 

plans and projects. Metropolitan areas and States also have applied tools to evaluate current and predicted 

future safety performance. Scenario planning has been embraced by many metropolitan areas and States as a 

way to examine alternative investments and alternative population, employment, and financial forecasts; while 

many different performance outcomes can be predicted there has been relatively little focus on safety 

outcomes. The Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/) 

provides research, technical assistance, and training to transportation planners at local, regional, and State 

levels. Information on these tools and other planning resources can be found at the FHWA Planning Web

site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/. 

Transportation Funding

Funding for transportation plans and projects come from a variety of sources, including Federal and State

Governments, public or private tolls, local district tax assessments, and local government general fund 

contributions. The Federal Highway Trust Fund and the Mass Transit Account of the Trust Fund provides 

funds for transportation projects. Funding programs include:

• The National Highway Performance Program.

• The Highway Safety Improvement Program.

• The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.

• State Planning and Research (SPR).

• Metropolitan Planning (PL).
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• Federal Lands Highway programs. 

• Federal Transit Grant Programs.

• National Highway Freight Program.

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act supports transit funding through fiscal year 2020, 

reauthorizes FTA programs and includes changes to improve mobility, streamline capital project construction 

and acquisition, and increase the safety of public transportation systems across the country. 

The Act’s five years of predictable formula funding enables transit agencies to better manage long-term 

assets and address the backlog of state of good repair needs. It also includes funding for new competitive 

grant programs for buses and bus facilities, innovative transportation coordination, workforce training, and 

public transportation research activities. 

States and MPOs also receive Federal funds, established by formula, to support planning studies and report 

preparation for the transportation planning process, through FHWA’s State Planning and Research Funds 

and Metropolitan Planning Funds, and through the FTA §5305(d) and §5305(e) programs, which respectively 

correspond to the metropolitan planning program and Statewide planning and research program. Planning 

program funds typically make up a large portion of the State or MPO budget for carrying out planning 

activities and studies and developing transportation plans, such as S/TIPs and other planning documents. 

Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) and FTA’s urban and nonurban area formula programs 

also can be used for developing transportation plans and other planning documents.

Summary

Safety specialists and transportation planners are working toward a common goal, i.e., a safer transportation 

system with fewer fatalities and serious injuries as the outcome. Many opportunities are available for coordinating 

the long-range planning process with the SHSP and other safety plans. Both processes require data collection 

and analysis, identification of alternative investment opportunities, alternatives ranking, and evaluation.

Module 3 explores the strategies and tools safety and transportation planners can use to communicate 

safety and planning needs, collaborate on safety and transportation plans and programs, and coordinate the 

objectives and strategies in safety and transportation planning products.
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3.0 Module 3: Improving Safety through Coordination

Module 3 demonstrates methods and practices for integrating the safety and transportation planning 

processes to produce safer roadways for all road users. The goal is to create a surface transportation system

with zero fatalities and serious injuries. 

Introduction

Modules 1 and 2 addressed the fundamentals of the safety and transportation planning disciplines, such as 

the stakeholders involved, legislation, planning processes and products, and funding mechanisms. Each 

process has clear goals and performance measures; key stakeholders; data, analysis methods, and tools; 

and process outcomes (i.e., plans, programs), which are implemented and evaluated as an outcome of the 

planning processes. The purpose of Module 3 is to provide Departments of Transportation (DOT), Federal 

Highway Administration (FHWA) Division offices, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), Tribal 

governments, local agencies, and transit agencies with a guide for integrating the two processes. In some 

cases, integration of the two processes may not be possible. However, coordination and alignment can still 

add overall value and the focus should be on outcome rather than the course of action.

Once safety specialists and transportation planners have a clear understanding of each other’s 

responsibilities and processes, the next step is to identify effective methods for the two groups to 

communicate priorities, share information, discuss project alternatives, inform each other of upcoming plans 

and programs, and coordinate safety and planning efforts. This concept has been the subject of a number of 

research efforts, including:

• NCHRP Report 546: Incorporating Safety into Long-Range Transportation Planning

(http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/156716.aspx).

• NCHRP Report 811: Institutionalizing Safety in the Transportation Planning Process: Techniques, Tactics and 

Strategies (http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/172977.aspx).

• FHWA Integrating Safety in the Rural Transportation Planning Process

(http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa14102/).

This module uses information from the NCHRP 811 report and the collection of information gathered from 

research and interviews conducted with transportation planners and safety specialists. This information is 

summarized around five strategies to be used to enhance communication, collaboration, and coordination 

between the safety and transportation planning processes:

1. Use committees and groups to expand multidisciplinary communication and collaboration.

2. Data sharing and analysis to enhance consideration of transportation safety in the planning process.

3. Long-range, metropolitan, regional, and local transportation planning coordination.

4. Integrate safety into transportation planning processes.

5. Develop education and training programs on safety and planning.

This module explains the importance of each strategy and steps for enhancing linkages between safety and 

transportation planning. It targets actionable steps for safety specialists and transportation planners, but a 
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broader audience of State DOT engineers, city and county public works directors, and other transportation 

practitioners could benefit from applying these strategies.

Multidisciplinary Communication and Collaboration

Modules 1 and 2 discussed safety and transportation outreach mechanisms to communicate and collaborate 

with stakeholders. Multidisciplinary committees offer the opportunity for safety specialists and transportation 

planners to meet with peers and network, share technical activities and information, and learn more about 

actions where disciplines can coordinate to realize a shared goal Involvement may include providing an 

update on current and future programs and projects, presenting on a technical topic, or providing input for 

future planning and programming. The following sections discuss committees or groups where linkages 

between safety and transportation planning can be discussed.

Join Strategic Highway Safety Plan Committees and 

Participate in Safety Events

Through the Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) process, 

the State’s key safety priorities are determined and evidencedbased solutions are identified through a data-driven, 

multidisciplinary collaboration process. The process results in 

emphasis areas, strategies, and actions for improving safety. 

To enhance inclusivity, States often establish committees or 

teams to address specific issue areas. The teams assist with 

SHSP updates and implementation processes. They may also 

host outreach activities to inform stakeholders of SHSP goals 

and strategies.

Collaboration can occur at a number of levels depending on 

planning objectives. Ideally transportation managers and 

planners are represented as members of all entities in the 

SHSP process. The entities are described in Module 1 and

include SHSP executive committees, steering committees, and 

emphasis area teams. Transportation planners can use these 

teams as one way to identify the SHSP-related strategies and 

incorporate them into planning and programming. For example, 

many MPOs develop Pedestrian and Bicycle Plans. These 

plans may be standalone documents or incorporated into the 

Metropolitan Transportation Plan and would typically include 

consideration of safety in the pedestrian and bicycle planning 

process. As another opportunity for collaboration, some States 

and MPOs develop Pedestrian or Bicycle Safety Action Plans.

Safety-related issues, needs, projects and strategies from this 

regional planning effort can inform the SHSP. The 

transportation planning representative on the Bicycle and 

Pedestrian Emphasis Area Team can keep the team informed 

of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan activities and opportunities 

to provide input. Any data on pedestrian and bicycle usage, user preferences, and safety can be shared with 

the appropriate Emphasis Area team and used to inform the Emphasis Area Action Plan.

Iowa DOT uses its SHSP Advisory 

Team as a conduit to coordinate safety 

and transportation planning. The 

Planning Division is represented on the 

team. The team meets quarterly to 

coordinate plans and programs. The 

Planning Division representative 

provides updates on transportation 

plans and activities relevant to safety 

and takes information on the SHSP 

strategies and activities back to 

planning staff.

California Department of Transportation 

(Caltrans) hosted a Statewide SHSP 

Summit in the fall of 2014 to gather 

input from stakeholders for its SHSP 

update. They also hosted regional 

summits in 2016 to invigorate local 

partners and kickoff SHSP 

implementation. Transportation 

planners from Caltrans headquarters 

and the Districts gave presentations on 

region-specific issues and collision data, 

safety activities already underway, 

funding opportunities available for 

safety planning, infrastructure, and 

noninfrastructure projects, and safety 

resources available to help

Tribes realize their traffic safety goals. 

Regional summit participants learned 

about the newly California SHSP 

Update, participated in workshop 

discussions about priority safety 

strategies and actions for their regions, 

and learned about safety resources. A 

key outcome of the summits was to 

encourage greater coordination with 

local transportation planning partners.
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Many States host Statewide or regional safety summits, town hall meetings, and other events to educate 

stakeholders on the SHSP process, obtain feedback on strategies, share results of an SHSP update, 

educate participants on noteworthy safety practices and research, and initiate or enhance SHSP 

implementation. Attendees typically include DOT planning, intermodal, and traffic safety staff; MPO planners 

and engineers; city and county public works departments; local and State law enforcement agencies; and 

advocacy groups. Safety specialists should invite transportation planners to give technical presentations on 

recent planning efforts and opportunities to include safety in studies, plans, and programs. These summits 

provide opportunities for collaboration and coordination between safety and planning staff at different levels 

of government. 

Regional safety summits are another way to promote the SHSP and bring local stakeholders together to 

enhance collaboration. Taking the planning process to various regions of the State encourages broader 

attendance by local agencies. It also promotes participation by local officials (county and city managers, 

public works directors, and elected or appointed officials). Transportation planners can play a key role in 

regional summits by soliciting the participation of local planning partners and giving planning updates as an 

agenda item. Safety specialists can network with local planning partners and develop relationships needed to 

support safety improvements at the local level.

Participate in Long-Range Planning and Other Transportation Planning Committees

State DOTs, Highway Safety Offices (HSO), and MPOs may 

form or utilize an existing committee(s) to conduct ongoing 

outreach during the planning process. One example might be a 

transportation safety committee tasked with providing input for 

the safety elements of the Statewide Long-Range 

Transportation Plan (LRTP) or Metropolitan Transportation 

Plans (MTP). Safety specialists can share ideas, safety trend 

analyses, and information on safety performance during the 

Statewide LRTP/MTP updates. By including safety specialists, 

the planning process can be opened up to directly integrate safety into the goal setting, issue identification, 

solution generation, and prioritization processes.

MPO Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) are typically made 

up of representatives from the local jurisdictions, DOT staff, 

transit agencies, and Federal government, e.g., FHWA and 

FTA. They usually meet monthly or quarterly to provide input 

and make recommendations to the MPO Executive Board. 

MPOs also may have other committees to address specific 

modes or topics. At TAC meetings, MPOs may discuss safety 

challenges, report performance, and update the TAC on any 

safety projects or initiatives in progress. Some MPOs include it 

as a standing agenda item on the TAC agenda, but it also can 

be discussed on an as-needed basis. The same is true for other 

committees focused on topics, such as freight or bicycle/

pedestrian, where safety is often a topic of importance. Some 

MPOs also may have a safety committee to communicate with 

transportation and safety stakeholders specifically on the topic. 

The New Mexico DOT formed a number 

of special topic committees, one of 

which focused on safety, for each of the 

goal areas in the Statewide LRTP 

update. The safety committee reviewed 

safety trends, existing conditions, and 

data; and provided input on the 

strategies and performance measures 

included in the plan.

The Mid-America Regional Council 

(MARC) Destination Safety Leadership 

membership includes local, regional, 

State, and Federal representatives from 

transportation, emergency response, 

law enforcement, public health, and 

nonprofit groups dedicated to 

transportation safety. The Leadership 

Team and MARC planning staff support 

the coalition [what coalition?] by 

providing technical expertise, 

participating in discussions on safety 

target setting, and sharing information 

on other transportation plan updates.
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Many State HSOs have program-specific strategic plans for occupant protection, traffic records, pedestrian 

safety, and other program areas. In fact, in order to qualify for 405 funding, many States are required to have 

strategic plans in place. In addition, there are numerous advisory committees or task forces for several of the 

program areas, such as teen driving, or impaired driving.

All of these committees can provide a forum for transportation planners and safety specialists to coordinate 

planning products and share transportation safety information. Existing safety committees at the State level 

are typical as a division, office, or bureau; however, MPO safety issues are more often represented by an ad 

hoc committee, such as a task force. In addition, safety specialists and transportation planners can use 

regional safety coalitions as a conduit to enhance the link between planning and safety processes, both at 

the State level and within regional and local agencies. These groups can serve as a forum to identify local 

projects, opportunities to consolidate safety and planning projects into a single effort, and funding to address 

both safety and planning needs. Examples of this approach include the following:

• In Florida, multidisciplinary regional safety coalitions are 

called Community Traffic Safety Teams (CTST), and are 

comprised of local, city, State, and private industry 

stakeholders and interested citizens. The groups are 

focused on reducing fatalities and serious injuries within the 

community boundaries. For example, The Pinellas CTST is 

chaired by the Pinellas MPO staff and Highway Safety 

Improvement Program (HSIP) projects in the region must 

be presented to this group to be eligible for funding. This 

requirement helps streamline the HSIP process in the 

region and encourages the development of HSIP projects 

as an outcome of the CTST.

• In Iowa, Multidisciplinary Safety Teams (MDST) are local safety coalitions populated by transportation 

and safety stakeholders. They convene to identify and collaborate on safety projects and programs. 

Meeting activities can include facilitated discussions on safety issues, crash analysis workshops, 

construction zone management, safety audits, safety corridor evaluation, local media, and marketing 

campaign efforts, and other multimodal planning topics. The teams enhance communication and 

collaboration between Iowa DOT planners and safety specialists and local planners.

• Alabama is establishing regional safety coalitions to promote more input and participation in the SHSP 

from MPOs, cities, and counties. Alabama DOT is using a “bottom up” approach to update the SHSP. 

This approach involves developing regional coalitions to provide input for data-driven regional safety 

action plans. Each plan will identify the most pressing traffic safety challenges (emphasis areas) and 

outline strategies to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in the region. The regional plans will be used to 

update the overall Statewide SHSP in 2017. 

State DOTs provide support and technical assistance to Tribes through Tribal liaison offices or committees. 

These offices or committees are responsible for coordinating planning and safety efforts with Tribes. 

Transportation planners and safety specialists can support Tribal safety efforts by sharing data and analysis 

with Tribal safety committees, providing presentations on relevant planning projects and programs that may 

be of interest to Tribal lands, and offering assistance to help develop Tribal safety plans. 

The Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development 

(DOTD) uses nine regional safety 

coalitions to implement the SHSP at the 

local/regional level. The DOTD provides 

regional safety coordinators who 

establish and manage coalitions and 

develop regional safety plans reflecting 

SHSP goals, objectives, and proven 

effective strategies. The regional safety 

coalitions can compete for funding to 

implement Statewide or regional 

strategies and actions in the SHSP or 

regional safety plans.
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• The Mountain West Regional Tribal Technical Assistance Program offers Tribes training on how to 

develop a safety plan. The program also holds a traffic safety summit that provides workshops, training, 

and information sessions.

Table 3. Multidisciplinary communication and collaboration.

Transportation Planners Safety Specialists

How can I integrate safety concerns and expertise into the 

transportation planning process?

How can I become more involved in and influence the 

transportation planning process?

Attend SHSP Steering Committee and/or Emphasis Area 

Team meetings and identify SHSP-related strategies to 

incorporate into planning and programming.

Invite State, regional, and local planners to present at and 

participate in SHSP Steering Committee and/or Emphasis 

Area Teams.

Attend and/or present at Statewide/Regional Safety 

Summits, encourage local planning partners to attend, give 

presentation on recent planning efforts and opportunities to 

include safety in studies, plans, and programs.

Integrate transportation planning topics and training into 

Statewide or Regional Safety Summits.

Data Sharing and Analyses 

The data and analyses used in each process may be shared and used by both safety specialists and 

transportation planners. Transportation planners frequently use future population, demographic, and 

socioeconomic trends, and forecasts to plan for long-term system performance. Safety specialists track and 

analyze crash, roadway, and exposure data. The safety and transportation planning processes benefit from 

access and use of these data. Additional details on the data and analytic methods and tools used by safety 

and transportation planners are included in Modules 1 and 2. State and MPO noteworthy practices for data 

and analyses sharing are outlined below.

Data

• The Missouri DOT started hosting monthly Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21)

conference calls with the MPOs to discuss performance management-related Federal requirements. The 

first conference call shared information, and subsequent calls focus on safety performance management 

and data sharing needs to develop safety performance measures and targets. The monthly calls helped 

State DOT and MPO safety specialists and planners understand each other’s needs and are designed to 

meet the requirements of the Safety Performance Management Final Rule.

• Caltrans crash databases, the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) and the Statewide Integrated 

Traffic Records System (SWITRS) are available online and accessible to MPOs and other transportation 

and safety stakeholders with a basic registration requirement. They include enhanced functionality, such as 

creating custom reports and mapping capabilities of specific or systemic crash patterns.

• The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) provides access to crash data to transportation 

planners and safety specialists either through the University of New Mexico (UNM) Division of 

Government Research (DGR) Web site or by emailing the NMDOT Crash Records reporting office. See: 

http://tru.unm.edu/index.html.

• In the Tennessee DOT, the Long-Range Planning Division and the Safety Office collaborate to share 

data for overlapping initiatives, such as the Tennessee Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Assessment.
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• The Oregon DOT has formed a partnership with the Oregon Health Authority to collaborate on how to 

bring health data into the planning process. The intent of the partnership is to have health influence or be 

considered directly in the DOTs decisionmaking process. The partnership has led to the development of 

a Health and Transportation Working Group, which includes Oregon DOT and Oregon Health Authority 

members. Representatives from the Oregon Health Authority also are included on the SHSP committee.

• The Idaho DOT Office of Highway Safety, along with several other States, publishes an Idaho Traffic 

Collisions report annually and shares it publically on their Web site. Reports are generated for a number 

of data sets, including, but not limited to, general collision statistics; collisions by roadway characteristics; 

collisions by contributing factor (e.g., distracted driving, driver collision statistics); and maps of fatal 

collision locations. See: http://itd.idaho.gov/ohs/Stats.htm.

• The Iowa DOT provides a Web site with links to geospatial information, including boundary data, road 

centerlines, linear referencing system, and other information.

• The Tennessee DOT collects a consistent set of roadway attributes and volume estimates for all public 

roads. The data are stored in the Tennessee Roadway Information Management System (TRIMS) and is 

available to DOT Division staff and MPOs.

• The Ohio DOT Location-Based Response System (LBRS) is a linear referencing centerline network 

being developed across the State on a county basis. The LBRS project establishes partnerships 

between State and county government for the creation of spatially accurate street centerlines with 

address ranges. The DOT provides funding for counties to develop local roadway databases, which are 

used by State and regional transportation planners to address safety issues.

• In Utah, a Hot Spot Committee that includes law enforcement, DOT and HSO (Department of Public 

Safety) representatives was formed to review various data sources and help guide enforcement activity

toward high-crash locations. The data the Utah DOT gathers for their infrastructure and speed limit 

changes is vitally important in helping to guide enforcement activities.

Analyses

• The Pennsylvania DOT develops annual Highway Safety Guidance reports for PennDOT districts, 

MPOs, and Regional Planning Organizations (RPO). Previously, a component of the report included a 

high-crash location list. Based on feedback, PennDOT revised the reports to provide the high-crash 

location information through a geographic information system (GIS) online mapping tool and in 

spreadsheet format. This allows agencies to better visualize crash locations and overlay crash data on 

district or regional roadway network maps. Districts and MPOs are now using the information to inform 

planning and project decisions.

• The Florida DOT (FDOT) has developed and calibrated Florida-based safety performance functions) for 

most facilities using the Highway Safety Manual (HSM). The DOT also is calibrating intersections. FDOT 

collaborates with district offices to share information on the safety performance functions (SPF) and 

analyze crashes for the development of safety project lists.

• The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) assists the MPOs in collecting and analyzing 

data for transportation safety planning. NJDOT provided updated lists of high-crash locations for each 

region ranked by frequency with severity included in the ranking. In partnership with FHWA Division 

Office and the Resource Center, NJDOT also has provided training on the HSM applications.
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• The Utah DOT conducted research that involved examining the characteristics of fatal pedestrian 

crashes. From the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Director of the Utah Highway Safety Office was 

asked to participate on the technical advisory committee to ensure a behavioral expert was on the 

transportation research project. While the project was primarily geared toward infrastructure, the 

involvement of the Highway Safety Office director provided the opportunity to ensure the research results 

could be used to support and strengthen the Highway Safety Plan.

Table 4. Data sharing and analyses.

Transportation Planners Safety Specialists

How can I offer relevant planning data and analyses to 

safety specialists and become informed about 

safety/analyses data I might find useful?

How can I ensure safety data and analyses are accessible 

and used in the development of planning products?

Present forecasts and other trends from the planning 

process to safety specialists at SHSP committee, MPO 

technical committee, and regional safety coalition 

meetings.

Present crash data and other related information on safety 

programs to planners during LRTP/MTP development, 

Statewide and MPO TAC meetings, and regional coalition 

meetings.

Become familiar with the data systems and request the 

most recent and relevant crash data available for the 

LRTP and MTP, corridor studies, and modal plans.

Promote database and safety data sharing platforms to 

ease access for State and local planners.

Become familiar with roadway data and collaborate with 

safety specialists to brainstorm opportunities to pair the 

data with crash data for specific plans and corridor 

studies.

Become familiar with roadway data and collaborate with 

planners to brainstorm opportunities for pairing the data 

for specific plans and corridor studies.

Use crash analyses to incorporate safety into LRTP and 

MTPs, corridor studies, and local safety plans.

Ensure planning partners are involved in the Traffic 

Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) to advise on 

issues or challenges.

Long-Range, Metropolitan, Regional, and Local Transportation 

Planning Coordination 

The SHSP provides strategic direction for Statewide safety plans and programs, such as the HSIP, the Highway 

Safety Plan (HSP), and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Plans (CVSP). The FAST Act requires transportation 

plans, such as the LRTP and MTP to be coordinated with the SHSP. At a minimum, transportation plans should 

be consistent with SHSP goals, objectives, and strategies.

Safety specialists and transportation planners use various tactics to coordinate the SHSP with the LRTP and 

MTP. Some initial steps include reviewing the SHSP goals and strategies and discussing opportunities to 

coordinate, ensuring safety specialists participate in and provide input during the Statewide LRTP/MTP 

development processes, and sharing data from the SHSP and other safety analyses for the benefit of the 

Statewide LRTP/MTP. Coordination examples, including the following:

• Iowa’s 2012 Long-Range Transportation Plan includes a comprehensive section on safety efforts across 

the State. The State’s SHSP emphasis areas, other key Statewide safety issues (e.g., distracted driving 

and emergency operations support) also are included. The plan considers safety issues for other modes 

of transportation, including aviation, bicycle, pedestrian, public transit, and rail. In the current LRTP, the 

DOT enhanced the link between the two processes by including the Planning Division on the SHSP 

Advisory Team and the Director of Traffic Safety on the LRTP Steering Committee. Also, the Director of 
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Traffic Safety is a member of the LRTP Focus Group, which is developing action plans for the LRTP. 

See: http://www.iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/files/IowaInMotion_final.pdf.

• The Del Norte Transportation Commission in California adopted the emphasis areas and strategies 

outlined in the California SHSP into the MTP and customized the strategies to address regional and local 

safety priorities. Additional analysis was conducted at the regional level to identify local safety priorities.

Some States are implementing SHSPs by providing resources 

to MPOs and local jurisdictions to develop regional safety 

action plans, which address regional or local safety 

challenges using a data-driven process similar to the SHSP 

planning process. The plans usually address many of the 

same traffic safety challenges identified in the SHSP, and also 

provide an opportunity to include a focus on safety issues 

specific to a region. Below are examples of how two States 

integrate strategies and priorities from the SHSP into regional 

safety plans:

• The Iowa DOT is assisting 12 counties with developing county safety plans. The plans are funded by 

Iowa DOT and include a list of projects counties can implement to improve safety. The plans are funded 

by the Traffic Safety Improvement Program, a State-funded improvement program started in 1987, which 

uses one-half of one percent of State revenue funds to support safety improvements.

• The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) supports nine regional safety 

plans designed to support SHSP implementation. The State’s experience shows regional safety planning 

effectively engages local agencies, which implement the regional safety plans.

Table 5. Long-range, metropolitan, regional, 

and local transportation planning coordination.

Transportation Planners Safety Specialists

How can I ensure safety stakeholders are fully engaged in 

the transportation planning process?

How can I ensure transportation planners utilize safety 

planning activities and outcomes in the transportation 

planning process and documents?

Meet with safety specialists to review SHSP goals and 

strategies.

Identify planning managers/directors to participate on the 

SHSP Executive Committee and/or Steering Committee.

Invite safety specialists to present data and information 

during the LRTP and MTP development.

Invite planners tasked with relevant topic areas to 

contribute to SHSP Emphasis Area Teams (e.g., 

Pedestrian and Bicycle, Freight).

Ask the SHSP Steering Committee how the LRTP and 

MTP can address SHSP goals, objectives, and strategies.

Use regional and local safety coalitions as a source to 

identify HSIP projects.

Actively participate in regional or local coalitions or safety 

teams tasked with developing regional and local safety plans.

In 2012, Virginia Department of 

Transportation (VDOT) conducted 

regional and local level meetings to 

coordinate SHSP efforts. Since VDOT 

maintains 85 percent of the roadway 

network and all county roads, 

participation by local agencies was high. 

They wanted to be involved in the 

planning process since it directly affects 

them. The meetings enhanced 

coordination of safety improvement 

projects with the local agencies.
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Integrate Safety into Transportation Planning Processes

Beyond the multidisciplinary collaboration, data sharing and analyses, and elements of the overall 

transportation planning processes, opportunities exist for coordination of transportation and safety planning 

activities. These are outlined below.

Research shows most DOTs and MPOs have incorporated a safety goal and objectives into LRTPs and 

MTPs, but evidence of safety considerations in the project identification and prioritization process are less 

common. To ensure safety is considered when projects are identified and prioritized, it is necessary to 

establish performance measures related to the safety performance of the system. Current legislation requires 

performance-based planning and programming. The following sections focus on the opportunities to enhance 

linkages between the safety and planning processes by coordinating performance measures and targets and 

integrating safety into the project identification and prioritization process.

Performance Measures and Targets

Safety specialists and transportation planners can ensure the performance management process is 

coordinated by including planners in major meetings and groups tasked with developing and coordinating the 

annual safety targets, and planners should include safety specialists in any major meetings and groups 

tasked with establishing annual performance targets for other program areas. Topics to discuss may include 

data limitations, timing of annual target reporting, target setting methods, and opportunities to monitor 

progress. The following examples of strategies used to coordinate performance measures and targets were 

implemented prior to the Final Rule:

• Caltrans developed a Planning Office Community Development MAP-21 Performance Management Team 

led by the director’s office to address all MAP-21 goal areas and how to achieve targets. One purpose of 

the team is to ensure consistency across multiple divisions and make sure all topics are covered.

• Pennsylvania DOT developed a process to coordinate safety targets across the State. The process 

involved Pennsylvania DOT assigning each DOT district a target for the required performance measures. 

The districts then develop a safety action plan designed to achieve their targets.

• The Portland Metro MPO (Oregon) held a workshop on performance measures. Topics included 

integrating safety into performance measures, local-level implementation of performance-based 

planning, and bringing a safety component into LRTP issues. The MPO also had developed a safety plan 

to frame investment priorities for the region.

• The New Jersey DOT began monthly meetings with the State’s MPOs along with the New Jersey

Director of Highway Traffic Safety on establishing safety performance measure targets. The goal is to

collaborate and coordinate the State’s target setting well ahead of the reporting deadlines for the 

different agencies.

Project Identification

To identify projects, transportation and safety agencies will collect data and conduct analysis; identify crash 

types and contributing factors; establish crash patterns; conduct field reviews; identify countermeasures; and 

assess countermeasure effectiveness. Safety specialists should share information and coordinate with State 

and local planners to identify projects for the HSIP and HSP, and planners should collaborate with safety 
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specialists to overlay crash and safety data with transportation projects and identify opportunities to plan and 

implement projects with strong safety benefits. The following examples discuss collaborative approaches to 

project identification:

• The Indiana DOT prepared a guidance document to assist local public agencies with the identification of 

HSIP projects. The guidance provides a step-by-step process to identify safety projects and offers 

resources to assist local planners and engineers, such as information on how and where to access data 

and a list of eligible project types/countermeasures. See: http://www.in.gov/indot/files/

LocalHSIPProjectSelectionGuidance.pdf.

• The Arizona DOT (ADOT) provided funding to MPOs and Council of Governments (COG) to hire 

consultant support to develop regional safety plans and identify infrastructure projects eligible for HSIP 

funding. The general approach to problem identification includes access to crash and roadway data for 

the State and local routes through the ADOT crash database; conduct network screening to identify the 

segments and intersections that would benefit from safety improvements; review proven safety 

countermeasures that would be most effective at addressing crash causation to further prioritize 

segments and intersections; and apply for HSIP funding through the ADOT application process. The 

funding has enhanced coordination and collaboration between ADOT planners and safety specialists and 

MPO/COG planners.

• In Ohio, the DOT Highway Safety Program Division and Planning Division recognized the need to better 

incorporate safety analysis into all highway projects. Therefore, the safety and planning staff are working 

together to incorporate predictive crash analysis into the project identification and development process 

for all highway projects.

• As part of the regional safety planning process in Louisiana, the Louisiana DOTD, Louisiana Transportation 

Research Center (LTAP), and FHWA Division staff worked with interested regional coalitions to analyze 

crash data on the local road system and, where applicable, conduct road safety assessments to identify 

low-cost countermeasures. The DOTD provides HSIP funding for eligible safety improvements.

• New Jersey committed alignment of HSIP infrastructure funds in their most recent 2015 SHSP. Since 60 

percent of crashes in New Jersey occur on local roads the New Jersey DOT commits 60 percent of HSIP 

funds to local roads. Also, this action is identified in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program 

(STIP). For the past two years this action has resulted in a five-fold increase of HSIP infrastructure 

investments on local roads.

Project Prioritization

Once projects have been identified, State DOTs, MPOs, State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO), and other 

agencies prioritize them for funding. A project prioritization process is used to evaluate a list of potential 

projects based on performance and plan priorities, and the prioritized list is adopted into the Metropolitan 

Transportation Improvement Program (S/TIP). The project prioritization process typically involves a scoring 

component, incorporating various planning factors and priorities. All agencies are encouraged to adopt a 

transparent project prioritization process, providing evaluation criteria and application information online. 

Different elements of prioritization can include qualitative data, the results of data analysis, and benefit-cost 

ratios. These processes are conducted both for safety improvement programs, such as the HSIP and HSP, 

as well as for general transportation planning projects encompassing all modes. While safety and 

transportation identification and prioritization processes are separate, the priorities considered should 
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overlap and be coordinated. Planners and safety specialists can collaborate to help project sponsors fully 

understand the prioritization process and provide guidance on how to complete an application. The following 

examples discuss collaborative approaches to safety project prioritization:

• In California, a local HSIP advisory committee was created to give local and regional agencies a stronger 

voice in policy/program development and prioritization for local HSIP projects. In addition, Caltrans 

developed HSIP Guidelines to provide information on the project selection and application process for 

local HSIP projects. The guidelines helped local planners and engineers understand better the HSIP 

process and enhanced the link between Caltrans safety and planning staff and the local agency planning 

and engineering staff. See: http://dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/HSIP/2016/HSIP-Guidelines.pdf.

• The Utah DOT developed the Utah Roadway Imaging and Inventory Project, which utilizes Light 

Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) to gather attributes for all public road mileage in the State. They use the 

data to examine the geometric attributes that impact safety to aid in project prioritization. They also use 

the Utah Crash Prediction Model developed by Brigham Young University to prioritize projects. These 

tools are available to the MPOs and other transportation and safety agencies in the State to identify 

safety projects or safety benefits in coordination with transportation projects.

• The Arizona DOT prepared a HSIP Project Application Process and Worksheets resource to help 

agencies submit projects eligible for HSIP funds. The document provides a list of prioritization criteria, 

instructions on how to calculate benefit-cost ratio, information on supporting crash data, condensed list of 

the most effective, proven safety countermeasures, consistency with the State SHSP, and other items. 

The HSIP application form also is included in the document. See: https://www.azdot.gov/docs/defaultsource/traffic-library/hsip-appendix-a.pdf?sfvrsn=4.

• Virginia DOT (VDOT) has incorporated safety into the LRTP and the project prioritization process used to 

rank projects funded by House Bill 2: SMARTSCALE—Funding the Right Transportation Projects. This 

prioritization process includes six factors: 1) safety; 2) congestion mitigation; 3) accessibility; 

4) environmental quality; 5) economic development; and 6) land use and transportation coordination. 

VDOT developed planning-level crash modification factors (CMF) for common project types. The CMFs 

allow planners and safety specialists to consistently rank projects based on estimated safety 

improvements. See: http://vasmartscale.org/.

• In New Jersey, HSIP funds are allotted to the three MPOs proportionally to the amount of injury and 

fatality crashes in each region. Each MPO has a HSIP technical advisory committee that provides their 

subregions with information on high-crash locations along with applications for projects that include an 

HSM analysis requirement. Once applications are submitted, the MPO forwards copies to each member 

of the advisory committee which includes State DOT safety, environment and local aid subject matter 

experts (SME) who score the applications. The MPO then conducts a meeting to compile the scores and 

discuss the potential projects for funding investment.

Project Implementation

Once safety projects have been identified and prioritized, they are programmed into the S/TIPs and eligible 

for implementation. Using a collaborative approach, safety specialists and transportation planners should 

work together to implement both safety projects and transportation projects with a safety element. The 

following examples discuss collaborative approaches to safety project implementation:
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• In New Mexico, the HSIP Program Manager oversees transportation planning efforts and the HSIP 

program. This organizational arrangement has improved collaboration between planning and safety 

efforts, including safety project planning, project timing, and project obligation rates within the planned 

year. In addition, the manager interacts with local planning entities and to gain more knowledge of local 

planning capabilities and technical assistance needs.

• The Virginia DOT developed Highway Safety Improvement Implementation Guidelines, which include the 

project planning and development processes for safety programs (e.g., Highway Safety, Bike and 

Pedestrian Safety, Highway-rail Grade Safety Crossings, and Local Agency Safety). See: 

http://www.virginiadot.org/business/ted_app_pro.asp.

• The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), the MPO for the Pittsburgh region, collaborates 

with the Pennsylvania DOT (PennDOT) District staff, the local municipalities, and/or counties to review 

candidate locations. Where applicable, they jointly conduct a road safety audit and prepare a formal 

report on these locations. Based on the collaborative effort between the State, region, and localities, a 

number of low-cost safety countermeasures have been implemented throughout the region.

• The Louisiana DOTD safety and planning staff collaborate on the delivery for all transportation projects. 

To ensure projects are feasible and can be completed on time and within budget, DOTD uses a six-stage 

process. Stage-zero develops the project scope and alternatives and assesses feasibility to identify and 

document safety needs. Understanding and identifying the key safety issues early in the project 

development process ensures countermeasures are incorporated into project design and project 

construction. See: http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Engineering/

Project_Management/Project%20Delivery%20Manual/LA%20DOTD%20Project%20Delivery%20Manual

%202013%20-%20FINAL.pdf.

Modal Plans

States and MPOs also may develop mode-specific plans (e.g., 

bicycle and pedestrian or freight plans). These plans use a 

similar transportation planning process as the LRTP/MTP and 

engage a larger group of key stakeholders close to the mode’s 

challenges and needs. States and MPOs regularly evaluate 

and revise these plans. Since States and MPOs also use these 

plans during the programming process when developing 

S/TIPs, it is important for safety specialists and transportation planners to coordinate the development and 

implementation of the plans. Examples of safety specialists and transportation planners coordinating efforts 

to incorporate safety into other transportation plans:

• Iowa’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan includes a safety analysis. Safety specialists provided data for the 

analysis and were involved in the plan development process.

• A major component of the Iowa Rail Plan includes rail crossing safety issues. The rail division applied for 

Transportation Safety Improvement Program (TSIP) funds for a rail safety campaign. See: 

http://www.iowadot.gov/tsip.htm.

• The Caltrans Roundabout Inventory Report and Ramp Meter Development Plan are two examples of 

other plans coordinated to include safety. The Roundabout Inventory Report provides background on the 

Caltrans incorporated elements of the 

State’s SHSP into its Statewide 

Complete Streets Action Plan. 

The two action items related to the 

SHSP are data driven update, including 

all modes of transportation, and local 

assistance for developing 

bicycle/pedestrian guidance.
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safety benefits of roundabouts and maps all the roundabouts in the State. The Traffic Operations, 

Planning Division and districts coordinate on the report development. The Ramp Meter Development 

Plan includes several safety elements.

• The Caltrans Planning Forward Team is responsible for developing Transportation Concept Reports, 

providing guidance on all State highways for long-range planning. The team includes Statewide district 

participation, along with traffic operations. Safety is being incorporated into the reports, and the team is 

looking at ways to discuss safety at the conceptual level.

• The New Jersey DOT utilized HSIP funds to fund a pedestrian and bicycle safety action plan for the 

State’s pedestrian focus city. The local MPO took the lead overseeing the identification of high-crash 

locations in the city and gathered together stakeholders to focus on the top 10 locations for infrastructure 

improvements. The final plan was endorsed by the mayor to demonstrate local support for the plan. With 

recommended infrastructure improvements. The plan, with recommended infrastructure improvements 

for each location, was designed to provide the data for the next HSIP project application for the MPOs 

annual project solicitation.

Safety Needs in Transportation Plans

Safety issues identified in transportation plans should be incorporated into safety plans, such as the SHSP. 

Safety specialists can participate in a number of transportation planning activities to understand midterm and 

long-term safety priorities and coordinate the integration of safety needs from transportation plans into the 

SHSP and regional/local safety plans. Transportation planners can share safety needs identified during 

public outreach activities, and discuss the potential impacts to safety performance at a systems level. 

Examples include:

• Caltrans uses its Policy Advisory Committee and TAC as opportunities for safety specialists and 

planners to coordinate incorporating safety needs from transportation plans into the SHSP and regional/

local safety plans. The Caltrans Policy and Advisory Committee includes: FHWA, large MPOs, Rural 

Transportation Planning Agencies (RTPA), California Walks, Departments of Aging and Health, and 

other members. The committee shares results from the travel demand model and freight travel demand 

model and collaborate to obtain consensus on and support for the plans. TAC is used as a forum to 

discuss and collaborate on transportation plans and programs. Information from these committees is 

distributed via the California Council of Governments (CalCOG) and Rural Counties Task Force.

• Oregon DOT conducts regional leadership meetings with district area managers, technical services 

managers, and other staff responsible for maintenance and project delivery. At those meetings, statistics 

on traffic fatalities and injuries are presented and discussed to coordinate safety performance awareness 

at the system level. The meetings also allow safety specialists to understand other perspectives on 

safety needs, such as maintenance and project delivery perspectives.

• The Pima Association of Governments (Arizona) used a public engagement tool to collect public input on 

the long-range plan. The tool created four different planning scenarios on a performance-driven planning 

approach. The results included a strong emphasis on infrastructure maintenance rather than adding new 

capacity. Safety was a top priority and an overall common theme. The information collected from the 

LRTP outreach process will be incorporated into the MPO’s regional safety plan.
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Table 6. Integrate safety into transportation planning processes.

Transportation Planners Safety Specialists

What can I do to ensure safety concerns are addressed at 

each stage of the transportation planning process: 

conducting public outreach, establishing performance 

targets, utilizing safety data, etc.?

What can I do to provide transportation planners with the 

information and contacts they need to incorporate safety 

concerns into each stage of the transportation planning 

process?

Integrate safety into public involvement and outreach 

activities used to develop a long-range vision, mission, 

and goals.

Provide suggestions to planners on safety topics to be 

included in public involvement and outreach activities used 

to develop a long-range vision, mission, and goals.

Include safety specialists in major meetings and groups 

tasked with establishing annual performance targets for 

other program areas.

Include planners in major meetings and groups tasked 

with developing and coordinating annual safety targets. 

Topics may include data limitations, timing of annual target 

reporting, and methods used to set targets.

Work with safety specialists to overlay crash and safety 

data with transportation projects and identify opportunities 

to plan and implement projects with strong safety benefits.

Share information on safety issues and coordinate with 

State and local planners to identify projects for the HSIP 

and HSP.

Become familiar with tools and guidance to help planners 

understand the project prioritization process used for 

safety improvement projects.

Develop tools and guidance to help planners understand 

the project prioritization process used for safety 

improvement projects.

Incorporate safety into analysis and planning procedures 

manuals and work with safety specialists to develop 

content.

Provide data and relevant stakeholder input on safety 

issues for modal plans (e.g., freight, rail, pedestrian and 

bicycle).

Share data on any safety needs gathered during the 

Statewide LRTP, MTP, Freight Plan, Pedestrian and 

Bicycle Plan, etc. with safety specialists.

Provide suggestions for safety-related questions in 

long-range planning outreach.

Invite safety specialists to lead a discussion on safety 

needs and goals at policy and/or TAC meeting.

Participate in transportation plan outreach activities to 

understand the safety needs identified.

Education and Training Programs

To enhance collaboration on transportation and safety 

planning processes, training is often required to align and 

elevate staff skill sets. Safety specialists can provide training 

on any aspect of the transportation safety or safety planning 

processes, and transportation planners can offer training to 

safety specialists on the transportation planning process, 

technical information on modal issues, and metropolitan 

planning priorities. The following examples showcase 

successful training opportunities: 

• The Virginia DOT STARS program brings together 

planners, traffic and safety engineers, maintenance 

specialists, and local stakeholders to identify, prioritize, 

and program transportation projects to improve safety 

and reduce congestion. To help participants take 

advantage of the program and the process used to select 

projects, VDOT offers trainings on the program. To date, 

The Virginia DOT has a Strategically 

Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions 

(STARS) program for planners, traffic and 

safety engineers, maintenance 

specialists, and local stakeholders. The 

goal of the program is to identify, plan, 

conceptually design, and program 

projects to reduce congestion and 

improve safety. The program overlays 

safety and traffic databases in GIS to 

assist with selecting locations that will put 

the program’s resources to best use. 

Projects are prioritized using a travel time 

index, planning time index, buffer time 

index, volume-to-capacity ratios, potential 

for safety improvement rankings, and 

historic crash data.
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training has included a GIS-101 to provide everyone with baseline knowledge of the tool, an interactive 

training on how GIS is used for the STARS Program, and crash data collection. See: 

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/stars_ii.asp.

• The Oregon DOT (ODOT) developed an Analysis 

Procedures Manual (APM), which provides current 

methodologies, practices, and procedures for conducting 

long-term analysis for transportation plans and projects. 

With an update to the APM recently completed, new 

information, such as how to utilize the HSM is now

included. ODOT provides training on the APM for regional 

and local staff. The planning and engineering staff deliver 

the training together to demonstrate to local entities the 

importance of coordination between the two groups. See: 

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP/pages/apm.aspx.

• The Oregon DOT is collaborating more with health entities 

for the current SHSP update process and is training 

planners on conducting and using health impact 

assessments. The training will be used as an opportunity to broaden the number of people who 

understand the relationship between health and safety.

• The Mountain West Regional Tribal Technical Assistance Program has offered trainings and workshops 

on developing Tribal Safety Plans.

Table 7. Education and training programs.

Transportation Planners Safety Specialists

How can I identify and provide access to transportation 

planning training opportunities to safety specialists?

What safety training opportunities are available for 

transportation planners at all levels?

Determine the workforce development/training 

opportunities related to safety within your organization.

Determine the workforce development/training 

opportunities related to planning within your organization.

Identify available workforce development/training 

opportunities outside of your organization.

Identify available workforce development/training 

opportunities outside of your organization.

Meet with safety specialists and develop a list of desired 

training objectives.

Meet with transportation planners and develop a list of 

desired training objectives.

Provide training to safety specialists on Statewide, 

regional, and modal transportation planning processes 

and priorities.

Provide planners with training on safety, transportation 

safety planning, and crash data and analysis procedures.

Assist MPO and local planners by introducing them to

safety specialists.

Work with LTAP and Regional Safety Coalitions/Teams to 

identify opportunities for safety training to local planners.

Summary

Enhancing the link between the safety and transportation planning processes can result in enhanced 

collaboration and coordination between the two planning processes, more opportunities to leverage 

The Ohio Department of Transportation 

(ODOT), in coordination with the Local 

Technical Assistance Program, and 

Department of Public Safety provides 

a number of regular training 

opportunities to help transportation 

planners, engineers, law enforcement 

agencies, and State and local safety 

advocates understand crash data and 

analysis. Trainings include the HSM 

Overview Workshop, HSM Focus 

Training Class, HSM Freeway Training 

Class, ODOT Traffic Academy—Safety 

Studies Course, and GIS Crash 

Analysis Tool (GCAT) Computer 

Training for Local Agencies.
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resources, and ultimately, reductions in fatalities and serious injuries on the transportation system. Safety 

specialists and transportation planners have many opportunities to effectively communicate within and 

between agencies and across disciplines and job functions; collaborate to share information, resources, 

data, and tools to enhance safety considerations in the transportation planning process; and coordinate the 

two processes to address safety in the transportation process and translate safety needs from transportation 

plans into information to influence safety plans and programs. While research has addressed opportunities to 

integrate safety into the transportation planning process for many years, this Resource Guide has added to 

that body of knowledge and identified strategies to tie safety and transportation planning needs identified 

during the long-term planning process into the SHSP and other safety planning efforts.
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Appendix A. Glossary

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)—A nonprofit, 

nonpartisan organization representing highway and transportation departments in all 50 States, the District of 

Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan (CVSP)—An annual plan completed by each State to receive Basic Motor 

Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Grant funds. The plan outlines the State’s commercial motor 

vehicle safety objectives, strategies, activities, and performance measures.

Congestion Management Process (CMP)—A required process for metropolitan areas with populations 

exceeding 200,000; also known as Transportation Management Areas (TMA). A CMP is an approach for 

managing congestion with the purpose of providing safe and effective integrated management and operation 

of the multimodal transportation system. The CMP has been used by some Metropolitan Planning 

Organizations (MPO) to identify congestion issues based on safety and lead to efforts to address safety 

improvements. 

Crash Data Improvement Program (CDIP)—Program to assist State crash database managers and other 

safety professionals in identifying, defining, and measuring the characteristics of the data quality within the 

State crash database.

Emphasis Areas—Key factors contributing to crashes which, if addressed, have the greatest potential to 

reduce fatalities and series injuries. The National Strategy on Highway Safety outlines a list of potential 

emphasis areas. (http://www.towardzerodeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/TZD_Strategy_12_1_2014.pdf) 

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)—A Nationwide census providing annual data regarding 

fatal injuries in motor vehicle traffic crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

maintains this database.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—A division within the U.S. Department of Transportation that 

specializes in highway transportation.

Federal Highway Administration Divisions—Local field offices found in every State representing the 

FHWA. Division employees provide guidance, leadership, and assistance on various modal topics and 

transportation issues to State Departments of Transportation (DOT) and MPOs.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)—An agency within the U.S. Department of 

Transportation that regulates the trucking industry whose primary mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and 

fatalities involving large trucks and buses.

Federal Transit Administration (FTA)—An agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that 

provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems.

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act—A 2015 Federal funding and authorization bill that 

governs the Nation’s Federal surface transportation spending.
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Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS)—A national-level highway information system 

(database) that includes data on the extent, condition, performance, use, and operating characteristics of the 

Nation's highways.

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)—A program with a goal of achieving a significant reduction 

in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The HSIP includes three main components: 1) a

Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP); 2) Railway-highway Crossing Program; and 3) a program of safety 

improvement projects.

Highway Safety Manual (HSM)—A document providing an overarching approach to safety management, 

including a variety of methods for quantitatively estimating crash frequency or severity.

Highway Safety Plan (HSP)—An annual publication developed by States that serves as a programmatic 

guide and application for Federal grant funding from the NHTSA. The report outlines the use of Federal 

highway safety funds and evaluates the programs supported by the funds.

Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM)—A suite of software analysis tools used to evaluate 

the safety and operational effects of geometric design decisions on highways.

KABCO Scale—A scaled used to classify roadway injuries. K is fatal, A is incapacitating injury, B is 

nonincapacitating injury, C is possible injury, and O is no injury.

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)—A document defining the standards and guidance 

of traffic control devices, such as roadway sign shape, color, and location.

Metropolitan Long-Range Transportation Plan (MTP)—The primary transportation-planning document 

required for MPOs. This report is used to identify key roadway and transit issues and needs over the next 20 

plus years.

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)—A public, governmental agency responsible for planning and 

coordinating transportation services in metropolitan areas with more than 50,000 in population.

Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)—A document developed by MPOs, which 

outlines the transportation projects for funding in a specific geographic area over the next four to six years, 

including implementation timeframe and funding sources.

Model Inventory Roadway Elements (MIRE)—A recommended listing of roadway inventory and traffic 

elements critical to safety management. These guidelines are intended to help transportation agencies 

improve their roadway and traffic data inventories.

MIRE Fundamental Data Elements (FDE)—A fundamental set of roadway traffic data elements that States 

must collect and can be used to support safety analyses. The data collected includes 37 data elements on 

nonlocal paved roads, 9 elements on local paved roads, and 5 elements on unpaved roads.

Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC)—A voluntary guide providing a minimum, standardized 

data set for describing motor vehicle crashes and the vehicles, persons, and environment involved. The 110 

data elements presented in this document include 77 data elements at the scene; 10 data elements to be 

derived from the collected data, and 23 data elements to be obtained after linkage to driver history, injury, 

and roadway inventory data.
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Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21)—A funding and authorization bill that governs 

the Nation’s Federal surface transportation spending. This bill was replaced by the FAST Act in late 2015.

National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)—Federal funding to provide support for the condition 

and performance of the National Highway System (NHS), the construction of new facilities on the NHS, and 

to ensure investments of Federal-aid funds in highway construction are directed to support progress toward 

the achievement of performance targets established in a State’s asset management plan for the NHS.

National Highway System (NHS)—A network of strategic highways within the United States important to 

the Nation’s economy, defense, and mobility.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—An organization under the U.S. Department of 

Transportation responsible for carrying out safety programs. This includes implementing programs that 

reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes; investigates safety 

defects; and conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety.

Performance-Based Planning Process (PBPP)—A method of planning and programming used by 

transportation agencies to achieve a desired performance outcome for the multimodal transportation system.

Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets—A document covering the functional design of 

roads and highways, such as intersection layout, horizontal curves, and vertical curves. Commonly known as 

the Green book.

Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO)—Agencies that operate in nonmetropolitan areas 

to conduct outreach to the public and local officials, and provide transportation-planning support under contract 

to State Departments of Transportation (DOT). Also known as Regional Planning Organizations (RPO).

Regional Safety Coalition—Regional entities that bridges the gap between multiple safety stakeholders, 

such as State DOT, local governments, law enforcement, civic organizations, and education leaders. These 

coalitions usually work closely with the development of the SHSP and other local and regional safety 

documents and programs.

Roadway Data Improvement Program (RDIP)—A FHWA program that provides information and resources 

to help agencies improve roadway safety data systems, collection, analysis, and evaluation.

State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO)—This State office works with various safety stakeholders (law 

enforcement, judicial personnel, community advocates, et al.) to coordinate activities and initiatives relating 

to highway safety, specifically behavioral aspects (e.g., texting while driving, wearing seatbelts). Every State

has an SHSO.

Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)—The primary transportation-planning document 

required for State DOTs. This report is used to identify key roadway and transit issues and needs over the 

next 20 plus years.

Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)—A document developed by DOTs that outline 

the projects for funding over the next four to six years, including the timeframe for implementation and the 

source of funding.
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S/TIP—This acronym is a shorthand methods of referring to the Statewide and metropolitan transportation 

improvement programs.

Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP)—A Statewide coordinated safety plan developed by the State

DOT in consultation with safety stakeholders. It provides a comprehensive framework for reducing highway 

fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.

Technical Advisory Committees (TAC)—MPO committees made up primarily of representatives from local 

jurisdictions, DOT staff, transit agencies, and FHWA. They usually meet monthly or quarterly to provide input 

and guidance into all transportation planning activities. Some committees address specific modes or topics, 

such as safety.

The 4 Es of Safety—An approach to safety to include all disciplines: engineering, enforcement, education, 

and emergency response. Stakeholders from each of these disciplines are engaged in the SHSP planning 

process, and their expertise can be utilized for other safety and transportation plans.

Toward Zero Deaths—The safety vision for the Nation and many States. The goal is to have zero highway 

fatalities, and many efforts are underway to help move toward this goal.

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC)—A State committee with the goal of improving the collection, 

management, and analysis of traffic safety data by coordinating the activities of safety data stakeholders.

Transportation Planning Process—An approach DOTs and MPOs take to develop plans and projects, which 

involves a cooperative, performance-driven process, by which long- and short-term investments are determined.

Transportation Research Board (TRB)—One of the seven program units of the National Academies of 

Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The program provides independent, objective transportation analysis and 

advice to the Nation, and conducts other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions.

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)—An annual or biennial statement of work identifying the planning 

priorities and activities to be carried out within a metropolitan planning area. MPOs are required to develop 

these documents.

Vision Zero—An approach that envisions even one traffic death is unacceptable. Some of the principles 

include: transportation safety responsibility is shared between individual users and system designers (i.e., 

transportation engineers, automotive industry, lawmakers and transportation agencies); and transportation

system design should take into account that human behaviors are not perfect.

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U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Office of Safety

Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

www.safety.fhwa.dot.gov

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/

August 2016

FHWA-SA-16-116

This material is based upon work supported by the FHWA 

under contract number DTFH61-10-D-00020.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the 

author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FHWA.