ONGOING SAFETY PROGRAMS

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1 ONGOING SAFETY PROGRAMS Variable Speed Limits (VSL) in Work Zones Field Test: Field tests of variable speed limit trailers deployed in an 18-mile work zone on I-96 in Michigan have concluded with a final report expected soon. Field trials of variable speed limits in a Maryland work zone are planned for the 2005 construction season. VSL systems use input regarding speed of traffic and other variables to determine and post an appropriate speed limit that changes in real time. The Virginia project has been canceled due to a patent infringement issue. Contact Davey Warren, Rational Speed Setting and Enforcement Demonstrations: NHTSA and FHWA are jointly supporting efforts in seven states to demonstrate and evaluate a three E s (engineering, enforcement, education) approach to address the problem of speeding. These are limits based primarily on the flow of traffic, and typically use the 85th percentile speed as a starting point for setting a rational limit. Once the speed limits are appropriately set and the judiciary informed, a program of strict enforcement with a low tolerance for speeds exceeding the limits is combined with PI&E explaining the purpose of the revised limits and the consequences for violators. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the program is a critical element of the demonstrations. Mississippi DOT is in the process of analyzing the before and after demonstration data from Gulfport, MS with a draft final report due by the end of the year. The Massachusetts Governor s Highway Safety Bureau has completed its last set of measurements one year after increasing the posted speeds on 6 streets in Natick. In June, the Tippecanoe County (IN) Highway department altered the speed limits on 6 roads outside Lafayette, IN and began a period of intense enforcement. The speed limit was lowered in 3 of the 14 speed zones. Following speed limit increases in September, the Connecticut State Police kicked-off a strict enforcement and education campaign on a new set of demonstration highways near Hebron, CT. Also in September, the City of Taylor, Michigan altered speed limits on four collector and arterial streets as part of the rational speed setting and enforcement demonstrations. The South Central Planning and Development Commission in Louisiana and Virginia DOT have completed the baseline engineering studies and are in the process of finalizing speed zoning recommendations for their demonstration streets and highways. Contact Davey Warren, Cooperative Agreements on Speed Setting and Enforcement Underway: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor s Highway Safety Bureau and the South Central Planning and Development commission in Louisiana have been selected to participate in the joint FHWA/NHTSA field operational tests on speed setting and enforcement. These cooperative agreements will evaluate the effectiveness of a three E s (engineering, enforcement, education) approach to address the problem of speeding. The jurisdictions will reevaluate posted speed limits through rigorous engineering studies, strictly enforce revised speed limits, and educate the community and the judiciary on the whys and hows of the program. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the program is a critical element of the agreements. These two projects join ongoing projects in Mississippi and Connecticut with more projects anticipated in FY 03. Contact Davey Warren, Page 1

2 Pedestrian Safety Campaign The Pedestrian Safety Campaign is a FREE ready-made toolkit of outreach materials that States and communities can customize and use locally. The threefold purpose of the campaign is to (1) sensitize drivers to the fact that pedestrians are legitimate road users and should always be expected on or near the roadway, (2) educate pedestrians about minimizing risks to their safety, and (3) develop program materials to explain or enhance the operation of pedestrian facilities, such as crosswalks and pedestrian signals. The Pedestrian Safety Campaign toolkit includes materials designed for use in television, radio, cinema, and print advertising. Some of the materials included are in Spanish. States and local communities would be responsible for implementing the campaign through local television and radio stations and print media. FHWA has selected Missoula, MT, Oceanside, CA, and Washington, DC for evaluation of the Pedestrian Safety Campaign materials. These locations were chosen because they each had a wellplanned pedestrian campaign with the necessary elements. FHWA plans to provide technical assistance to these communities for conducting a base-line evaluation and a follow-up evaluation. For more information contact Aida Berkovitz at or Frank Julian at To view the Campaign materials go to: and click on "Pedestrian Campaign". National intersection safety agenda: The agenda was developed at the national intersection safety workshop held at Milwaukee, WI on November 14-16, Also, as a part of the overall effort to enhance intersection safety awareness, FHWA developed a video, Red Light Green Light. The purpose of the video is to take a closer look at intersection safety and emphasize the importance of individual responsibility when it comes to making intersections safer. For more information visit the intersection safety web site at Operation Lifesavers: Operation Lifesaver is a national, non-profit education and awareness program dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way. There are 49 states with Operation Lifesaver programs. Find out more at or contact Dee Chappell, Crashworthiness of Roadside Safety Hardware: Since October 1, 1998, virtually all-roadside hardware installed on the National Highway System must meet the crash evaluation criteria identified in NCHRP Report See This site provides information on accepted devices and related FHWA policies. Contact Richard Powers, for Permanent and Temporary Barriers, Terminals, Bridge Railings/Transitions, and Crash Cushions. Contact Nicholas Artimovich, for Work Zone Devices, Sign Supports, and Poles. Page 2

3 Seat Belt Safety: The FHWA supports the Buckle Up America campaign to increase seat belt use nationwide. This campaign focuses on building public-private partnerships, enacting strong legislation, maintaining active, high-visibility law enforcement, and conducting effective public education. Contact John Balser, Transportation Safety Information Management Systems (TSIMS): The FHWA, FMCSA, and NHTSA are working with AASHTO to develop a software package for safety information management systems. The system will take advantage of existing analysis and data capture systems and will facilitate safety analysis data by linking different safety-related data. AASHTO and a consultant are developing a solicitation for partners to fund Phase 2, building the software package. Contact the Office of Safety Design, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): The FHWA, Office of Safety, is involved in many aspects of ITS development, including Field Operational Tests. Major Safety efforts currently include Variable Speed Limits, Pedestrian ITS, Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance Systems (CICAS), Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII), ITS Archived Data User Service (ADUS), Highway-Rail Crossing ITS, Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) cooperative and independent infrastructure ITS, and ITS Safety Program Assessments and Resources. Contact Larry J. Brown, or Morris Oliver, Iowa National Model: Iowa and FHWA have collaborated with NHTSA and FMCSA to develop a model public safety information system for crash, citation, and criminal incident data collection and management. One of the principal products is a software package (TraCS) that facilitates conversion of forms from paper to electronic, and development of new electronic forms. TraCS has been distributed for free use in over 20 states and two Canadian Provinces. States that are the furthest along in deployment include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Field Safety Engineers should approach their respective state agencies and encourage them to consider TraCS if they're looking for an electronic system. The software is available for free, allowing the state to save its resources for system and hardware needs. More information is available at or contact the Office of Program Integration and Delivery, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Clearinghouse: The clearinghouse provides agency managers with information on automation projects to help them make more informed decisions on what technology to purchase and use for the collection and distribution of traffic crash data. Contact David Smith, National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse: The Clearinghouse provides a single contact for information and technical assistance concerning the safe and effective operation of work zones. Clearinghouse: , Fax: , For more information, contact Mike Robinson at Work Zone Safety: Transportation agencies have identified their best practices/policies for minimizing delay and enhancing safety during construction and maintenance operations. See Report at Page 3

4 Road Safety Audits and Road Safety Audit Reviews: The National Highway Institute, the training arm of the Federal Highway Administration, has updated the Road Safety Audit course. Participants in this training will learn how to improve transportation safety by applying a new, proactive approach to reduce accidents and their severity: Road Safety Audits (RSA) and Road Safety Audit Reviews (RSAR). This technique provides an examination of a roadway by an independent, qualified audit team. The RSA is a way for an agency to improve safety and to communicate to the public how they are working toward accident reductions. This course includes hands-on application of the training materials, including topics such as: RSA definition and history, stages and how to conduct a RSA, and legal considerations. Students will receive a copy of the Road Safety Audits and Road Safety Audit Reviews Reference Manual along with a Participant s Workbook. An Instructor s Guide is available on request. The course is available to federal, state, and local transportation personnel, as well as consultants involved in highway safety issues. If you would like to convince your State to sign up for this course, a speaker can travel to give an overview presentation of the benefits a RSA program can provide them, as well as an overview of the RSA and RSAR course. For information on scheduling a speaker, contact Louisa Ward at or Louisa.Ward@fhwa.dot.gov. For information on scheduling the NHI course, contact Danielle Mathis-Lee at or Danielle.mathis-lee@fhwa.dot.gov Speed Management Workshops A series of pilot workshops on Restoring Credibility to Speed Setting: Engineering, Enforcement & Educational Issues have been carried out around the country. The workshops brought together critical engineering, enforcement, and judiciary personnel to discuss the multi-disciplinary aspects of managing speed. Reports on workshops conducted in Florida, Nevada, Missouri and Massachusetts are now available on the FHWA Speed Management Safety Website No more stand-alone workshops are planned. However, train-the-trainer sessions and a planning guide for others who want to sponsor multi-disciplinary speed management workshops are under development. Contact Davey Warren, Page 4

5 New! FHWA/NHTSA To Sponsor Train-The-Trainer Workshops on Speed Management for Public Safety- LTAP Personnel The FHWA has contracted with the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City to conduct a series of train-the-trainer workshops on speed management. The goal of the training is to equip a multi-disciplinary team of champions in each State with the necessary knowledge and material to conduct workshops in their State and local communities to address Speed Management issues related to engineering, education, and enforcement. A workshop guide and complete presentation materials will be provided to the trainers. Four training sessions will be conducted in spring 2005 in various regions of the country. Each LTAP Center, State Public Safety Office and State DOT will receive an invitation to send trainers. Web-based Tool Available to Assist in Setting Realistic, Safe and Consistent Speed Limits A beta version of a web-based speed zone advisor known as USLIMITS is now available at The speed zone expert system was adapted from similar expert systems used by most Australian state road authorities but modified to reflect elements of speed setting philosophy used in the US. The expert system recommends a speed limit for a section of road based on road function, roadside development, operating speeds, road characteristics and other factors required to determine appropriate speed limits in speed zones. The system also warns users of issues that might require further investigation and engineering judgment. USLIMITS provides a screen report and a more detailed report. USLIMITS will be of particular use to small communities and agencies that lack experienced traffic engineers. For experience traffic engineers, it can provide a second opinion and increase confidence in speed zoning decisions. A user account is required to save projects and view the detailed speed zoning report, but anyone can trial USLIMITS by entering guest for the username and password. Contact Davey Warren, Page 5