The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a core Federal-aid program with an objective of achieving a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads through the implementation of highway safety improvement projects. The HSIP, similar to other Federal-aid programs, is a federally-funded, state administered program. The FHWA establishes the HSIP requirements via 23 CFR 924, and the States develop and administer a program to best meet their needs.

The HSIP requires a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety on all public roads that focuses on performance. To obligate HSIP funds, each State shall:

• Develop, implement, and update a State strategic highway safety plan;
• Produce a program of projects or strategies to reduce identified safety problems;
• Evaluate the SHSP on a regularly recurring basis; and
• Submit a report that describes the progress being made to implement highway safety improvement projects and the effectiveness of those improvements.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) in 2012.The audit found that "FHWA Provides Sufficient Guidance and Assistance to Implement the Highway Safety Improvement Program but Could Do More to Assess Program Results." The OIG recommended that FHWA annually compile and report data, such as number, type, and cost of HSIP projects to compare the HSIP's national impact across years.

The HSIP National Summary Baseline Report is not intended to compare states; rather to illustrate how the states are collectively implementing the HSIP to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads across the nation. The baseline report presents HSIP funding and project data from 2009 through 2012. The 2009-2012 time period aligns with the effective date of the most recent HSIP Reporting Guidance, beginning May 15, 2009 and extending through SAFETEA-LU and related extensions, as well as corresponding FHWA efforts to compile HSIP project data nationally. The information collected in the 2009-2012 annual HSIP reports includes, in general, a discussion of each State's:

• Program Structure
• Progress in Implementing the HSIP projects
• Assessment of the Effectiveness of the Improvements (Program Evaluation)
• High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP)

The HSIP National Summary Baseline Report compiles and summarizes aggregate information related to the States progress in implementing HSIP projects. Progress in implementing HSIP projects is described based on the amount of HSIP funds available and the number and general listing of projects initiated during the reporting period. In future years, these national summaries may be expanded to include additional information of national interest.