Puerto Rico
SHSP Key Components
Lead Agency:
Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works’ (PRDTPW)
Time Period Plan Covers:
-
Vision:
Zero Deaths Vision. That all users of the transportation system in Puerto Rico can move safely and effectively to their destination.
Mission:
Enhance the safety, mobility and accessibility of all people using the roadway network in Puerto Rico by working together and integrating efforts in the 4Es.
Plan's Goals:
Achieve a reduction in fatalities and serious injuries caused by traffic crashes in Puerto Rico.
Emphasis Areas
EA Type:
Incident Management/EMS
Goals:
- Improve EMS response capabilities.
Objectives:
- Increase the number of ambulances (Type III or equivalent according to FMCSA's standards) in Puerto Rico from 442 to 450 in the next 5 years.
Education
Educate drivers about emergency vehicles’ priority.
Continue the educational programs and trainings to enforcement and emergency response personnel for crashes and incident management.
Incident Management/EMS
Continue improving the coordination of emergency medical services personnel with other support and rescue agencies (TIM).
Promote Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to identify the crash locations and facilitate emergency response.
Improve the accessibility of the State ambulance stations.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Promote a law amendment to prohibit the use of strobe lights in regular vehicles (not first responders).
EA Type:
Infrastructure
Goals:
- Reduce fatalities related to lane-departure crashes.
Objectives:
- To reduce the 5-year moving average of traffic fatalities related to lane-departure crashes from 105 to 88 within the next 5 years.
Engineering
Implement engineering countermeasures to improve lane delineation and pavement condition.
Implement engineering countermeasures to remove and/or protect fixed objects in the roadside clear zone.
Education
Educate about the most common causes for lane departure and the risks associated.
Data
Continue analyzing the data to identify high-risk locations.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Evaluate the need to amend the law to avoid street sales on shoulders or roadside clear zones.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the PRDTPW's motor vehicle inspection process.
EA Type:
Behavioral
Goals:
- Reduce speeding-related fatalities.
Objectives:
- To reduce the 5-year moving average of speeding-related fatalities from 98 to 78 within the next 5 years.
Education
Educate about the impact of negligent driving actions in the number of traffic crashes.
Include highway safety as one of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meetings' topics.
Enforcement/Adjudication
Coordinate preventive police patrolling in highway segments prone to negligent driving.
Engineering
Include engineering countermeasures (i.e. traffic calming, work zones, school zones) that discourage speeding and other negligent driving actions.
Incident Management/EMS
Promote the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to support negligent driving enforcement.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Strengthen the driver's license points system and the tools to support it.
Goals:
- Reduce the number of pedestrian's fatalities and serious injuries.
Objectives:
- To reduce the 5-year moving average of pedestrian fatalities from 100 to 92 within the next 5 years.
- To reduce the 5-year moving average of pedestrian serious injuries from 311 to 277 within the next 5 years.
Engineering
Improve the highway infrastructure to accommodate people who are walking (e.g. add sidewalks, install lighting, elevated crossings, pedestrian -only phases at intersections, etc.).
Education
Educate the public about the impact of pedestrians hit on public roads (i.e. statistics, locations).
Strengthen educational programs at all levels.
Enforcement/Adjudication
Modify the identification system /driver's license to facilitate pedestrian enforcement.
Evaluate the needs for compliance with traffic laws and regulations of people who walk on public roads.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Incorporate pedestrian safety into land use planning and other local design plans and guides (e.g., PRHTA Comprehensive Cycle and Pedestrian Plan, LRTP, etc.).
Aid communities and non-profit organizations for the development and implementation of local highway safety improvement projects.
EA Type:
Behavioral
Goals:
- Reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries of occupants and motorcyclists not using safety gears (seat belt, child restraint, and helmets).
Objectives:
- To reduce the 5-years moving average of unrestrained occupant fatalities from 81 to 74 within the next 5 years
- To reduce the 5-years moving average of unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities from 28 to 23 within the next 5 years.
Education
Reinforce education about the importance of the correct use of personal safety gear (i.e. seat belts, motorcycle helmets, etc.).
Enforcement/Adjudication
Continue the law enforcement regarding the required use of personal safety gear for different road users.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Modify the identification system/driver's license to facilitate law enforcement.
Conduct enhanced observational studies on the use of personal safety gears.
Promote having emergency equipment in every vehicle (e.g., cones, vests, triangles, lamps).
Continue the implementation of "Child Restraint System Inspection Station (s)".
Engineering
Promote new signage or the use of portable messages signs promoting the use of protective gear on public roads.
EA Type:
Data
Goals:
- Create a data warehouse integrating traffic records systems and improve the accessibility, timeliness and uniformity of the crash system.
Objectives:
- Reduce the time for crash data availability from 358 days to 60 days.
Data
Maximize the scope of the six traffic data systems (integration, interface and storage).
Promote the collection of traffic data (AADT).
Support activities to achieve the MIRE Action Plan.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Support the implementation of PPR-621.4.
Improve the processes to obtain notification of the results of Blood Alcohol Contact (BAC).
Improve the capacities and processes to identify repeat drivers for cases of alcohol.
Improve the capacities and processes to identify repeat drivers due to negligence.
Improve communication among the agencies that make up the TRCC committee.
EA Type:
Behavioral
Goals:
- Reduce alcohol-impaired driver fatalities.
Objectives:
- To reduce the 5-yr moving average of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities from 97 to 90 within the next 5 years.
Enforcement/Adjudication
Continue the law enforcement related to drivers under the influence of alcohol and other controlled substances (DUI).
Education
Orient staff selling alcohol beverages (i.e. liquor stores, bars) about their responsibilities when drunk customers cause a fatal or serious injury crash.
Continue prevention and educational efforts on the impact of driving under the influence of alcohol and other controlled substances.
Legislative/Policy/Programmatic
Evaluate recidivism and identify ways to improve the effectiveness of drunk driver rehabilitation programs.
Improve notifications of the BAC blood tests in living and/or dead crash victims.