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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Implement Complete Streets Improvements

Complete Streets implementation aligns with the Safe System Approach (SSA), which anticipates human mistakes by designing and managing road infrastructure to keep the risk of a mistake low and to reduce injury severity if a crash does occur. FHWA promotes and advances infrastructure solutions to prevent common crash types (1) involving pedestrians and bicyclists, (2) at intersections, and (3) with vehicles departing the roadway. In all cases, reducing speed can help reduce crash severity. Practitioners implementing improvements may consider installing FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures to create safe streets and enable mobility for all users. These countermeasures highlight key strategies for improving safety, including managing speeds, increasing attentiveness, reducing complexity of the design and operation of the transportation system, and separating users in time and space.

"Since 2015, the annual number of [roadway] fatalities has exceeded 35,000, with millions more injured – sometimes permanently – each year. Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for teenagers in America, and disproportionately impact people who are Black, American Indian, and live in rural communities.  We face a crisis on our roadways; it is both unacceptable and solvable.” – U.S. Department of Transportation National Roadway Safety Strategy

This page provides training, tools, and resources to support practitioners who are working to design, construct, operate, and maintain streets that are safe for all users. These resources, which include those prepared by outside entities and posted on external websites, highlight both process-level and project-level transformations that can advance Complete Streets implementation. Check back frequently for new resources.

The contents of this website do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This website is intended only to provide information to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies. The U.S. Government does not endorse outside entities, products, or manufacturers. Links to content created by outside entities are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect the views of FHWA or the U.S. Department of Transportation or a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one entity or product. External sites are not subject to Federal information quality, privacy, security, or accessibility guidelines. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained on this website or the external sites.