Title 23 U.S.C. 148 establishes the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The HSIP encompasses the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), the State's Highway Safety Improvement Program (State HSIP), which includes the High Risk Rural Roads program (HRRRP), and the Railway-Highway Grade Crossing Program (RHGCP). To obligate funds under the HSIP, States are required to: (1) develop and implement a SHSP; (2) produce a program of projects or strategies; (3) evaluate the plan on a regular basis; and (4) submit annual reports.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety developed the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Assessment Toolbox¹ to help states identify program strengths and weaknesses as well as to identify and share noteworthy practices to continually improve the program. The HSIP Assessment Toolbox presents three approaches to conduct a program assessment including self assessment, program review and peer exchange. There are two tools described that support HSIP Self Assessment: the HSIP Quality Assessment and the Program Delivery Improvement Tool (PDIT). These tools are very broad in nature, and FHWA Division Safety Specialists indicated that a detailed HSIP Self Assessment Tool would provide a more accurate representation of the health and status of the HSIP. The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Self Assessment Tool Guide describes a third approach to self assessment that allows users to evaluate specific aspects of the HSIP process.

The HSIP Self Assessment Tool consists of a number of questions designed to provide those with HSIP management responsibilities information to assess their programs, policies, and procedures against many of the recommended HSIP practices in use today.