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The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) started to identify shortcomings in its problem identification method in the mid-1990s. The previous method focused on identifying locations with a potential safety issue based on factors such as crash frequency, crash rate, and crash severity. In many cases, the locations identified did not exhibit a correctable crash type and were congestion related issues.
“Coming together is an accomplishment, staying together is progress, working together is a success.” (Henry Ford)
Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) are a true success story. Since these plans were first required by legislation in 2005, traffic fatalities have dramatically declined.
Highway safety funds should be spent where they will have the highest payoff in terms of saving lives and reducing serious injuries. Flexibility in the use of HSIP funds is an important tool in the delivery of an overall safety strategy.
FHWA guidance suggested Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) emphasis areas be selected “that offer the greatest potential for reducing fatalities and injuries.” In developing their original SHSPs, most states began with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) SHSP as a guide. States selected and prioritized from AASHTO’s 22 emphasis areas based on data analysis using various combinations of fatality and serious injury data. Some states defined new emphasis areas (i.e., rockfall).
Legislation (23 U.S.C. 148) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance is quite specific as to the recommended stakeholder representatives for developing a statewide strategic highway safety plan (SHSP).
The Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) provides a data-driven framework for highway safety stakeholders to identify key safety needs, guide investment decisions, and align and leverage collective resources. The purpose of a data-driven process is to direct resources to projects and programs with the greatest potential for reducing fatalities and serious injuries. The strength of the SHSP and other safety plans lies in a state’s ability to collect, analyze, and share safety data as appropriate.
Evaluation is critical to determine if a project or group of projects is achieving the desired results and to ensure investments are cost-effective. Evaluation provides a quantitative estimate of the effects on safety, which is valuable information for future planning. Evaluation results enable a state to determine if appropriate countermeasures were used at particular locations, whether any adverse impacts occurred, if corrective action is necessary, and how effective those countermeasures would be for similar sites in the future.
States are required (23 U.S.C. 148) to perform safety project identification and analysis as part of the HSIP. However, the law does not specify the methodologies states shall use. The HSIP Manual (FHWA-SA-09-029) outlines the following steps for project identification: collect and analyze data; identify crash types and contributing factors; establish a crash pattern; conduct field reviews; identify countermeasures; assess countermeasure effectiveness; and use the current science (e.g., crash modification factors) to determine and prioritize project selection.
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S.