This information guide identifies the gaps between the current safety planning environment as it relates to projects, current tools and activities, and the desired future state as defined by FHWA’s Safety Focused Decision Making Framework. This report is part of a larger step-wise gap analysis that builds on sequential efforts and associated findings.

The guide sets a baseline of the current safety planning environment, funding, and commonly used tools, and then identifies organizational and geographical challenges with the available tools and processes. The guide presents FHWA’s Safety Focused Decision Making Framework, which consists of five steps.

1. Identify potential projects and programs.
2. Narrow and select mix of projects and programs.
3. Predict safety outcomes of projects and programs.
4. Implement projects and programs.
5. Achieve State and local safety targets.

To move beyond the current state and toward achievement of this framework, researchers and transportation agencies must address a variety of gaps relating to performance management of safety programs, data, communication and knowledge transfer, and safety planning. The guide lists many gaps and suggests possible strategies to bridge gaps and seize opportunities related to organizational, educational, and technical transfer issues.