Data Analyses and Engagement Strategies

Public Participation and Engagement

Part 2

2023
CONTENTS

Recap Part 1 & 

Objectives for Part 2

2

3 Data Sources

Considerations for 

selecting strategies

4

Overview of potential 

strategies & scenarios

5

Questions, Feedback & 

Look ahead

6

1 Introduction
3

Triennial HSP 

Engagement 

Planning

Triennial HSP 

Engagement 

Outcomes

Ongoing 

Engagement 

Planning

Plan

1300.11(2)(i)

01

Engage

02

Evaluate & 

Report

1300.11(2)(ii)

03

Look Ahead

1300.11(2)(iii)

04

Triennial HSP Requirements & Actions Toward Public Engagement
4

Objectives

• Understand new and/or refine existing techniques used for data 

analysis

• Expand knowledge of data sources for demographic data

• Explore factors for consideration when choosing engagement 

strategies

• Improve understanding of potential engagement strategies to 

reach communities
5

What is Meaningful Public Engagement

Public Participation and Engagement- is a process that 

proactively seeks full representation from communities, 

considers public comments and feedback, and incorporates 

that feedback into a project, program, or plan when possible.

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
6

Public Engagement Spectrum

Source: Newfoundland Labrador Office of Public Engagement 'Public Engagement Guide'

Community 

advisors Flyer distribution Focus group Public meetings 

or workshops

Growth of community impact
7

Outreach to Meaningful Engagement

to

Sign Source: Federal Highway Administration, https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/
8

Meaningful Public Engagement

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making

Practitioners should meaningfully engage a 

broad spectrum of representatives from the 

community affected by traffic safety issues to:

• Understand concerns

• Identify new opportunities

• Explore alternatives

• Collaboratively create a vision for the future

Meaningful public engagement lays the 

groundwork for ongoing engagement well beyond 

the initial touchpoint with affected communities.
9

Full Representation

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making

To ensure traffic safety programs reflect community needs, agencies need 

community representation reflective of the community’s demographics 

during the decision-making process.

Full representation treats community members as experts of 

their experiences and as a critical source to improve transportation 

programs.

How to incorporate full representation? Where to start? --> Understand 

community characteristics through data analysis
10

Data Analysis
11

Where To Begin? Data Sources

U.S. Census Bureau

data.census.gov 

o Race & Ethnicity (DP05 – ACS Demographics & Housing Estimates)

o Language (S1601 – Language Spoken at Home)

o Poverty (S1701 – Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months)

o Disability (S1810 – Disability Characteristics)

o Means of Transportation (B08141 – Means of Transportation to Work By 

Vehicles Available)
12

Where To Begin? Data Sources

National Roadway Safety Strategy 

Our Nation's Roadway Safety Crisis (ArcGIS Story Map)

• https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9e0e6b7397734c1387172bbc0

001f29b

U.S. Census Bureau – Community Resilience Estimates

• https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/b0341fa9b237456c9a9f17

58c15cde8d/

NCSA's Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)

• https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/
13

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map

• Hot spot-focused analysis of fatal motor 

vehicle crashes

• Distribution of roadway fatalities compared 

to national average

• Look at the relationship between 

population, fatality rates and population 

size

• Visualize historically disadvantaged 

communities and fatalities at the 

neighborhood level

• Visualize progress towards Vision Zero 

goals
14

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
15

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
16

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
17

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
18

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
19

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
20

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
21

National Roadway Safety Strategy - ArcGIS Story Map
22

U.S. Census Bureau – Community Resilience Estimates
23

U.S. Census Bureau – Community Resilience Estimates
24

U.S. Census Bureau – Advanced Search for Census Tract
25

U.S. Census Bureau – Advanced Search for Census Tract
26

U.S. Census Bureau – Advanced Search for Census Tract
27

NHTSA's Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)
28

NHTSA's Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)
29

NHTSA's Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)
30

Considerations for 

Selecting 

Engagement 

Strategies
31

Community Engagement Strategies – where to begin

Reflect

Agency history 

with group

Establish 

objectives

Key messages

Assess 

Resources

Time

Funding

Partners

Emphasize 

Inclusion & 

Accessibility

Language

ADA

Location

Time of day

Unique 

Factors

Communication 

channels

Cultural 

relevance

Audience size
32

Considerations for Selecting Techniques

Reflect:

• Who is/are the priority audience(s)?

• What factors may impact how the how our information is communicated 

and received?

• What has our level of engagement been with this community previously? Was 

it a positive interaction?

Resources:

• What is the engagement timeline, and can thorough outreach be done in that 

timeframe?

• Is the budget adequate for the breadth and depth of the outreach goals?

• Are there trusted community partners we can connect with to implement this 

strategy?
33

Considerations for Selecting Techniques

Inclusion & Accessibility:

• Are specific accommodations needed for the audience, including literacy levels, interpreters, 

captioning, ADA-compliant spaces?

• Do members of the public primarily use languages other than English?

• Does the community need American Sign Language (ASL), other sign language, or large 

print/braille

• Can we incorporate in-person and virtual opportunities?

• Is the audience in a remote area? Will the audience be able to access reliable services (internet, 

transportation, etc.)?

Unique factors:

• Is this strategy culturally relevant to this audience? How can we convey issues in ways that are 

meaningful to this group?

• How can our agency bridge racial, cultural, and economic barriers that affect participation?

• What are the best channels to communicate and promote activities?

• How large or small might the audience be? How to structure interaction to maximize input?
34

Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Programs and activities receiving 

Federal funding assistance must take 

reasonable steps to ensure that people with 

LEP have meaningful access.

• Plan ahead

• Types of services (interpretation, captions)

• Content (easy to ready/plain language; 

translated)
35

Including people with disabilities 

Effective practices to ensure participation by 

people with disabilities include:

• Providing accessible engagement 

opportunities whenever possible, not only 

when required

• Consultation with individuals or 

organizations that represent people with 

disabilities

• Plan for accessibility for people with various 

disabilities
36

An Opportunity to Address 

Critical Gaps

Meaningful public engagement reinforces the creation and implementation of equitable 

programs and plans.

This is achieved by:

• Not relying on one-size-fits-all or “we’ve always done it this way” methods of 

community engagement

• Diverse and inclusive communications and outreach tools

• Engaging the public early and often

• Ensuring individuals and communities have an equitable voice in program 

development
37

Planning Tools
38

Develop Metrics

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making

Output:

• How many people attended?

• Who participated/provided comments?

• Was your intended community reached?

• Presence of Community Leaders at each 

event?

• Accessibility measures implemented

Outcomes:

• What info did you receive?

• How did that info inform 

your HSP planning process?

• Did the participants feel they had 

adequate notice of the public engagement 

activity?

• Did they think the location, time, 

and/or primary language used were 

accessible?

• How did the engagement activity help 

meet your PP&E goals?
39

Engagement Checklist

Tool when planning engagement 

sessions

 Clear purpose of why engaging with this 

specific group

 Established objectives and metrics to 

measure outputs and outcomes

 Promoted activity through various 

communication channels

 Thoughtfully picked 

applicable engagement technique(s)

 Accessibility measures taken

 Resources and materials are culturally 

relevant and accessible

 Assessed timeline, schedule, and cost

 Established means for recording, 

reporting and reflecting stakeholder input

 Have ideas/plans for ongoing 

engagement with community

 Included partner organizations (when 

applicable)

Source: Newfoundland Labrador Office of Public Engagement 'Engagement Consultation Plan'
40

Strategies and 

Scenarios
41

Examples of Engagement Opportunities 
42

Public Meetings/Open 

Forums

Scenario: The HSO is funding a new 

statewide task force to reduce 

distracted driving crashes, and wants 

to be sure to engage residents from 

neighborhoods with a large number of 

crashes. Over the course of a year, 

the HSO works with its existing 

Community Traffic Safety Projects to 

host a series of public meetings (inperson and virtual) joining task force 

representatives and community 

members in dialogue, where 

attendees asked questions and 

suggested ideas for the task force. 

Community comments were also 

captured in a poll.

• Public meetings/open houses share 

information, and provide a setting for 

public discussion

• Open house = less formal event. People 

learn at their own pace, asking questions 

as they arise

• Good first approach to provide insight 

into additional engagement techniques

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
43

Community Surveys Scenario: The HSO tasked a local 

grantee to commission a survey to 

learn opinions and obtain feedback 

on a local speed management 

initiative that would involve 

automated speed enforcement, 

outdoor advertising and traffic law 

enforcement. They used the 

results of this survey to ensure 

public buy-in for the strategies 

selected in terms of their safety 

benefits, learn related safety needs 

of their constituents, and gauge 

whether the local community had 

experienced trust issues with their 

local police department.

• Used to assess widespread public 

opinion from a representative sample

• Snapshot of community perceptions 

and preferences; can reach wide 

audience not typically associated with 

traffic safety issues

• Can test public permission for project

• Versatile distribution methods - mailings, emails, online ads, local 

news media, at events, via CBOs

• Include people most likely to be 

affected by the decisions made

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
44

Focus Groups

Scenario: As part of its 

Pedestrian Safety Awareness 

Month campaign, the HSO is 

planning one week to focus on 

Disability Awareness, to remind 

drivers how to safely navigate 

near people using mobility 

assistance devices, including ebikes and e-scooters. They host 

a series of focus groups including 

people with disabilities and 

drivers to determine which 

messages resonate with drivers 

and reflect the lived experiences 

and safety needs of people with 

disabilities.

• Small group conversation led by facilitator 

to gauge public opinion and listen to 

concerns, needs, wants, and expectations

• Assess potential public reaction and 

acquire deeper understanding of people’s 

viewpoints 

• Used to identify concerns and issues prior 

to implementing a broader media or 

outreach strategy

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
45

Drop-in Centers

Scenario: As part of a local bicycle 

safety campaign focused on 

delivery bikers, a Community Traffic 

Safety Project manager started a 

highly visible 6-month long 

campaign for sharing the road with 

cyclists in a business district where 

lots of bicycle deliveries occur. The 

project manager sets up a table 

near a plaza where food carts and 

a coffee house serve local business 

employees to solicit feedback on 

the campaign's impact.

• Non-traditional meeting locations that 

offer neutral and informal space for 

community members to get project 

information, ask questions, and make 

comments

• Provides on-going, in-person feedback, 

gauging receptivity from inception to 

completion

• Where applicable, grantee sites may 

serve as drop in centers (e.g. local health 

departments, non-profit organizations, 

schools)

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
46

Non-Traditional Events Scenario: After having made a positive 

introductory connection with leadership 

from the Seneca Nation several months 

ago, the HSO equity coordinator attended 

the annual Seneca Casino Veteran’s Pow 

Wow to learn more about the important role 

members of the nation played in United 

States conflicts.

As part of the HSO manager’s time spent 

at the Pow Wow, they were able to raise 

awareness of highway safety funding 

opportunities and get feedback for making 

an upcoming seat belt campaign culturally 

relevant. They offered program flyers and 

brochures, and spoke to at least 

140 community members about the lifesaving potential of seat belt usage.

• Meetings and experiences not held in 

typical government settings

• Led by communities and people who 

attend. Offer opportunity for staff to share 

hands-on materials.

• Demonstrates authentic interest in the 

community by tailoring engagement to a 

local event

• Attending multiple events, or consistently 

attending recurring events during a multiyear project, creates an ongoing 

presence in the community

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
47

Other notable strategies

• Charrettes

• Site visits

• Partner or community hosted 

meetings

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
48

Poll

Considering the challenges you 

face in your community, which of 

these strategies would you find 

helpful to begin addressing them?
49

Useful tools within engagement techniques

• Websites

• Videos

• Public Information Materials (brochures, posters, fact 

sheets, radio ads)

• Social media pages (note: understand community 

consumption)

• Virtual Presentations and Simulations

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Source: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making
50

Questions to consider

What resources do you need assistance with regarding public 

engagement? What do you need from NHTSA to make this a 

successful process?

What are your agency's opportunities to implement meaningful 

public engagement?

Are there specific communities with which you would like assistance 

reaching through your engagement efforts?

What data sources is your state already using?
51

Questions

Email:

nhtsaropdprogramquestions@dot.gov