The Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool builds upon current safety management practices for identifying roadway safety problems and implementing highway safety improvement projects. The tool expands a transportation agency’s analytical techniques and models beyond current site-specific analysis to a systemic safety analysis approach by helping an agency perform a systemwide evaluation for roadway attributes that are common to locations with a crash history. This process enables the agency to proactively address highway safety concerns.

The systemic analysis outlined in this tool can be used across the board by state agencies, transportation planning organizations, and county and local government agencies to plan, implement, and evaluate systemic safety programs and projects that best meet their capabilities and needs. The tool provides a step-by-step process for conducting systemic safety analysis; considerations for determining a reasonable distribution between implementing site-specific safety improvements and systemic safety improvements; and a mechanism for quantifying the benefits of safety improvements implemented through a systemic approach.

A comprehensive safety management program, including both site analysis and systemic approaches, will reduce the occurrence of, and the potential for, fatalities and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. For additional information, please visit the Systemic Approach to Safety: Using Risk to Drive Action website.

Tony Furst
Associate Administrator
Office of Safety