Relevant Links

• FHWA Vision Zero Community of Practice
• Safe Streets and Roads for All Clearinghouse
• National Roadway Safety Strategy
• Safe Streets and Roads for All
• FHWA Complete Streets
• Vision Zero Network
• ITE Safe System
• ITE Vision Zero
• CSCRS Creating Safer Systems and Healthier Communities: Resource Hub
• NSC Safety for All Roadway Users
• MSU Center for Health and Safety Culture

Outreach Materials

• NEW How Do You Know You Have a Strong Road Safety Culture video shows what a strong organizational safety culture looks like through an illustration of two transportation agencies implementing their road improvement projects.
  • NEW Know Your Agency's Level of Road Safety Culture summarizes key points from the video and provides prompt questions for discussion and reflection. 
• The Safe System Approach Flyer describes the principles and core elements of the Safe System Approach; and the differences between the approach and traditional road safety practices.
• The Safe System Approach Video provides an overview of the approach through a scenario.  
• UPDATED The Safe System Approach Presentation provides an overview of the approach with discussions of its background, principles, core elements, and examples. The presentation contains speaker notes and background information and can also be used for train-the-trainer purposes.
• Public Roads Special Edition on the Safe System Approach elaborates on efforts to advance the Safe System Approach.
• Public Roads article The Role of Traffic Incident Management in the Safe System Approach explains the nexus between Traffic Incident Management and the Safe System Approach.
• Driving FoRRwD to a Safe System shows the connection between the Safe Systemic principles and the FoRRRwD pillars through a conversation between a County Engineer and a State Highway Safety Engineer. The video can be found in the “Videos” Section of the “FoRRRwD” webpage.
• Pedestrians at Crosswalks: What's Speed Got to Do With It? video explains the relationship between vehicle speeds, visibility of crossing pedestrians, and the driver's ability to come to a stop at crosswalks. The video also highlights several countermeasures that can be implemented to improve pedestrian crossing safety and reduce approaching vehicle speeds, such pedestrian refuge islands and curb extensions.
• STEP Countermeasures to Advance Vision Zero poster provides an overview of Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP).

Reports and Toolkits

• NEW Organizational Safety Culture Self-Assessment Toolkit was developed for transportation agencies to determine their level (i.e., degree of capability or readiness) of organizational road safety culture and identify opportunities for improvements.   

• NEW Safe System Alignment Frameworks allow practitioners to quantify alignment of projects and policies with Safe System principles and elements. 
  • Overview Flyer 
  • Safe System Project-based Alignment Framework
  • Safe System Policy-based Alignment Framework
  • Training Opportunities
  • May 8, 2024 Advancing Implementation of the Safe System Approach webinar 
    • View the recording here [Passcode: j3^p=Zb9]
    • Access the slides here 
• NEW Vision Zero Toolkit provides communities, organizations, and advocates with tools and resources to advance Vision Zero. Each section includes a variety of available resources, as well as notable practices from Vision Zero communities.
• NEW Safe System Roadway Design Hierarchy is a tool that characterizes engineering and infrastructure-based countermeasures and strategies relative to their alignment with the Safe System Approach (SSA), toward the goal of eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. The purpose of the hierarchy is to help transportation agencies and practitioners identify and prioritize countermeasures and strategies when developing transportation projects. 
• Safe System Approach for the Urban Core Informational Report outlines how practitioners can apply the principles, elements, and framework of the Safe System Approach in policy, program, and project decision-making processes across the entire system through proven safety approaches for urban areas. The report also includes 10 case studies of noteworthy practices that are relevant to implementing the Safe System Approach in the urban core. These case studies provide practical examples of how some of the key concepts covered in the report have already been implemented and the benefits have been realized. 
  • Safe System Approach for the Urban Core webinar, Passcode- 3WfV!!GB (December 11, 2023): The webinar includes introductions from FHWA leadership, examples from guest speakers, followed by an overview of the report.
• Safe System Approach for Speed Management helps practitioners understand the impacts of speed on traffic safety and explore the link between speed management and the Safe System Approach by introducing a five-stage Safe System Approach for Speed Management framework. Case studies and examples are interspersed throughout the report and in the appendix, demonstrating how agencies have been able to overcome institutional barriers and rally behind Safe System Approach principles to enact speed management programs with proven, measurable reductions in operating speeds and crashes.
• Safe System Strategic Plan provides a roadmap for the advancement of the Safe System Approach in the U.S. It describes the Safe System Approach, discusses the process involved in building the plan, outlines how to advance a Safe System mindset, and describes steps necessary to implement Safe System practices within the transportation community in the U.S. This plan focuses on the role of road system owners and operators in applying the Safe System Approach to design, build, and operate safer roads. This plan aims to educate transportation professionals on the effectiveness of the Safe System Approach while also offering guidance on how to prioritize safety in the U.S. as a means to achieving zero traffic fatalities.
• Safe System-based Framework and Analytical Methodology for Assessing Intersections Final Report provides a basis to assess intersection alternatives according to SSA principles, using a kinetic energy management approach. The report and tech brief are in the “Technical Materials and Research” section.
• Primer on Safe System Approach for Pedestrians and Bicyclists provides transportation agencies a base understanding of the Safe System approach and how it relates to bicycle and pedestrian safety. The document is in the “Resources” section.
• Lessons Learned from Development of Vision Zero Action Plans – This report summarizes the Vision Zero plan development processes of two communities – Daly City, CA and Macon-Bibb County, GA. It draws from their experiences and summarizes the common elements and principles applied, including those of the Vision Zero and Safe System Approaches. The report also includes a section on opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned.
  • Daly City Vision Zero Action Plan
  • Macon-Bibb County Vision Zero Action Plan
• Integrating the Safe System Approach with the Highway Safety Improvement Program report presents areas of alignment between the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and the Safe System Approach; as well as opportunities, noteworthy practices, and next steps for safety stakeholders to advance implementation of the Safe System approach through HSIP.
• State and Local Alignment Toward Zero Traffic Deaths: To promote effective partnerships as a way to advance zero deaths efforts, the FHWA sponsored several State-based workshops where stakeholders discussed their safety priorities and strategies to achieve their shared goal of zero traffic deaths.
  • Texas Report
  • Florida Report
  • Colorado Report
  • Strategies to Coordinate Zero Deaths Efforts for State and Local Agencies – The outcomes of the State-based workshops and webinars, together with additional information from other State, regional, and local agencies, became the basis for this report. It helps State and local agencies build and foster stronger relationships through strategies that work toward the Safe System Approach and reach the zero deaths goal.
• Vision Zero City Overviews
  • New York City, NY
  • Portland, OR
  • San Francisco, CA
• Transportation Safety Planning and the Zero Deaths Vision: A Guide for Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Local Communities provides references to key information for Metropolitan Planning Organizations and local communities to understand and use the safety planning process to work toward the zero deaths vision.

Case Studies and Success Stories

Notable practices from States and Vision Zero communities:

• Michigan Adopts SSA in SHSP - Michigan (Safe System and SHSP integration)
• SGF Yields: A Pedestrian Safety Program - Springfield, MO (Safe System implementation)
• Highway 316 Redesign - Hastings, MN (Safe System implementation)
• Promoting Vision Zero: Case Study from Richmond VA - Richmond, VA (communications and partnerships)
• Rapid Response Program - Denver, CO (post-crash, infrastructure)
• Systemic Safety Analysis – San Diego, CA (data)
• Rainier Avenue South Redesign – Seattle, WA (infrastructure)
• Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force and Speed Limit Setting Report – California (partnerships)
• Safest Driver Contest – Boston, Massachusetts (behavioral)
• Media Campaign – Boulder, Colorado (communications and outreach)
• Walking Audits – Broward County, Florida (planning, partnerships, and public engagement)
• Traffic Safety Camera Program – Portland, Oregon (behavioral)
• Speed Management Projects – West Palm Beach, Florida (infrastructure)
• Milwaukee Avenue Rapid Delivery Approach – Chicago, IL (planning, implementation, and evaluation)
• Improved Nighttime Lighting – Fremont, CA (infrastructure)
• Fletcher Avenue Complete Streets Redesign – Hillsborough, FL (infrastructure)
• Equity in Vision Zero – Oregon Metro, OR (partnerships)

Other Materials and Efforts

• A Safe System Guide for Transportation: Sharing this Approach to Lead Your Community to Action by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
• Recommendations of the Safe System Consortium
• Traffic Safety Culture Transportation Pooled Fund Program led by the Montana DOT Pooled Fund Study TPF – 5 (309)
• CSCRS Data Repository of Vision Zero Action plans U.S. Vision Zero Plans Library
• CSCRS Guide describes the major steps involved in developing a Vision Zero plan, with an emphasis on best practices Guide to Developing a Vision Zero Plan
• NCHRP Projects
  • Advances in Safety Program Practices in Zero-Fatalities States
  • Successful Approaches for the Development of an Organization-Wide Safety Culture in Transportation Agencies
  • Roadmap for Implementing the TZD National Strategy on Highway Safety
  • Traffic Safety Culture Research Roadmap