Highway Safety: Federal and State Efforts to Address Rural Road Safety Challenges
Published: 2004-05-28T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: Traffic crashes are a major cause of death and injury in the United States. In 2002, there were 42,815 fatalities and over 2.9 million injuries on the nation's highways. Crashes on rural roads (roads in areas with populations of less than 5,000) account for over 60 percent of the deaths nationwide, or about 70 deaths each day. Further, the rate of fatalities per vehicle mile traveled on rural roads was over twice the urban fatality rate. GAO identified (1) the factors contributing to rural road fatalities, (2) federal and state efforts to improve safety on the nation's rural roads, and (3) the challenges that may hinder making improvements in rural road safety. GAO obtained information from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other organizations with knowledge of these issues. In addition, GAO analyzed fatal crash data on rural roads from Department of Transportation databases and visited five states that account for about 20 percent of the nation's rural road mileage. GAO also contacted academic experts and examined legislative proposals for improving rural road safety. We provided copies of a draft of this report to the Department of Transportation for its review and comment. In discussing this report, agency officials noted that safety should be part of every project designed and built with federal-aid highway funds.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: Four primary factors contribute to rural road fatalities--human behavior, roadway environment, vehicles, and the care victims receive after a crash. Human behavior involves the actions taken by or the condition of the driver and passengers. Human behaviors are important because almost 70 percent of the unrestrained (unbelted) fatalities between 2000 and 2002 occurred in rural crashes. Additionally, the majority of alcohol- and speeding-related fatalities occurred on rural roads. Roadway characteristics that contribute to rural crashes include narrow lanes, sharp curves, trees, and animals. Vehicle factors include problems that arise due to the design of vehicles and are important for both urban and rural roads. Care of crash victims also contributes to rural fatalities because of the additional time needed to provide medical attention and the quality of rural trauma care. In fiscal year 2003, FHWA provided about $27.4 billion in federal-aid highway funds to states. While many projects using these funds have safety features, the amount used for safety is not tracked. However, about $648 million of these funds went to the Hazard Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossings Programs and were specifically provided for safety purposes--about $330 million of which went to improve rural road safety. NHTSA provided about $671 million to states for activities that influence both rural and urban drivers' behavior in such areas as safety belt use, drunk driving, or speeding. States are ultimately responsible for selecting the projects to support with federal funding. The five states we visited used a portion of the funding received for rural road safety. Many challenges hinder efforts to improve rural road safety--for example, not all states have adopted safety belt and drunk driving laws that might curb behavior contributing to rural road fatalities. In addition, states are limited in using federal-aid highway funds for certain rural roads, and most rural roads are the responsibility of local governments that may lack the resources to undertake costly projects to improve road safety. Further, some states lack adequate crash data to support planning and evaluation of safety projects. Lastly, the nature of rural areas makes it difficult to provide adequate emergency medical care.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: Traffic crashes are a major cause of death and injury in the United States.  In 2002 alone, there were 42,815 fatalities and more than 2.9 million injuries  on the nation’s highways. Crashes on rural roads (roadways in areas with  populations of less than 5,000) account for over 60 percent of these  fatalities—25,849 deaths, or about 70 each day. Further, the rate of fatalities  per vehicle mile traveled on rural roads was more than twice the urban  fatality rate. The magnitude of rural road mileage and the widespread  dispersal of crashes makes preventing and responding to rural road crashes  difficult. The federal government provides funds for states to use in  addressing highway safety problems. These include construction and  safety project funds administered by the Federal Highway Administration  (FHWA) to eliminate roadway hazards and improve rail-highway crossings  and grants administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety  Administration (NHTSA) to encourage safe driving.
The Conference Report accompanying the 2003 Consolidated  Appropriation Resolution directed us to review aspects of rural road safety  and report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. To meet  this requirement, we identified (1) the factors contributing to rural road  fatalities, (2) federal and state efforts to improve safety on the nation’s  rural roads, and (3) the challenges that may hinder making improvements  in rural road safety. To identify the factors contributing to rural road  fatalities, we used an earlier GAO report, Highway Safety:  Research  Continues on a Variety of Factors That Contribute to Motor Vehicle  Crashes (GAO 03-436, March 2003) and supplemented it by obtaining  information from FHWA, NHTSA, and other organizations familiar with this  issue. In addition, we analyzed fatal crash data on rural roads from  Department of Transportation (DOT) databases. We assessed the reliability  of these databases and determined that the data were sufficiently reliable  for the purposes of this report. To identify federal and state efforts to  improve rural road safety, we interviewed and obtained documentation  from officials in FHWA and NHTSA and visited five states that, in total,  accounted for about 20 percent of the nation’s rural road mileage. To  identify challenges that may hinder making improvements in rural road  safety, in addition to interviewing the above officials, we contacted experts  from academia and from advocacy groups and reviewed various legislative  proposals that may help address the issues. For each of the selected studies  that are used in this report, we determined whether the study’s findings  were generally reliable. To do so, we evaluated the methodological  soundness of the studies using common social science and statistical  practices. We performed our review in accordance with generally accepted  government auditing standards. Appendix I provides more details on our  scope and methodology.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: There are more than 3.9 million miles of roadway in the United States, of  which about 3.1 million miles, or about 77 percent, are considered rural  roads. Rural roads are defined as those roads that are located in or near  areas where the population is less than 5,000. As figure 1 shows, rural  roadways make up more than half of the road miles in 44 states.
For purposes of this report, rural road data refers to roads in the 50 states. The District of  Columbia has no rural roads and we do not include Puerto Rico’s 8,000 miles of rural roads  in our computations. traffic speeds and often have multiple lanes and a degree of access control.  Collector roads are designed for lower speeds and shorter trips and  generally link areas to arterial roads and interstates. They are typically two- lane roads that extend into residential neighborhoods. Local roads are any  roads below the collector system and may be paved or unpaved roadways  that provide access to farms, residences, and other rural property. As  shown in figure 2, local roads make up the majority of the nation’s rural  roads.
Rural roads have more fatalities and a greater rate of fatalities than urban  roads, when considering vehicle miles traveled. In 2002, of the 42,815  fatalities on the nation’s roadways, 25,849 (60 percent) were on rural roads.  Based on miles traveled, the overall fatality rate from traffic crashes on  rural roads was about 2.29 fatalities for every 100 million miles traveled,  while urban fatality rates were about .97 fatalities for every 100 million  miles traveled.
Fatalities occurred at higher rates on rural roads that have lower roadway  functional classifications. As shown in figure 3, during 2002, rural local  roads had the highest fatality rates at 3.63 per 100 million miles traveled,  while rural interstates had fatality rates of 1.18. In an urban setting, the  lowest rates are for urban interstates—.60 fatalities per 100 million miles  traveled—about one-sixth the level of rural local roads.
In the past two decades, the total number of fatalities on the nation’s  roadways fell from 43,945 in 1982 to 42,815 in 2002. However, during this  period, fatalities on rural roadways rose slightly from 25,005 in 1982 to  25,849 in 2002. As shown in figure 4, during the period from 1982 to 2002,  the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled on rural roads  declined about 37 percent. During the same period, the fatality rate on  urban roads declined about 54 percent.
FHWA and NHTSA are two agencies within the U.S. Department of  Transportation responsible for road safety. FHWA’s mission is to provide  financial and technical support to state, local, and tribal governments for  constructing, improving, and preserving the highway system. As part of this  mission, FHWA seeks to reduce highway fatalities and injuries through  research and by implementing technology innovations. In addition, its  Office of Safety develops and implements strategies and programs to  reduce the number and severity of highway crashes involving both  motorized and nonmotorized travelers on the nation’s highways, streets,  bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and at intermodal connections. NHTSA’s  mission is to reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from  motor vehicle crashes. The agency sets and enforces safety performance  standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment and provides  grants to state and local governments. NHTSA, among other things, also  investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, helps states and local  communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety  belts and child safety seats, and provides consumer information on motor  vehicle safety topics. Under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), NHTSA provided the states with about $2.7 billion for  efforts to improve driver behaviors and safety data from fiscal year 1998  through fiscal year 2003.
Other organizations such as the American Association of State Highway  and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Governors Highway Safety  Association also play important roles in highway safety. As an organization  representing state transportation departments, AASHTO provides  engineers with guidance on how to design safe and efficient roads through  a publication referred to as the Green Book.  In addition, AASHTO recently  published a special guide on alternative designs for very low-volume  roads.  Furthermore, in 1997 AASHTO also focused attention on improving  roadway safety by developing a Strategic Highway Safety Plan that  identified 22 key or emerging highway safety emphasis areas. Topics  included (1) aggressive and speeding drivers, (2) keeping vehicles on the  roadway and minimizing the consequences of leaving the roadway, and (3)  supporting better state coordination and planning for behavioral and  construction programs. For each of these areas, publications are being  developed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program that  address the issues and potential countermeasures. Another organization  that plays a major role in highway safety is the Governors Highway Safety  Association, which represents the highway safety programs of states and  territories on the human behavioral aspects of highway safety. Areas of  focus include occupant protection, impaired driving, and speed  enforcement, as well as motorcycle, school bus, pedestrian and bicycle  safety, and traffic records.
section_title: Four Factors Contribute to Rural Road Fatalities
paragraphs: One or more of four factors contribute to rural road fatalities—human  behavior, roadway environment, vehicles, and the degree of care for  victims after a crash. Human behavioral factors involve actions taken by or  the condition of the driver and passenger of the automobile, including the  use or nonuse of safety belts, the effects of alcohol or drugs, speeding and  other traffic violations, and being distracted or drowsy when driving.  Roadway environment factors that contribute to rural road fatalities  include the design of the roadway (e.g., medians, lane width, shoulders,  curves, access points, lighting, or intersections); roadside hazards (e.g.,  utility poles, trees, and animals adjacent to the road); and roadway  conditions (e.g., rain, ice, snow, or fog). Vehicle factors include vehicle- related failures and vehicle design issues that contribute to a crash and are  important in both rural and urban crashes. Lastly, victim care includes the  quality of the emergency response and the hospitals that provide medical  treatment for those involved in a crash.
subsections: section_title: Several Human Behaviors Contribute to Rural Road Fatalities
paragraphs: Several human behaviors contribute to rural road fatalities, including  nonuse of safety belts, alcohol-impaired driving, speeding, and being  distracted or drowsy when driving. In general, human factors are  considered the most prevalent in contributing to crashes.
Not using safety belts contributes to fatalities in rural crashes. For  example, of the approximately 53,000 unrestrained (unbelted) vehicle  occupant fatalities that occurred from 2000 through 2002, about 36,000  or 68 percent occurred in rural areas. NHTSA research on safety belt use  in rural areas shows that rural areas are essentially similar to urban  areas in safety belt use rates. In 2002, NHTSA data showed about 73  percent belt use in rural areas and 72 percent in urban areas.
Alcohol-impaired driving contributed to 27,775 rural road fatalities from  2000 through 2002—about 63 percent of the 44,403 alcohol-related  fatalities nationwide. While, according to NHTSA data, there is little  difference between blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of rural and  urban drivers involved in fatal crashes, state officials told us that risks  from drinking and driving in rural areas are increased because of longer  driving distances and the lack of public transportation options available  to intoxicated drivers.
From 2000 through 2002, about 62 percent of the nation’s speeding  related fatalities were on rural roads, amounting to about 24,000 of the  39,000 fatalities where speed was a contributing factor, according to  NHTSA data. According to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety  officials, speed influences crashes by increasing the distance traveled  from when a driver detects an emergency until the driver reacts;  increasing the distance needed to stop; increasing the severity of an  accident (i.e., when speed increases from 40 to 60 miles per hour, the  energy released in a crash more than doubles); and reducing the ability  of the vehicles, restraint systems, and roadside hardware, such as  guardrails and barriers, to protect occupants.
Drivers who are distracted or drowsy also contribute to rural crashes.
For example, a 2002 NHTSA national survey found that drivers involved  in a distracted-related crash attribute their distraction to such items as  looking for something outside the car (23 percent of drivers in a  distracted-related crash), dealing with children or other passengers (19  percent), looking for something inside the car (14 percent), or another  driver (11 percent). A Virginia Commonwealth University pilot study of  distracted drivers found that for rural drivers in the study, crashes often  involved driver fatigue, insects striking the windshield or entering the  vehicle, and animals and unrestrained pet distractions. The study  found that in urban areas distracted driving crashes often involved  drivers looking at other crashes, traffic, or vehicles, or using cell  phones.
section_title: Roadway Environment Factors Contribute to Rural Road Fatalities
paragraphs: Roadway factors also contribute to rural road fatalities. Rural roads can be  narrow; have limited sight distance due to hills and curves; have small or  nonexistent shoulders; have no medians; and may have hazards or objects  near the roadway such as trees, utility poles, or animals. As a result of these  features, fatal crashes on two-lane rural roads are significant. For example,  FHWA reports that over 70 percent of single-vehicle run-off-the-road  fatalities occur on rural roadways and that about 90 percent of these were  on two-lane rural roads. Similarly, crashes involving vehicles crossing the  centerline and either sideswiping or striking the front end of oncoming  vehicles are a major problem in rural areas, accounting for about 20  percent of all fatal crashes on rural two-lane roads. In addition, crashes  with animals—specifically larger animals such as deer and elk-—are also  prevalent in rural areas. For example, according to the Deer-Vehicle Crash  Information Clearinghouse, there were more than 130,000 deer-vehicle  crashes reported in five states in 2000. In addition, a Highway Safety  Information System report examined five states’ experiences with motor  vehicle collisions involving animals and found that from 1985 through 1990,  74 percent to 94 percent of reported crashes involving animals occurred on  rural roads. The report also found that collisions involving animals ranged  from about 12 percent to 35 percent of all reported crashes on two-lane  rural roads. Rural roadway conditions can also contribute to rural crashes  and resulting fatalities. Surface conditions that can impair a driver’s ability  to control the vehicle include snow, ice, standing water, and oil, in addition  to such road surface features as potholes, ruts, and pavement edge drop- offs. Lack of lighting also contributes to rural road fatalities. For example, a  study performed for the Minnesota Department of Transportation found  that the installation of street lighting at isolated rural intersections reduced  both nighttime crash frequency (25 percent to 40 percent) and crash  severity (8 percent to 26 percent).
section_title: Vehicle Design Contributes to Rural Road Fatalities
paragraphs: The design of the vehicle can contribute to rural road fatalities. The wide  variances in vehicle sizes and weights, as well as vehicle configurations,  sometimes result in greater damage and injury to smaller vehicles and their  occupants if a collision occurs. For example, when heavy sport utility  vehicles (SUV) or pickup trucks collide with smaller cars, the occupants in  the lighter and lower vehicles are more likely to die as a result of the crash,  particularly if struck in the side. Vehicle design has been shown to affect  vehicle handling in particular types of maneuvers. In rural settings this is  important because the roads may be narrow and have sharp curves. The  design of the vehicle in these types of crashes can make a difference in  whether a run-off-the-road vehicle rolls over, one of the most serious types  of crashes. Almost three-fourths of fatal rollover crashes occur in rural  areas, according to a 2002 NHTSA study. In 2002, rollover crashes killed  10,666 occupants in passenger cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans. A study  by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that examined single-vehicle  rollover crashes concluded that the combined rollover crash rate for  pickup trucks and SUVs was more than twice the rate for passenger cars.  In addition, a NHTSA study found that in 2002, nearly two-thirds of the  3,995 SUV occupant fatalities occurred in rollover crashes.
section_title: Lack of Effective and Available Emergency Medical Services Contribute to Rural Road Fatalities
paragraphs: Lack of effective and available emergency medical services (EMS) also  contribute to rural road fatalities. For example, victims did not reach a  hospital within an hour of the crash in about 30 percent of the fatal crashes  on rural roads, according to NHTSA data for 2002. This compares with 8  percent of the fatal crashes on urban highways where victims did not reach  a hospital within an hour. In addition, the Emergency Medical Services  Division Chief at NHTSA told us that providing adequate medical care in  rural areas is more challenging due, in part, to the lack of trauma services.  A 2001 GAO report found that rural areas are more likely to rely on  volunteers rather than paid staff, and these volunteers may have fewer  opportunities to maintain skills or upgrade their skills with training.   According to an opinion survey of state EMS directors in 2000, rural areas  received significantly less coverage by emergency medical technicians,  paramedics, enhanced 911 services, and emergency dispatchers. Finally, a  1995 Montana study concluded that the absence of an organized trauma  care system contributed to preventable deaths from mechanical trauma,  including motor vehicle crashes.
section_title: Federal and State Efforts to Improve Highway Safety Include Rural Roads
paragraphs: Each year FHWA and NHTSA provide billions of dollars to states to  improve roadways and eliminate roadway hazards, as well as to improve  driver behavior. In addition to funding, FHWA and NHTSA provide  technical guidance and support for state safety programs and conduct  research on roadway safety. Neither agency has specific rural road safety  programs, but efforts to improve rural road safety are generally included  within programs that address broader aspects of highway construction or  highway safety. The states are ultimately responsible for deciding on the  use of the funding provided. The five states we contacted funded projects  that improved rural road safety. However, not all the states could identify  all funds used for rural road safety because the data were not collected nor  maintained in that manner. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the  relative emphasis that states place on rural road safety and whether the  emphasis has changed over time.
subsections: section_title: Funding Is Provided to States to Eliminate Roadway Hazards and Improve Driving Behavior but Portion Used for Rural Safety Is Unknown
paragraphs: FHWA and NHTSA provide the states funding to support a variety of  programs, part of which was used to improve rural road safety. In fiscal  year 2003, FHWA provided states and the District of Columbia with about  $27.4 billion in federal-aid highway funds. Under TEA-21, from fiscal year  1998 though fiscal year 2003, federal-aid highway funding totaled about  $167 billion. States use these funds to, among other things, construct new  roadways; maintain the interstate highway system through resurfacing,  restoring, rehabilitating, or reconstructing activities; and replace or  rehabilitate highway bridges. While many of these highway improvement  projects may include safety features that affect rural roads, the safety  features are not specifically segregated for reporting purposes. For  example, expanding a stretch of roadway to ease congestion could have an  added impact of improving safety but could be reported as reconstruction  or rehabilitation, depending on the actual project. In addition, construction  projects may include items that can improve or upgrade safety features  such as installing new guardrails or impact barriers but may not be  identified or accounted for as a safety improvement. However, the federal- aid highway funds include two specific safety programs—Hazard  Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossings—that can be used for rural road  safety improvements. In addition, NHTSA also provided states with funds  under TEA-21 to address driver behaviors.
As shown in figure 5, under TEA-21, from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal  year 2003, FHWA and NHTSA provided states about $6.7 billion specifically  to improve roadway safety and improve driver behavior.
From fiscal year 1998 through 2003, under TEA-21, FHWA provided about  $4 billion to states specifically for highway safety construction under two  programs—Hazard Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossing Programs.  Highway safety projects built with these funds include construction  projects to eliminate highway design hazards, such as narrow lanes or  sharp curves; improve intersections; or improve rail-highway grade  crossings. Under these programs, states can spend funds to address safety  construction issues on any public state or local roadway. Nationwide,  about $1.4 billion, or 49 percent, of the funds spent by states were used for  rural purposes. For fiscal year 2003, about $648 million went to the states  for hazard elimination and highway-rail crossings programs—about $330  million of which went to improve rural road safety.
Under TEA-21, from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2003, NHTSA  provided about $2.7 billion to states and the District of Columbia for  programs addressing driving behavior through formula grants, incentive  grants, and penalty transfer funds. (See fig. 6.)  Under the formula grants  program, about $859 million was provided to the states to carry out traffic  safety programs designed to influence drivers’ behavior in such areas as  safety belt use, alcohol-impaired driving, regional traffic safety initiatives,  traffic records and safety data collection systems, and pedestrian safety.  Incentive grants of about $1.2 billion under TEA-21 were provided to states  for achieving improvements in safety belt use, reducing drunk driving, and  improving highway safety data. Penalty transfer of funds was required  under TEA-21 for states that did not adopt specific laws prohibiting open  alcohol containers in passenger compartments or setting minimum  penalties for repeat drunk driving offenders. Under these requirements,  states that are currently subject to either penalty must transfer 3 percent of  their federal-aid highway construction funds to the NHTSA programs. The  transferred funds can be used to support behavioral programs to limit  drunk driving or can be spent on highway hazard elimination projects. In  fiscal year 2004, 23 states were subject to one or both penalty transfer  programs. From fiscal year 2001, when the penalties began, through fiscal  year 2003, about $637 million has been transferred under this program.  NHTSA does not collect information on the funds used for rural roads  because it is difficult to distinguish between urban and rural benefits of  many efforts, such as drunk driving television or radio spots or billboard  ads.
section_title: FHWA and NHTSA Provide Technical Guidance and Support for State Safety Programs that Include Rural Road Projects
paragraphs: FHWA provides safety training and technical assistance to state and local  governments, some of which pertains to rural road safety. For example,  FHWA’s National Highway Institute offers training for state transportation  department staffs. Some training focuses on rural road safety issues, such  as the 3-day course entitled “Safety and Operational Effects of Geometric  Design Features on Two-Lane Rural Highways,” which addresses the safety  impacts of highway features like lane and shoulder width, curves, and  intersection designs. FHWA also offers training and technical assistance to  states and others through its Resource Center offices in Baltimore, Chicago  (Olympia Fields), Atlanta, and San Francisco. For example, in 2003, the  Safety and Design National Technical Service Team from the Chicago  center conducted 23 different workshops, some of them multiple times, for  state and local officials. An example of a Resource Center activity that  pertained to rural roads was a 1-day workshop on low-cost safety  improvements. The workshop addressed more than 40 improvement  measures and how they might reduce crashes.
FHWA also offers training to local communities through its Local Technical  Assistance Program. Under this program, FHWA established a center in  every state to provide technical assistance to local highway program  managers. In addition, seven centers have been established to provide  technical assistance for tribal governments. The centers provide training  courses, outreach visits, newsletters, and technical resources to local  highway managers. Program officials said they have a constant demand for  a number of safety-related courses. Examples of course topics include road  safety fundamentals, road safety audits, data collection, safety  management systems, and construction zone flagger training. In addition,  FHWA, along with the Federal Transit Administration, has funded a Safety  Conscious Planning training course offered to state DOT officials and  others that helps them integrate safety as a key planning factor. Lastly,  FHWA provides guidance to states by issuing standards for traffic signs and  signals in a publication called the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control  Devices. The manual sets minimum standards for topics like traffic sign  size, placement, support, and nighttime visibility. In 2000, FHWA revised  the manual and included a new section called “Traffic Control Devices for  Low-Volume Roads.”
NHTSA provides technical assistance to state traffic safety programs  through its 10 regional offices. This assistance does not have a focus on  rural road safety but rather is intended to help states identify their most  important traffic safety problems, establish goals and performance  measures, and review annual safety plans and reports. NHTSA regional  offices provide training programs for state safety officials and encourage  them to participate in national programs like the “Click It or Ticket” safety  belt campaign. NHTSA staff from the regional offices and headquarters  also provide technical assistance to rural and other areas of the states by  participating in or supporting state assessments and forums on safety  topics like safety belt use, impaired driving, or data improvements. For  example, NHTSA’s Region III provided local governments in their five  states and the District of Columbia with a communication kit for  conducting a sobriety checkpoint campaign. It included background  information on drinking and driving, suggestions for core messages that the  localities could share with news organizations, sample news releases for  increasing public awareness of drunk driving and the checkpoint  campaign, and suggestions for preparing op-ed articles in local  newspapers. In addition, NHTSA published “Partners for Rural Traffic  Safety Action Kit” in 2001, in conjunction with the National Rural Health  Association. This action kit is based on the experience of 15 rural  community demonstration sites that conducted 30-day campaigns to  increase safety belt use. The association developed, tested, and revised a  step-by-step guide based on a community development process model and  created the Action Kit, which is available online and through NHTSA’s  resource center.
In fiscal years 2003 and 2004, the Congress also provided NHTSA $3 million  to support state efforts to increase safety belt use in minority, teen, and  rural populations. Two initiatives to address rural populations are under  way. One involves a 3-year demonstration program that tests community- based infrastructure development and delivery systems to increase rural  safety belt use. Demonstration projects are being conducted in Michigan,  Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The second is a 2-year program  designed to demonstrate the impact of various strategies to increase safety  belt use in pickup truck occupants, with concentrated activities in rural  areas. This demonstration program includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New  Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Indian Nations.
NHTSA has also been involved with the “First There, First Care” program  to increase bystander care for the injured. NHTSA, the Department of  Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services  Administration, and the American Trauma Society developed this program  to give motorists information, training, and confidence to provide basic  lifesaving care at the scene of a crash, increasing the chances of survival  for crash victims. Distribution of the program and its material to states and  others has focused on rural implementation.
section_title: FHWA and NHTSA Conduct Research That Includes Rural Road Safety Issues
paragraphs: In 2003, FHWA budgeted $10.9 million, or about 12 percent of its research  budget, for highway safety research and technology. This research  addressed four key safety topics:  run-off-the-road crashes, intersection  crashes, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and speed management. From a  rural roadway perspective, research on run-off-the-road and speed- related  crashes is particularly relevant. Over 70 percent of single-vehicle run-off- the-road fatalities occurred on rural roadways, and, according to a NHTSA  official, in 2001 over 80 percent of fatalities at speeds of 55 miles per hour  or higher occurred in rural areas. Many safety research efforts apply to  both rural and urban roads, but FHWA’s work on the Interactive Highway  Safety Design Model specifically addressed two-lane rural roads. This  computer model provides a means of measuring the safety and operational  impacts of various design decisions that might be used in stretches of two- lane roadway. It is anticipated that state and local highway planners and  designers will use the model to help them evaluate various construction  and improvement options.
FHWA also provides funding for highway research by others. For example,  under TEA-21, from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2003, FHWA  provided states $3.1 billion for Statewide Planning and Research. Under  this program, TEA-21 required that the states use at least 25 percent of  these funds, or $769 million, for transportation research, which includes  conducting research on improving highway safety. Two of the states we  visited provided examples of such research. For example, Texas sponsored  research into crashes on low-volume rural two-lane highways and potential  alternatives to avoid them, and Minnesota sponsored research on driver  response to rumble strips and innovative research to address lane  departures and intersection collisions, both safety issues on the state’s  rural roads. FHWA has also provided funding through the states for the  National Cooperative Highway Research Program, conducted by the  National Research Council, which has been working on a safety design  model for multilane rural roads and a Highway Safety Manual that would  provide commonly accepted safety guidance on rural and urban highway  design.
NHTSA conducts research that addresses both driver behavioral and  vehicle safety issues. NHTSA’s behavioral highway safety research program  had a 2003 budget of $7.4 million. It focused on areas such as impaired  driving, occupant protection, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcycle  riders. According to NHTSA officials, their research generally addresses  safety problem areas rather than rural or urban localities, but the results  may be applicable to both rural and urban areas. Furthermore, in 2003,  NHTSA’s vehicle safety research program received $69 million to, among  other things, collect and analyze crash data. The Fatality Analysis  Reporting System (FARS) tracks fatality data at a cost of about $5.7 million  per year, and the General Estimates System provides descriptive statistics  about traffic crashes of all severities at a cost of up to $3 million per year,  according to NHTSA officials.
section_title: States Are Responsible for Identifying and Implementing Improvements to Rural Road Safety
paragraphs: While DOT provides states with funding, research, oversight, and guidance,  ultimately states are responsible for identifying and addressing their  roadway safety problems. The five states we visited had plans and  initiatives that addressed what they determined to be their most important  safety problems on all roadways, including rural roads. State efforts to  improve rural road safety include eliminating rural roadway hazards  through construction projects to widen lanes and shoulders and through  lower-cost approaches, such as adding shoulder and centerline rumble  strips, expanding clear zones along the roadways, installing intersection  beacon lights, and improving signage and road markings. In addition, each  state had programs that attempted to alter driver behavior through such  efforts as increasing enforcement of traffic laws and conducting  community awareness campaigns that include the use of paid advertising  on television and radio. Two states also increased enforcement by  conducting sobriety checkpoints. All but one of the states could not  provide details on all the funds used to address rural road safety because  data were not collected and maintained in that way. Most state officials we  spoke with supported the current flexibility they have to use the funds  provided in areas they determine are the most important and did not favor  having a separate rural road program or initiative. One official in  Pennsylvania told us that having a separate rural road program would help  bring needed attention to rural road safety.
The following are examples of rural-related projects supported in the five  states we visited. Appendix II has additional information on the funding  received by these states and the activities they support.
California—The California Highway Patrol is leading a task force that is  examining the safety of all state corridors based on fatality and accident  data. This effort has identified 20 high-risk corridors in the state, of  which 16 were two-lane roads with a majority of the corridors in rural  areas. The task force is responsible for making both infrastructure and  behavioral improvement recommendations to address the safety issue  with these high-risk corridors. In addition, California is supporting a  Traffic Collision Reduction on County Roads Project. For this effort, the  Highway Patrol received $1.9 million from the California Office of  Traffic Safety to reduce crashes on county roads by increasing  enforcement of traffic violations that often lead to collisions:  speeding,  right-of-way violations, failing to drive on the right half of the road,  improper turning, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  California also uses sobriety checkpoints to discourage drinking and  driving.
Georgia—Using FHWA hazard elimination funding, the state has  undertaken several roadway improvement programs that address  aspects of rural road safety. For example, Georgia identified four  problem areas that it focused on in 2003—run-off-the-road crashes,  intersection crashes, car-train crashes, and animal crashes. A Georgia  official said that the run-off-the-road and animal crashes were  particularly prevalent in rural settings. A Georgia official said that the  state is adding shoulder rumble strips and centerline reflectors to help  reduce the run-off-the-road crashes, and, to reduce animal crashes, the  state is expanding the recovery zone beyond the clear zone along some  roads, culling deer herds, and researching light and sound devices to  warn drivers of deer presence.
Minnesota—State traffic safety officials have implemented several  construction and behavioral initiatives to improve rural road safety. The  “Towards Zero Deaths” initiative, for example, is an ongoing  collaborative program among the Minnesota Department of  Transportation, Public Safety, State Patrol, and local safe community  organizations to provide grants to localities that work with safety  officials to develop a plan to reduce traffic fatalities. In addition, the  state Department of Transportation completed a statewide audit of  intersections and corridors in 2003. The audit identified and ranked the  top 200 intersections and 150 corridors with the highest crash costs.  Rural areas accounted for 54 of the intersections and 53 of the corridors.  The Department of Transportation’s goal is to address 40 of these high  crash cost intersections and corridors for safety improvements each  year in the State Transportation Improvement Plan. Further, the  Department of Transportation has made extensive use of shoulder  rumble strips and is beginning to use centerline rumble strips on two- lane roadways.
Pennsylvania—Pennsylvania has installed 300 miles of centerline  rumble strips on rural roadways in an effort to help warn drivers that  they have strayed from their lane. State transportation officials  estimated that rumble strips could reduce vehicle run-off-the-road  crashes by 25 percent. In addition, Pennsylvania implemented a  Tailgating Treatment program in which dots are painted on the state’s  rural roadways to help drivers determine a safe following distance.
Pennsylvania officials told us they also funded over 100 rural projects  that focused on improving occupant protection, reducing impaired  driving, and supporting community traffic safety efforts, and they  conducted 722 sobriety checkpoints and DUI roving patrols during fiscal  year 2002.
Texas—For fiscal year 2004, the state identified 235 hazard elimination  projects that it plans on undertaking, most of which were on rural roads.  These $43.4 million in projects include such things as adding  intersection beacon lights, widening lanes, and adding rumble strips to  roadways. In addition, district engineers assessed 30,000 miles of rural  two-lane highways in 2003, checking the appropriateness of speed limits  and the condition of signs and pavement markings and assessing  pavement edge drop-offs and curve warnings. Based on these  assessments, changes will be made to address the most important  findings.
section_title: Many Challenges Hinder Efforts to Improve Rural Road Safety
paragraphs: Many challenges hinder efforts to improve rural road safety. For example,  some states have not adopted the most effective safety belt use and  impaired driving laws. In addition, the sheer volume of rural roads and the  low volume of traffic on some of them, combined with the high cost of  major construction improvements makes it difficult to rebuild rural roads  with safer designs. Also, while states can use federal highway funds  provided for hazard elimination and rail-highway crossing safety  improvements on any public roads or public crossings, most of the federal- aid highway funds cannot be used on certain rural roads—the rural minor  collector and rural local roads. In addition, most rural roads are not state  owned but rather are the responsibility of municipalities, counties, or  townships, which may have limited resources. Further, some states lack  information upon which to make informed decisions on potential road  safety solutions, regardless of whether the road is rural or urban. Lastly,  reducing fatalities on rural roads is also made more difficult because of  limitations in emergency medical services in rural areas. Several proposals  that the Congress is considering could potentially improve rural road  safety.
subsections: section_title: Some States Have Not Enacted Laws on Safety Belt Use and Drinking and Driving
paragraphs: While the Congress has provided incentives and penalties to encourage  states to pass various laws to increase safety belt use and reduce drinking  and driving, many states have not done so. These two factors are  particularly important given that, in more than 36,000 rural fatalities due to  passenger car, light truck, or van crashes, victims were not using safety  belts, and more than 27,000 rural fatalities were identified as alcohol  related, from 2000 through 2002. While these laws are not directed  specifically to rural road safety, the issues they address are applicable to all  types of roadways. According to a report by the Advocates for Highway and  Auto Safety, as of January 1, 2004:  Thirty states have not enacted primary safety belt laws, which allow  police officers to pull over and cite motorists exclusively for the  infraction of not using their safety belts. Twenty-nine of these states  have enacted secondary safety belt laws. Secondary belt laws allow  police to issue a safety belt citation only if the motorist is pulled over for  another infraction, such as speeding or an expired license tag. One state  allows occupants over 18 to not use safety belts. As noted in our prior  report, states with secondary enforcement laws can increase safety belt  use, but their success is limited by the difficulty in effectively enforcing  the law.
Fourteen states have not enacted laws consistent with federal  requirements for prohibiting open alcohol container in motor vehicles.  Open container laws prohibit the possession of any open alcoholic  beverage container or the consumption of any alcoholic beverage in the  passenger area of a motor vehicle. In addition, 14 states have not  enacted laws consistent with the federal requirement for penalizing  repeat drunk driving offenders. Taken together, 23 different states have  not enacted laws that are consistent with at least one of these two  program requirements.
Three states have not established .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC)  as the legal limit for drunk driving. In 2000, the Congress provided that  states that did not do so would have 2 percent of their federal-aid  highway funds withheld in 2004. The penalty grows to a high of 8  percent in 2007. States adopting the standard by 2007 would be  reimbursed for any funds withheld.
section_title: Safety Improvements to Rural Roads Limited by the Combination of the Millions of Miles of Rural Roads, Low Volume of Traffic, and High Cost of Construction
paragraphs: Due to the extensive size of the rural highway system, the low volume of  traffic on many rural roads and the high costs that would be incurred to  make major safety changes, state and local governments find it difficult to  undertake major safety construction programs on some rural roads. As a  result, lower-cost alternatives are pursued to improve rural road safety in  many situations.
Of the 3.9 million miles of the nation’s road system, rural roads account for  about 3 million miles (about 77 percent). In addition, most of the rural  mileage is on the lowest functional class of rural roads—local rural roads— that account for about 68 percent of the rural roads (about 2.1 million  miles). While making up three-fourths of the nation’s road system, rural  roads overall carry only about 40 percent of the traffic, with the rural local  roads carrying about 5 percent of the traffic.
Although use of rural roads is low, the costs associated with major  construction projects on rural roads are high. For example, FHWA’s  Highway Economic Requirements System model estimates the cost of  widening 11-foot lanes to 12-foot lanes at about $186,000 per mile—over  five times the cost of resurfacing the 11-foot lanes. In addition, an official  from FHWA’s Kentucky Division Office told us it would cost about $200,000  to $250,000 per mile to widen low-volume rural roads by 1 foot. Further, a  Transportation Research Board report noted that providing wider cross- sections (wider lanes, wider full-strength shoulders, and enabling 100  percent passing sight-distance) on a two-lane roadway could cost from  about $1 million to $3 million per mile. As a result, low-cost  improvements are an option to be considered for many rural roads. For  example, FHWA has identified more than 40 low-cost improvements that  states can use on rural roads at high-crash locations. Examples include  installing rumble strips to roadways, moving trees or utility poles away  from the roadway, adding or improving roadside signs, and adding lighting  or flashing beacons to intersections and rail-highway grade crossings. See  appendix III for more information on the low-cost alternatives.
section_title: States Are Limited in Using Federal Aid Highway Funds for Certain Rural Roadways
paragraphs: Because of program requirements, states cannot use all categories of  federal-aid highway funds for certain rural roads. These limitations specify  that funds used for constructing new roadways or conducting major  renovations of roadways cannot be used for rural local roads, rural minor  collectors, or for urban local roads. These program restrictions were made  to ensure that the interstate highway system and other roads with higher  expected traffic have adequate funds to meet the transportation needs of  the public, according to a FHWA official. While some other federal-aid  highway funds are available for all rural roads, such as the Hazard  Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossing Programs within the Surface  Transportation Program, these roadways receive significantly less funding  per mile than urban counterparts. As shown in table 1, of the $30 billion  provided to states in fiscal year 2002, about $12.1 billion went to all rural  roads, with $541 million going to rural local roads.
States are also challenged in making improvements in rural road safety  because, in most states, large portions of rural roads are not directly under  the responsibility of the state but rather fall under the jurisdiction of  counties, municipalities, or townships.   Nationwide, about 78 percent of all  rural roads (2.4 million of the nation’s 3.1 million rural miles) are not owned  by the states. About 93 percent (about 2.0 million miles) of the rural local  roads are not under state jurisdiction. In 45 states, jurisdictions other than  the state own 75 percent or more of their rural local roads. (See fig. 7.)
Some local officials in states we visited said they were challenged to make  costly rural road construction improvements without finding other sources  of funds to supplement those provided by states, such as issuing bonds or  increasing local taxes. In addition, a study for the National Cooperative  Highway Research Program noted that many of the roads most in need of  roadside safety improvements are under the control of local governments  that have the least amount of resources to address the needs.
section_title: Information Lacking on Crashes and the Effectiveness of Countermeasures Used
paragraphs: Accurate, timely crash data are important for planning future urban and  rural highway safety programs and assessing the impacts of recent projects  or programs to improve safety. States rely on crash data from fatality  crashes, injury crashes, and property-damage-only crashes to identify  safety problems and plan safety improvements. Some states we visited  identified problems with their crash data system and were trying to  improve their crash data to make them more accurate, complete, and  timely. For example, Texas is about 2 ½ years behind in entering crash data  from police accident reports into its data system. State officials pointed out  that without timely data, it is difficult to determine if the actions taken on a  stretch of road had the intended effect. To make the data timelier, Texas  plans to have a new system in place by fiscal year 2005, at a cost of $14  million. The new Texas system would encourage local law enforcement  agencies to collect, validate, and report crash data electronically. It would  also provide centralized analysis, review, and data reporting to agencies  that plan and conduct state highway safety programs. Georgia modified its  crash data processing in 1998, but the changes were not successful,  according to a Georgia State Auditor’s report. In 2001, a new agency took  over the crash data system and, after a data recovery effort, eliminated a  multi-year backlog of crash data reporting by 2003. In addition, California is  testing a system that would allow data recorded by police to be directly  reported into a database through handheld electronic systems, thereby  speeding the availability of the information. The information would be  recorded in the Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System database  that is used to help traffic safety officials select safety initiatives.
section_title: Difficulties in Providing Adequate Emergency Medical Services
paragraphs: Reducing rural road fatalities is also hampered by the difficulty of  providing prompt emergency medical services in rural settings. For  example, we reported in 2001 that state and local officials told us that rural  areas are less likely than urban areas to have 911 emergency dialing, and  their communication between dispatchers or medical facilities and  emergency vehicles are more likely to suffer from “dead spots”—areas  where messages cannot be heard. The report also found that rural areas  are more likely to rely on EMS volunteers rather than paid staff, and these  volunteers may have fewer opportunities to maintain or upgrade their skills  with training. In addition, the report noted that officials from national  associations representing EMS physicians have indicated that long  distances and potentially harsh weather conditions in rural areas can  accelerate EMS vehicle wear and put these vehicles out of service more  often. Survivability after a crash decreases as the time required for an  injured person to receive medical treatment increases. Further, according  to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report, a  lack of rapid trauma treatment is critical during the seconds and minutes  that immediately follow a crash. The report noted that the risk of dying  before medical attention can be provided increases as the crash location is  further removed from trained rescue staff and trauma medical facilities. A  study of fatalities in Michigan also highlights the impact of providing  emergency care in rural areas. The study found that of 155 fatalities in 24  Michigan rural counties in 1995, 12.9 percent of the fatalities were  definitely preventable or possibly preventable if rapid and appropriate  emergency treatment had been available.
section_title: Proposals Being Considered to Improve Roadway Safety
paragraphs: Congress is considering legislation that includes proposals to improve  highway safety, including safety on rural roads. The proposals include two  bills for the reauthorization of TEA-21: (1) the Safe, Accountable, Flexible,  and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2004 (SAFETEA), S. 1072,  passed by the Senate in February 2004, and (2) the Transportation Equity  Act:  A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU), H.R. 3550, passed by the House in April  2004. Each of these proposals has features that could impact highway  safety and, in some cases, directly address rural roads.
Incentives for Enacting Stronger State Traffic Safety Laws. Safety belt  use and impaired driving are important factors in rural road fatalities. S.  1072 would provide grants to states for enactment of primary safety belt  laws and would reward those states that already have this law. The  proposal offers a maximum of $600 million in potential grants to states  that enact and retain primary laws. H.R. 3550 requires states that do not  meet federal open-container laws or federal requirements for penalizing  repeat drunk driving offenders to transfer 3 percent of certain federal- aid highway program funds to their Section 402 State and Community  Grants Program. H.R. 3550 requires the transfer of 3 percent of certain  federal-aid highway funds to Section 402 programs in states that have  not enacted a primary seat belt law or achieved 90 percent belt usage.  H.R. 3550 also includes a penalty provision that requires the withholding  of 2 percent to 8 percent of certain federal-aid highway funds if a state  has not enacted a law establishing .08 blood alcohol content as the legal  limit for drunk driving. Finally, H.R. 3550 provides 1 year of additional  funding for seat belt and drunk driving incentive grants. In addition,  S.1072 proposes to withhold 2 percent of certain highway construction  funds to those states that have not enacted open-container laws for  fiscal years 2008 to 2011.
Direct Funding for High-Risk Rural Roads. Poor roadway design can  contribute to rural road fatalities. H.R. 3550 would authorize $675  million over 6 fiscal years for safety projects on high-risk rural roads.  States could use federal funding to improve the safety of rural major  collectors, rural minor collectors, or rural local roads that have, or that  are expected to have, higher than average statewide fatality and  incapacitating injury rates.
New Highway Safety Improvement Program. Both S. 1072 and H.R.  3550 contain provisions for a new highway safety improvement program  to replace the current statutory requirement that states set aside 10  percent of their Surface Transportation Program funds for carrying out  Hazard Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossing Programs. S. 1072 would  authorize $8.2 billion over 6 years for the program and H.R. 3550  proposes a level of $3.3 billion over 5 years. S. 1072 requires states to  have crash data systems and the ability to perform safety problem  identification and countermeasure analysis to use safety improvement  funds. Both bills maintain state flexibility to use safety improvement  funds for safety projects on any public road or publicly owned bicycle or  pedestrian pathway or trail or public surface transportation facility. In  both bills, states must identify roadway locations, sections, and  elements that constitute a hazard to motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians,  and other highway users and develop and implement projects to address  the hazards identified.
Enhanced Federal Funding for State Safety Data. Some of the states  we visited had identified weaknesses in their highway data systems. S.  1072 and H.R. 3550 would each create a new State Traffic Safety  Information System Improvement grant. Funding would be authorized  at $45 million per year under S. 1072 and $24 million to $39 million per  year (for 5 fiscal years—2005 through 2009) under H.R. 3550. Larger  states could qualify for larger grants, but the minimum grant amount  would be $300,000 per year. By comparison, federal funding for data  improvement grants under TEA-21 was never more than $11 million per  year and was only available in fiscal years 1999 through 2002. H.R. 3550  also allocates $4 million from NHTSA research authorizations to further  develop a transportation safety information management system to  provide for the collection, integration, management, and dissemination  of safety data for state and local safety agencies.
Proposals for New Safety Research. S. 1072 and H.R. 3550 would fund  strategic highway research programs. S. 1072 would provide $450  million for this purpose and H.R. 3550 would provide $329 million.  According to the related NCHRP planning study, 40 percent of the  funds—$180 million—would support safety research. The goal of this  safety research is to prevent or reduce the severity of highway crashes  through more accurate knowledge of crash factors and of the cost- effectiveness of selected countermeasures in addressing these factors.  The research plan focuses on road departure and intersection collisions,  which represent 58 percent of traffic fatalities.
Comprehensive Highway Safety Planning. S. 1072 requires states to  develop and implement strategic highway safety plans that are  comprehensive, data driven, and based on a collaborative process  involving state and local safety stakeholders. The plans must be  comprehensive, including all aspects of highway safety—infrastructure,  driver behavior, motor carrier, and emergency medical services. They  must be based on improved crash data collection and analysis. While not  directed specifically at rural road safety, the collaborative process  required by this provision provides an opportunity for local rural  officials and leaders to participate in developing the goals and  investments included in the plan. H.R. 3550 would encourage  comprehensive safety planning for both behavioral and construction  safety programs.
Flexibility in Moving Funds between FHWA and NHTSA Programs.
S. 1072 allows states to use up to a quarter of their Highway Safety  Improvement Program funds for behavioral projects, if the projects are  included in a state comprehensive highway safety improvement plan.
Improving Emergency Medical Systems. The presence of timely  competent medical attention has been shown to reduce rural and other  traffic fatalities. S. 1072 would create an Emergency Medical Services  grant program to provide state EMS offices funds for conducting  coordinated EMS and 911 programs. S. 1072 would provide $5 million  annually and would create a Federal Interagency Committee on  Emergency Medical Services that would coordinate federal agencies’  involvement with state, local, tribal, or regional emergency medical  services and 911 services and to identify the needs of those entities.
section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: We provided copies of a draft of this report to the Department of  Transportation for its review and comment. The department generally  agreed with the report’s contents and provided some technical comments,  which we incorporated where appropriate. In discussing this report,  agency officials noted that safety should be part of every project designed  and built with federal-aid funds.
We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Transportation, the  Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the  Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and to interested  congressional committees. We will also provide copies to others on  request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on GAO’s Web  site at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff have any questions about the report, please contact me  at (202) 512-2834. Key contributors to this report were Samer Abbas, Rick  Calhoon, Colin Fallon, Sara Moessbauer, Stacey Thompson, and Glen  Trochelman.
section_title: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
paragraphs: The Conference Report accompanying the 2003 Consolidated  Appropriation Resolution directed us to review aspects of rural road safety  and report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. To meet  this requirement, we identified (1) factors contributing to rural road  fatalities, (2) federal and state efforts to improve safety on the nation’s  rural roads, and (3) challenges that may hinder making improvements in  rural road safety.
To identify the factors contributing to rural road fatalities, we  supplemented an earlier GAO report, Highway Safety:  Research  Continues on a Variety of Factors That Contribute to Motor Vehicle  Crashes (GAO-03-436, March 2003), with information from the Federal  Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety  Administration, and other organizations with knowledge of this issue, such  as the National Association of Counties and the American Association of  State Highway and Transportation Officials. We also reviewed studies  identifying factors that contribute to rural road fatalities. For each of the  selected studies that are used in this report, we determined whether the  study’s findings were generally reliable. To do so, we evaluated the  methodological soundness of the studies using common social science and  statistical practices. For example, we examined each study’s methodology,  including its limitations, data sources, analyses, and conclusions.
In addition, we updated the earlier report by obtaining more current  information on traffic deaths by using data from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis  Reporting System (FARS). This database provides information on all  traffic-related fatalities. Each state provides NHTSA fatality data in a  standardized format. To be included in the database, a crash must result in  the death of an occupant or nonmotorist within 30 days of the incident. The  states obtain this information from such sources as police reports, vehicle  registration files, state driver licensing files, death certificates, coroner or  medical examiner reports, and hospital records. It should be noted that  while fatality data is useful in understanding crashes, other factors in  addition to those involved in causing the crash might have contributed to  the fatality. This would include whether safety belt or other occupant  protection measures were used and functioned properly. Before using this  data, we assessed the reliability of the FARS data by reviewing the data for  obvious errors in accuracy and completeness, reviewing existing  information about the data, and interviewing agency officials  knowledgeable about the data. We determined that the data were  sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report.
Further, in providing information on factors contributing to rural road  fatalities, we identified fatalities per million miles traveled. To do so, we  used vehicle miles traveled data maintained by FHWA in its Highway  Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). This system is a national-level  highway information system that includes data on the extent, condition,  performance, use, and operating characteristics of the nation’s highways.  In general, HPMS contains administrative and extent of system information  on all public roads. The HPMS obtains vehicle-miles-traveled data from  each state, and states have different methods for collecting certain travel  information. We assessed the reliability of the HPMS data by reviewing it  for obvious errors in accuracy and completeness, reviewing existing  information about the data, and interviewing agency officials  knowledgeable about the data. There are certain limitations associated  with using these data. For example, the quality of the data in the system  relies on state data collection techniques. HPMS guidance is flexible so that  each state has its own approach, and some approaches do not require  annual revisions. In addition, vehicle-miles-traveled data may not be  comparable from state to state. However, we determined that the data were  sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report.
To identify federal and state efforts to improve rural road safety, we  interviewed and obtained documentation from officials in the Federal  Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety  Administration. In addition, we reviewed state use of safety funds by  meeting with safety officials in five states. We selected Minnesota, which  DOT officials recommended as having a good rural road safety program,  and the four states with the highest rural vehicle miles traveled: California,  Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas. In each of these locations we met with  state officials responsible for the FHWA and NHTSA programs, as well as  some officials at the local level. We also reviewed recently issued guides,  models, and training programs intended to help traffic safety officials  improve their rural road safety programs, such as the Transportation  Research Board’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program 500  Report series that serves as guidance for implementing the American  Association of State Highway Transportation Officials’ Strategic Highway  Safety Plan.
To identify challenges that hinder making improvements in rural roads, we  interviewed federal and state officials identified above and contacted  experts from academia and advocacy groups. In addition, we attended a  Rural Road Safety Roundtable in West Virginia at which participants  discussed challenges facing rural road safety. We relied on NHTSA and a  report by the Advocates for Highway Safety to identify the status of the 50  states’ compliance with various federal highway safety statues. We also  reviewed various legislative proposals that may help address the issues.  The legislative proposals included bills for the reauthorization of TEA-21:   (1) the Senate passed S. 1072, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient  Transportation Equity Act of 2004 (SAFETEA) and (2) the House passed  H.R. 3550, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU). We  also reviewed the administration’s proposal, the Safe, Accountable,  Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003; the Senate  Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation bill S. 1978, the  Surface Transportation Safety Reauthorization Act of 2003; and the House  Committee on Science bill H.R. 3551, the Surface Transportation Research  and Development Act of 2004. However, the Senate and House passed S.  1072 and H.R. 3550, respectively, so we did not include them in the report.
We performed our review from July 2003 through April 2004 in accordance  with generally accepted government auditing standards.
section_title: Examples of State Activities to Improve Rural Road Safety
paragraphs: We obtained information from five states (California, Georgia, Minnesota,  Pennsylvania, and Texas) on the number of fatalities on their roadways, the  federal funding they receive for safety purposes, and a description of the  types of projects these funds support.
subsections: section_title: California
paragraphs: During 2002, 1,713 people were killed on rural roads in California—the  second-highest total in the nation. When adjusted for miles traveled,  California’s fatality rate on rural roads is about 2.67 fatalities per 100  million vehicle miles traveled—greater than the national average of 2.29.  Rural fatalities accounted for approximately 42 percent of all state roadway  fatalities in 2002.
In fiscal year 2003, California was provided over $2.5 billion in federal-aid  highway funds. About $60.5 million of these funds were provided for  Hazard Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossing programs. These programs  provided construction-related safety improvements on public roads,  transportation facilities, bicycle or pedestrian pathways or trails, and for  rail-highway crossing safety programs. California also received about  $100.4 million in fiscal year 2003 to improve roadway safety through a  variety of activities designed to influence driving behavior. About $47.5  million of the funds California received were transferred from the state’s  federal-aid highway program because the state’s repeat offender law did  not meet federal standards.
California officials told us that they estimate they spent about $69.5 million  on 58 rural road hazard elimination-related projects in 2003. Examples  include:   The 2-3 Lane Safety Program. The California Department of  Transportation uses past crash analysis to identify cross-centerline  crash locations on two- and three-lane roadways for safety  investigations. The agency then attempts to utilize the most cost- effective solutions to make these roadways safer. In 2002, the agency  identified 50 areas, 47 of which were located in rural locations.
Run-Off-the-Road Task Force. The California Department of  Transportation currently has a task force examining locations where a  number of run-off-the-road crashes are occurring. The agency then  attempts to utilize cost-effective strategies to reduce the number or  severity of these types of collisions. In 2003, about 73 percent of the  locations identified were in rural areas. The agency hopes to proceed  with the run-off-the-road monitoring program by the end of 2004.
California is also using about $48 million of the NHTSA provided funds to  support 732 behavioral programs in fiscal year 2004. Of these funds,  California officials identified about $9.9 million being used to support 80  rural road-related programs. These projects include emergency medical  initiatives such as the “First There, First Care” program, which will train  young drivers in 54 schools in 11 counties on providing basic first aid at the  scene of a motor vehicle crash. In addition, California’s Office of Traffic  Safety has worked with the California Highway Patrol to implement two  programs that have rural road safety impacts:  Corridor Safety Project. The California Highway Patrol is leading a task  force that is examining the safety of all state corridors, based on fatality  and accident data. This effort has identified 20 high-risk corridors in the  state, of which 16 were two-lane roads, mostly in rural areas. The task  force is responsible for making both behavioral and infrastructure  improvement recommendations to address the safety issue with these  high-risk corridors.
Traffic Collision Reduction on County Roads Project. For the 2004  fiscal year, the Highway Patrol received $1.9 million from the Office of  Traffic Safety to reduce crashes on county roads by increasing  enforcement of traffic violations that often lead to collisions:  speeding,  right-of-way violations, failing to drive on the right half of the road,  improper turning, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
section_title: Georgia
paragraphs: During 2002, Georgia had 902 fatalities on its rural roadways. When  adjusted for miles traveled, Georgia’s fatality rate on rural roads was 1.81  fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled—below the national  average of 2.29 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Rural  fatalities accounted for approximately 59 percent of all state roadway  fatalities in 2002.
In fiscal year 2003, Georgia received $975 million in federal-aid highway  funds. About $25.3 million of these funds were provided for the Hazard  Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossing Programs. Using these funds, the  state has undertaken several roadway improvement programs that address  aspects of rural road safety. For example, Georgia identified four problem  areas that it focused on in 2003—run-off-the-road crashes, intersection  crashes, car-train crashes, and animal crashes. A Georgia official said that  the run-off-the-road and animal crashes were particularly prevalent in rural  settings. He said that they are adding shoulder rumble strips and centerline  reflectors to help reduce the run-off-the-road crashes, and to reduce animal  crashes they are expanding the recovery area along some roads, culling  deer herds, and researching light and sound devices to warn drivers of deer  presence. In addition, Georgia is developing a Lane Departure Strategic  Action Plan with the goal of reducing the lane departure serious injury and  death rate from 4.93 per 100 million miles traveled in 2003 to 3.29 in 2008  and preventing 750 serious injuries and deaths annually. A draft of this plan  recognizes that roadway departures on rural highways are a predominate  concern. To meet this goal, Georgia is developing an approach that will use  low-cost construction improvement; corridor enforcement, education, and  engineering enhancements; local lane departure safety initiatives, targeted  use of medium- to high-cost improvements at high-crash locations, and  statewide initiatives to improve safe driver behaviors.
According to Georgia officials, the state has also replaced its safety data  system. It hopes to upgrade the current system of recording crash locations  by use of more accurate global positioning technology at the crash scene,  which would help them better identify problem areas throughout the state.  In addition to these state initiatives, FHWA officials said Georgia is  participating in AASHTO research projects that address run-off-the-road  crashes and comprehensive state strategic highway safety plans.
The state has also participated in two major NHTSA-sponsored behavioral  programs:  the eight-state evaluation of the “Click It or Ticket” safety belt  campaign in 2001 and the current impaired driving strategic evaluation  study, according to NHTSA officials. Georgia identified a need to increase  use of safety belts, booster seats, and child safety seats among rural and  minority populations statewide, so it initiated efforts to involve rural and  minority communities in local initiatives to increase safety belt usage rates.  Under the impaired driving study, enforcement agencies conduct at least  one sobriety checkpoint per month in every county.
section_title: Minnesota
paragraphs: In 2002, 479 people were killed on Minnesota’s rural roads. When adjusted  for miles traveled, Minnesota’s fatality rate on rural roads was about 1.8  fatalities per 100 million miles traveled—less than the national average of  2.29. Rural fatalities accounted for approximately 73 percent of all state  roadway fatalities in 2002.
In 2003, Minnesota received about $395 million in federal-aid highway  funds. About $12.1 million of these funds were provided for hazard  elimination projects, for construction-related safety improvements, and for  rail-highway crossing improvements. The state also received about $14.7  million for NHTSA programs designed to improve behavioral activities.  State officials could not provide a breakdown of how much of these funds  was used for rural road safety projects.
While the state does not have a specific rural road safety program, state  traffic safety officials have implemented several construction and  behavioral initiatives to improve rural road safety. The “Towards Zero  Deaths” initiative, for example, is an ongoing collaborative program among  the state department of transportation, public safety, state patrol, and local  “safe community” organizations to reduce highway fatalities. The program  provides grants to localities that work with safety officials to coordinate a  plan to reduce traffic fatalities. Other behavioral initiatives include the  following:  NightCAP is a program involving concentrated alcohol patrols  scheduled in conjunction with local events that serve alcohol, for  example, music festivals that attract big crowds and where alcohol is  sold or allowed to be consumed. Local, county, and state law  enforcement patrol roads to look particularly for drivers showing signs  of impairment. Releases are sent out to local press and broadcast media  informing the local population that enforcement will be present during  the event. In fiscal year 2003, $615,000 of federal funding was spent on  the NightCAP program. About 50 percent of the events were in rural  areas of Minnesota.
Safe & Sober is a project involving municipal and county law  enforcement agencies that target impaired driving and occupant  protection issues through a combination of enhanced law enforcement  and publicity. According to state officials, in fiscal year 2003, $1,335,600  in federal funding was spent on the program. Approximately 50 percent  of this program is carried out in rural areas of the state.
In addition, in 2003 the state Department of Transportation completed a  statewide audit of high crash cost intersections and corridors. The audit  ranked the top 200 intersections and 150 corridors with the highest crash  costs. Of the top 200 intersections identified, 54 were located in rural areas;  of the top 150 corridors identified, 53 were located in rural areas. The  Department of Transportation’s goal is to address 40 of these high crash  cost intersections and corridors for safety improvements each year in the  State Transportation Improvement Plan. Further, according to state  officials, the Department of Transportation has made extensive use of  shoulder rumble strips and is beginning to use centerline rumble strips on  two-lane roadways.
Approximately $9 million in federal funds was transferred from  construction to safety activities in 2003 because Minnesota’s laws in  regards to repeat drunk drivers did not meet federal requirements.   Officials at the state Department of Public Safety said that they plan to use  half of those funds for hazard elimination projects such as replacing  twisted-end guardrails and researching the visibility effects of installing  wider edge lines and reflective wet pavement markings. Officials believe  that this will have a major impact on preventing or reducing the severity of  run-off-the-road crashes. The Department of Public Safety plans to use the  other half to address impaired driving. Specifically, Minnesota plans to  upgrade its driver license information system to improve the tracking of  problem drivers, focusing on impaired driving. The state also plans to  implement traffic safety programs promoting safety belt use and  discouraging drinking and driving among 21 to 34 year olds. To improve  emergency medical services in rural areas, Minnesota plans to reduce the  amount of “dead spots”—areas where messages cannot be heard—so that  law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation officials  can communicate with each other in more remote areas of the state.
section_title: Pennsylvania
paragraphs: In 2002, there were 1,001 fatalities on Pennsylvania’s rural roads. When  adjusted for miles traveled, Pennsylvania’s fatality rate on rural roads is  2.15 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled—less than the national  average of 2.29. Rural fatalities accounted for approximately 62 percent of  all state roadway fatalities in 2002.
Pennsylvania received about $1.4 billion in federal-aid highway funds in  fiscal year 2003. Of these funds, about $21.4 million were provided for  hazard elimination projects for construction-related safety improvements  and for improving safety at rail-highway crossings. During fiscal year 2003,  Pennsylvania received about $11.6 million in NHTSA funding designed to  improve behavioral activities. State officials could not provide a  breakdown of how much of these funds were used for rural road safety  projects.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has a goal of reducing  road fatalities by 10 percent between 2002 and 2005. The department has  begun several engineering and behavioral improvement initiatives to help  reach this goal. For example, to maximize safety in the design and  construction of highway projects, the department performs Roadway  Safety Audits. These audits are formal examinations of roadways by an  independent team of trained specialists that assess their crash potential  and safety performance. The team identifies safety problems so that  project officials can evaluate, justify, and select appropriate design  changes. In 1997, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was the  first transportation agency in the United States to pilot the program. Since  its inception, about 40 audits have been completed. According to the state  department of transportation, the audits have prevented undesirable  changes during design or construction, maximized opportunities to  enhance safety, and minimized missed opportunities to enhance safety.
Pennsylvania has introduced two other infrastructure safety modifications  aimed at improving rural road safety. First, the state installed 300 miles of  centerline rumble strips in an effort to help warn drivers that they have  strayed from their lane. State transportation officials estimated that rumble  strips could reduce vehicle run-off-the-road crashes by 25 percent. In  addition, Pennsylvania implemented a “dot” tailgating treatment program  in which dots are painted on the state’s roadways, including rural two-lane  roads, to help drivers determine a safe following distance. The spacing of  the dots is based on the roadway’s speed limit. Each vehicle is expected to  maintain a distance equal to at least two dot lengths from the vehicle ahead  of it.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also has several initiatives  to modify unsafe driving behavior to help reach its 2005 goal. Sobriety  checkpoints, roving patrols, and mobile awareness patrols have been  implemented to combat drunk driving. In 2002, 129 mobile awareness  patrols were conducted. The state also has a program to install ignition  interlock devices on the vehicles of those convicted of second or  subsequent driving-under-the-influence offenses. The device must remain  in the vehicle for 1 year following a 12-month suspension of driving  privileges. Since its inception in 2000, the state reports the program has  stopped 10,142 attempts to operate a vehicle on the state’s roadways when  the operator had a blood-alcohol content equal to or greater than .025  percent. The state also has several initiatives to improve safety belt use.  Although the state has a secondary safety belt law, it received approval to  use the “Click It or Ticket” initiative encouraged by NHTSA.  Transportation safety officials are also involved in increasing safety belt  use among middle and high school students and in improving the use and  incidence of child passenger seats through educational and training  programs. State traffic safety officials also informed us of programs  targeting increased safety belt use among light truck and pickup truck  drivers who state officials believe are more prevalent in rural areas and  generally decline to wear safety belts.
section_title: Texas
paragraphs: During 2002, 2,096 people were killed on rural roads in Texas—the highest  total in the nation. When adjusted for miles traveled, the fatality rate on  rural roads in Texas is about 2.68 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles  traveled—greater than the national average of 2.29. Rural fatalities  accounted for approximately 56 percent of all state roadway fatalities in  2002.
In fiscal year 2003, FHWA provided Texas with about $2.2 billion in federal-  aid highway funds. About $57.6 million of these funds were provided for  Hazard Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossing Programs. The state’s  safety funding under the Surface Transportation Program provided  construction-related safety improvements on public roads, transportation  facilities, bicycle or pedestrian pathways or trails, and for the rail-highway  crossing safety programs. Texas also received about $26.4 million of federal  funds administered by NHTSA in fiscal year 2003, mainly to improve  roadway safety through activities designed to influence driving behavior.  Texas has appropriated $40 million in state funds to supplement FHWA  funding for the Hazard Elimination Program, according to Texas  Department of Transportation officials.
Texas officials identified several intiatives being undertaken to reduce  fatalities on the state’s rural roads:  Texas Department of Transportation officials identified 235 hazard  elimination projects that they plan on undertaking in fiscal year 2004.  These $43.4 million in projects, most of which are on rural roads,  include adding intersection beacon lights, widening lanes, adding  rumble strips, and removing trees near roads.
Due to concerns about high fatality rates on narrow rural two-lane  highways, particularly those with limited or no shoulders, district  engineers assessed 30,000 miles of rural two-lane highways in 2003,  checking the appropriateness of speed limits, the condition of signs and  pavement markings, and assessing pavement edge drop-offs or curve  warnings. Based on these assessments, changes will be made to address  the most important findings.
The state is installing shoulder rumble strips on all rural four-lane  divided highways and researching the use of edgeline and centerline  rumble strips on other roads.
Because the state’s alcohol-related crashes were the leading cause of  motor vehicle fatalities in Texas during 2001, state officials told us they  have worked with NHTSA and others to identify the nature of the  problem and assess programs that could reduce impaired driving. As  part of this effort, the state funded 13 projects aimed at reducing  impaired driving in rural areas through increased enforcement and  education programs.
The state has initiated programs to aid rural crash victims, including  new training for emergency medical technicians and first-aid training for  police officers and bystanders.
Texas is in the process of upgrading its crash data system to make data  more timely. Texas is about 2 ½ years behind in entering crash data from  police accident reports into its data system. State officials pointed out  that without more timely data, it is difficult to determine if the actions  taken on a stretch of road had the intended effect. Texas plans to have a  new system in place by fiscal year 2005, at a cost of $14 million. The new  Texas system will encourage local law enforcement agencies to collect,  validate, and report crash data electronically. It will also provide  centralized analysis, review, and data reporting to agencies that plan and  conduct state highway safety programs.
section_title: Low-Cost Safety Improvements
paragraphs: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has identified more than 40  low-cost best practices as alternatives to capital construction at high-crash  locations. These improvements are presented to state and local traffic  engineers in FHWA’s Low-Cost Safety Improvements Workshops. In  addition, FHWA has qualified the strategies as proven, tried, or  experimental. Proven include those strategies that have been used in one  or more locations and for which properly designed evaluations have been  conducted that show them to be effective. Tried countermeasures are those  that have been implemented in a number of locations and that may even be  accepted as standards or standard approaches but for which there have not  been found valid evaluations. Experimental strategies are those that have  been suggested and that at least one agency has considered sufficiently  promising to try on a small scale in at least one location. Table 2  summarizes the low-cost alternatives and identifies potential safety  impacts that were identified in the course materials and whether the  countermeasure is proven, tried, or experimental.
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