Unique Accord in Washington State Helps State and Tribal Governments Work Proactively on Roadway Safety

The Washington practice is discussed after the following introduction about Tribal Government Involvement in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan process.

Other states in this SHSP/Tribal Government Noteworthy Practices series: MT, ND, SD

Involving Tribal Governments in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Update Process - Approaches and Benefits

As States move toward achieving zero deaths on their roadways, the impact of motor vehicle crashes in tribal communities and on tribal roads cannot be overlooked. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience higher rates of fatalities associated with transportation than does the population as a whole. Crashes are also the leading cause of unintentional death for AI/AN ages 1-44.

States and tribal governments are working together in an effort to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities in tribal communities. This includes collaborating during the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process, an effort that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to identify critical roadway safety challenges and establish potential solutions. Tribes are also developing Strategic Transportation Safety Plans of their own, which may allow access to additional resources such as the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.

These noteworthy practices highlight the activities of four States and tribal communities to collaborate during and after the SHSP process. They contain several recurring themes:

• Establishing a government-to-government relationship between State offices and tribal governments is very effective because it establishes respectful lines of communication and agreed-upon approaches that facilitates discussion on roadway safety issues.
• Tribal involvement in the SHSP process insures tribal concerns and strategies are addressed in the SHSP.
• Tribal safety summits are an effective platform for information-sharing among tribes on roadway safety issues and often strengthen inter-tribal relationships.
• An established network for communicating between tribes and State agencies leads to better project coordination and delivery, lower project costs, stronger relationships, and better information sharing.

Washington

Background

Washington's Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), Target Zero®, first authored in 2000, aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. Based on data, Target Zero:

• Creates goals and objectives.
• Prioritizes the work that needs to be done to reach the goals.
• Offers countermeasures determined by research to be proven, recommended, or unknown.

For updating and implementing Target Zero, two State agencies take the lead in engaging with stakeholders representing the varied segments of Washington's population: the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), an independent agency that serves as the State's Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Traffic Safety Office.

Tribal Government participation has been a key strategy toward achieving Target Zero goals. Based on changing data, Washington's SHSP has been updated every three years since the 2007 update to ensure Target Zero goals are on track. Tribes in Washington have been increasingly involved in SHSP planning as Target Zero has become the guide for State, regional, county, and city agencies; Tribal programs; and private sector organizations involved with transportation and traffic safety.

Washington's Centennial Accord creates a collaborative environment for transportation and traffic safety efforts among Tribes and the State of Washington. Signed in 1989, the Accord established government-to-government relations between State and Tribal governments, in an effort to resolve disagreements before they reached the courtroom. With the structure of the Accord well in place, that framework of collaboration was applied to Tribal involvement in statewide transportation and traffic safety planning.

To engage the 29 federally-recognized Tribes in SHSP updates, Washington uses the following ongoing boards and organizations:

• Washington Indian Transportation Policy Advisory Committee (WITPAC), a WSDOT advisory committee, which meets quarterly.
• Tribal Transportation Planning Organizations, created and hosted by WSDOT, with meetings chaired by Tribal Governments.
• Tribal Traffic Safety Advisory Board (TTSAB), an advisory board to WTSC representing tribal leadership in the 4Es (Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Response) of traffic safety, which meets monthly and works on education and enforcement projects.
• Northwest Association of Tribal Enforcement Officers (NATEO), a traffic safety partner unrelated to state government, which meets semi-annually.

Inclusive Highway Safety Planning

The Centennial Accord gives State agencies a protocol for officially interacting with Tribes, which includes a requirement that agencies have a tribal liaison on staff. The transportation and traffic safety boards and organizations create a framework that is used for communicating with Tribal staff involved with education, enforcement, engineering and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

By way of example, for the 2016 Target Zero update, WTSC sent letters through the U.S. mail to Tribal leaders asking for Tribal representatives. A sample letter was distributed via email to members of WITPAC, TTPO, TTSAB, and NATEO. The communication system netted the three requested representatives, one for the top-level Steering Committee and two for the Project Team.

This method of identifying representatives is also an example of Washington's approach toward continuous improvement with each Target Zero update. Previously, WTSC identified Tribal representatives who had been enthusiastic and actively involved in other transportation safety efforts. This shift to casting a wider net to attract participants is a more transparent, open process and is another way to remind Tribal leadership of the importance of transportation and traffic safety to the quality of life in their communities.

The current update of Washington State's SHSP is focusing in part on expanding data-driven decisionmaking in Tribal transportation projects by inviting safety data experts to present Tribal data to the advisory boards and organizations. For example, to prepare for the current Target Zero update, during a TTSAB meeting:

• A WTSC staffer presented on Tribal fatalities (FARS) overlaid with U.S. census data by county.
• A WSDOT staffer presented on serious injury data on reservations, enhanced by the use of GPS coordinates in crash reports.
• A WTSC sub-grantee, currently conducting Tribal traffic safety assessments, presented on reservation fatality and serious injury data obtained from multiple sources including FARS, state collision database, CDC, Tribal police, and Tribal EMS.

Tribes will have a variety of ways to contribute to the 2016 version of Target Zero:

• Project Team representatives have asked Tribal planners to share with the SHSP team their safety plans, most of which were developed through grants from FHWA's Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.
• Tribes will be invited to the Partners' Meeting as usual. Representatives from 11 tribes attended the last Meeting.
• When writing teams are formed more Tribal representatives will be sought.
• When Target Zero is nearing completion, following the official consultation protocol, hardcopy drafts will be mailed to Tribal Chairs for comment. Additionally, electronic versions will be distributed for comment through the communications infrastructure of WITPAC, TTPO, TSAB, and NATEO.

When the 2016 SHSP is final, copies will be mailed to Chairs, and a link to the web version being broadly disseminated. TTSAB will distribute a news release on the 2016 version of Target Zero to the 29 Tribal newspapers and newsletters throughout Washington.

Key Challenges

All large organizations can develop silos, and Tribal government is no exception. Tribal planners work in environments that require collaboration, but it can be difficult to engage Tribal police and other programs in SHSP updates.

Data-sharing continues to be a major issue. State and Tribal planners need crash data on Tribal roads to make the case for federal and state grant money. But there are many challenges to data being freely shared between tribes and state and local highway agencies, including staffing and the resources it takes to process data. To help with the data-sharing challenge, WTSC funded an ongoing programming project that will allow each Tribe's codes to be uploaded in an automated fashion to the state's electronic ticketing and crash reporting system used by law enforcement. This will enable full functionality with a pull-down menu for jurisdiction. Tribes may choose to share only crash data with WSDOT/WTSC, which may remove some barriers to data-sharing.

Finally, limited funding is an ongoing barrier to creating Tribal educational and enforcement programs that could further Target Zero® goals and save lives on reservations.

Benefits Realized

Tribes and Washington State experience numerous benefits when Tribes are involved in SHSP updates, including the following:

• Tribes gain increased awareness on the importance of addressing roadway safety.
• Tribes take ownership of the final SHSP plan.
• Tribes are more likely to use the SHSP as a guide and source of information for their own transportation plans.
• Tribal planners, enforcement, and EMS become familiar with Target Zero strategies, which researchers have found to be effective and can be invaluable when applying for State grant funding.
• Tribal-State and Inter-Tribal relationships are strengthened.
• A broader understanding of the State's roadway safety requirements and needs in Washington is gained.
• Washington's data on behavioral factors in fatal and serious injury crashes is more complete and accurate allowing for more correct analyses.

Contact

MJ Haught
Tribal Liaison
Washington Traffic Safety Commission
(360) 725-9879
MJHaught@wtsc.wa.gov

The Evolution of Tribal Involvement in Montana's Road Safety Planning

The Montana practice is discussed after the following introduction about Tribal Government Involvement in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan process.

Other states in this SHSP/Tribal Government Noteworthy Practices series: ND, SD, WA

Involving Tribal Governments in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Update Process - Approaches and Benefits

As States move toward achieving zero deaths on their roadways, the impact of motor vehicle crashes in tribal communities and on tribal roads cannot be overlooked. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience higher rates of fatalities associated with transportation than does the population as a whole. Crashes are also the leading cause of unintentional death for AI/AN ages 1-44.

States and tribal governments are working together in an effort to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities in tribal communities. This includes collaborating during the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process, an effort that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to identify critical roadway safety challenges and establish potential solutions. Tribes are also developing Strategic Transportation Safety Plans of their own, which may allow access to additional resources such as the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.

These noteworthy practices highlight the activities of four States and tribal communities to collaborate during and after the SHSP process. They contain several recurring themes:

• Establishing a government-to-government relationship between State offices and tribal governments is very effective because it establishes respectful lines of communication and agreed-upon approaches that facilitates discussion on roadway safety issues.
• Tribal involvement in the SHSP process insures tribal concerns and strategies are addressed in the SHSP.
• Tribal safety summits are an effective platform for information-sharing among tribes on roadway safety issues and often strengthen inter-tribal relationships.
• An established network for communicating between tribes and State agencies leads to better project coordination and delivery, lower project costs, stronger relationships, and better information sharing.

Montana

Background

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) began developing its Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (CHSP) in 2006, in response to Federal surface transportation funding legislation. In developing the CHSP, it became clear from crash analyses that fatalities and serious injuries among Native Americans were disproportionately represented in Statewide fatal and serious injury crashes.

Over the past decade, Montana has also developed and adopted its long-term Vision Zero goal of eliminating deaths and injuries on its State highways. MDT's outreach to tribes concurrently grew over that time into a mutually beneficial government-to-government effort that includes education, planning, and technical support.

Evolving Tribal Involvement in Montana's Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan

Native Americans comprise 6.2 percent of Montana's population but make up about 17 percent of total motor vehicle fatalities per year. MDT is committed to consistently working with tribal planners and engineers, law enforcement, health service professionals, and other tribal representatives. These collaborations help identify strategies that can reduce fatalities and serious injuries on tribal roads, and contribute to Montana's Vision Zero goal.

The 2005 Montana Tribal Safety Conscious Planning Forum kicked off MDT's concerted collaboration on road safety with the seven land-based tribes in Montana. This forum brought together tribal leaders, the Governor of Montana, and the MDT director. This government-to-government, high-level communication was critical in achieving the forum's objective of encouraging tribes in Montana to participate in developing and updating the CHSP.

Since the forum convened, MDT's relationship with tribes has evolved to include regular communication on transportation safety issues between tribal safety representatives and MDT program managers. In addition to tribal participation in statewide annual meetings, MDT has two full-time staff who focus on tribal relations.

The cultural liaison in the State Highway Traffic Safety Section is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This liaison manages the Safe on All Roads (SOAR) program for traffic safety education that supports a SOAR coordinator on each reservation. These individual SOAR coordinators create and provide culture-specific messaging focused on safety awareness, education, and consequences of impaired driving, lack of occupant protection, and other risky driver behavior. MDT encourages each tribe to assign their own SOAR coordinator to help develop messages aimed at changing behavior, such as lack of seatbelt or car seat use. The SOAR coordinator positions were recommended in the CHSP.

The CHSP safety planner provides technical assistance, participating in development of tribal-led safety plans, quarterly meetings, and road safety audits. Starting in 2012, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Rocky Mountain Region Road Safety Audit Pilot Program conducted training and several road safety audits across the seven reservations. The pilot program used FHWA's Road Safety Audit Toolkit for Federal Land Management Agencies and Tribal Governments for guidance. Road safety audit programs have been included in individual tribal transportation safety plans. The CHSP safety planner also maintains relationships by proactively reaching out to tribes on a regular basis. Regular communication from these liaisons is key to maintaining tribal involvement in the CHSP, which was updated in 2015.

Montana's CHSP Update

Leading up to the CHSP update in 2014, MDT and tribal representatives collaborated and conducted four annual Tribal Transportation Safety Summits. Coordination involved providing technical support and other resources, such as venues. These summits were hosted by tribes in Montana, with rotating sponsorship each year to encourage tribal ownership over sharing road safety best practices.

Many CHSP strategies were a result of the summit process. Others came out of the transportation safety plans each tribe developed, as required as part of FHWA Federal Lands Tribal Transportation Program beginning fiscal federal year 2013. In those plans, tribes use their own fatal and serious injury data and MDT fatality data to identify critical safety issues. While tribal safety plans tend to be more specific than the higher-level strategies in the CHSP, many tribal strategies—whether addressing impaired driving, occupant protection, lane departures, or other issues—are consistent with the emphasis areas in the CHSP. In addition, Tribal planners shared quarterly updates with MDT staff to identify opportunities for tribal safety plan development strategies to consider SOAR efforts and the CHSP update.

Tribes are now so well integrated into Montana's safety stakeholder group that separate tribal summits are no longer necessary. All seven tribes have been actively involved in the statewide annual Transportation Safety Meeting and tribal partners are also represented on CHSP committees.

Montana's 2015 CHSP update also reflects the integration of tribal issues. The CHSP update process identified several areas of overlap and determined it would be better to have fewer emphasis areas. The update no longer has 12 individual emphasis areas or a specific CHSP Native American emphasis area. Rather, tribal issues and strategies are found throughout the emphasis areas, and the emphasis areas in the CHSP are safety concerns for all Montanans.

Key Challenges

Getting tribal government leaders to discuss transportation safety was initially challenging. MDT brought those critical partners to the table by having MDT leadership connect with tribal leadership, and also offering financial assistance to cover costs of attending meetings, which underscored the importance of tribes' attendance.

Data continues to be the major challenge in Montana and other States engaging in proactive tribal outreach. Tribal traffic incident records tend to be incomplete, although fatality data is reliable because the Montana Highway Patrol responds to all fatalities on all public roads in Montana. One tribe has adopted all the State's traffic codes and consistently provides MDT with crash data. Other tribes have few traffic codes and do not consistently provide data to MDT.

Tribes in Montana are concerned about confidentiality issues when it comes to sharing data. There is also frequent turnover among tribal leadership, making it challenging for MDT to form lasting partnerships. MDT encourages better crash data by building trust with tribal representatives through consistent communication.

Benefits to Tribal Participation in the CHSP

• Brings all Montanans closer to a cohesive goal of on Montana's roads: Vision Zero - zero fatalities, zero serious injuries.
• Tribal issues and strategies are integrated into the CHSP emphasis areas.
• Realizing a downward trend in Native American fatalities.
• Participation from tribal safety representatives provides an opportunity to share best behavioral and infrastructure safety practices, and identify hurdles with other safety stakeholders.
• Helps builds trust among state agencies, tribal governments, and other safety stakeholders.

Contact

Pam Langve-Davis
Statewide and Urban Planning
CHSP Coordinator/Safety Planner
Montana Department of Transportation
(406) 444-7646
PLangveDavis@mt.gov

Tribal SHSP Involvement in North Dakota Leads to Continuous Efforts to Improve Tribal Road Safety

The North Dakota practice is discussed after the following introduction about Tribal Government Involvement in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan process.

Other states in this SHSP/Tribal Government Noteworthy Practices series: MT, SD, WA

Involving Tribal Governments in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Update Process - Approaches and Benefits

As States move toward achieving zero deaths on their roadways, the impact of motor vehicle crashes in tribal communities and on tribal roads cannot be overlooked. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience higher rates of fatalities associated with transportation than does the population as a whole. Crashes are also the leading cause of unintentional death for AI/AN ages 1-44.

States and tribal governments are working together in an effort to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities in tribal communities. This includes collaborating during the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process, an effort that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to identify critical roadway safety challenges and establish potential solutions. Tribes are also developing Strategic Transportation Safety Plans of their own, which may allow access to additional resources such as the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.

These noteworthy practices highlight the activities of four States and tribal communities to collaborate during and after the SHSP process. They contain several recurring themes:

• Establishing a government-to-government relationship between State offices and tribal governments is very effective because it establishes respectful lines of communication and agreed-upon approaches that facilitates discussion on roadway safety issues.
• Tribal involvement in the SHSP process insures tribal concerns and strategies are addressed in the SHSP.
• Tribal safety summits are an effective platform for information-sharing among tribes on roadway safety issues and often strengthen inter-tribal relationships.
• An established network for communicating between tribes and State agencies leads to better project coordination and delivery, lower project costs, stronger relationships, and better information sharing.

North Dakota

Background

Continuous communication and collaboration between tribes and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) has led to Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) updates that account for unique tribal needs, and to ongoing road safety improvement projects on tribal lands.

The overarching goal of tribal involvement in SHSP updates is to reduce fatal crashes across the State. Many fatal crashes among tribal members are alcohol-involved or include drivers or passengers not wearing their seatbelts—statistics show the same is true Statewide.

While the underlying problems related to fatal crashes are consistent across the State, North Dakota tribal members are disproportionately represented in road fatalities. Tribal populations account for about 5 percent of the State population but 15 to 20 percent of vehicle crash fatalities. To reduce Statewide fatal crashes NDDOT knows it is imperative to reduce fatal crashes among tribal populations.

Building off of longstanding relationships between NDDOT liaisons and tribal representatives, NDDOT began its most recent comprehensive SHSP update in 2012, with its final plan released in fall 2013. There were 75 to 100 stakeholders involved in updating the SHSP, including an SHSP Steering Committee including the director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission and representatives from each of the 4 tribes in North Dakota.

Tribal Involvement in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan

Because North Dakota is a State with a small population and a prominent tribal culture, NDDOT for decades, has collaborated on road safety with tribal representatives. The established relationships between tribes and NDDOT made it relatively easy to incorporate tribal needs into the 2013 SHSP update. The SHSP Steering Committee had oversight over the update process and included about 20 stakeholders, including tribal representatives and representatives across the 4Es—engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services (EMS).

Local Road Safety Program: An SHSP Extension

About half of severe crashes (fatal and incapacitating injury crashes) in North Dakota happen on local roads, and the Local Road Safety Program (LRSP) is NDDOT's continuous effort to reduce severe crashes on those roads. The LRSP grew out of collaboration with a variety of stakeholders to update the SHSP, and today covers 53 counties, 12 cities, 4 tribes, and 1 national park.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, each of those entities has developed a prioritized list of road safety projects. The NDDOT provides half of its Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) federal funding toward those projects and leads a solicitation and evaluation process—to ensure data-driven projects that best address identified safety issues. Projects tend toward low-cost effective infrastructure improvements, such as edge lines, rumble strips, chevrons, destination lighting, and enhanced signing.

In forming the LRSP, NDDOT staff met with all four tribes in North Dakota separately from county and city stakeholders. NDDOT staff took this approach so that particular tribal needs would be sure to be reflected in selected projects.

For behavior-based strategies that complement LRSP projects—for example, promoting seat belt use—NDDOT relies on tribal traffic safety outreach coordinators (funded by the NDDOT through grant funds received by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA) to conduct community-level outreach through local events and activities and to partner with a media firm to create tribal-specific educational material for distribution through outreach activities.

Finally, the LSRP has helped guide tribes in the development of their transportation safety plans. For instance, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians has used the process of creating its local road safety plan to inform and complete its federally required strategic transportation plan.

Key Challenges

There is some variation in the level of tribal participation in LRSP and project execution. One tribe has a consultant who handles paperwork, significantly reducing the time to propose and plan projects.

Data quality is another challenge in reaching SHSP and LRSP goals. Only one out of the four tribes in North Dakota has equipment compatible with the State's electronic crash reporting system, and that tribe is not yet submitting electronic crash reports to the system. A simple but cumbersome solution is to have two laptops in tribal law enforcement vehicles, with each laptop respectively linked to tribal and State crash reporting systems. This solution has been met with resistance due to equipment costs and the extra work involved in entering crash data twice.

Benefits to Tribal Participation in SHSP and LRSP

• Ensures that NDDOT is aware of concerns on reservations, especially regarding State-owned roads that go through tribal land.
• Ongoing coordination and collaboration is a success that begets success. Years of outreach leads to SHSP updates that include strategies to reduce crashes on tribal lands and across the State, and there are now full-time Traffic Safety Outreach Program Coordinators (funded through NHTSA grant funds) that serve as points of contact on two of the State's reservations.
• Low cost systematic projects for implementation identified through a data-driven process.
• A simplified application process for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds.

Contact

Karin Mongeon
Safety Division Director
North Dakota Department of Transportation
(701) 328-4434
KaMongeon@nd.gov

Improving Relationships with Tribes Makes Roads Safer in South Dakota

The South Dakota practice is discussed after the following introduction about Tribal Government Involvement in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan process.

Other states in this SHSP/Tribal Government Noteworthy Practices series: MT, ND, WA

Involving Tribal Governments in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Update Process - Approaches and Benefits

As States move toward achieving zero deaths on their roadways, the impact of motor vehicle crashes in tribal communities and on tribal roads cannot be overlooked. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience higher rates of fatalities associated with transportation than does the population as a whole. Crashes are also the leading cause of unintentional death for AI/AN ages 1-44.

States and tribal governments are working together in an effort to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities in tribal communities. This includes collaborating during the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process, an effort that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to identify critical roadway safety challenges and establish potential solutions. Tribes are also developing Strategic Transportation Safety Plans of their own, which may allow access to additional resources such as the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.

These noteworthy practices highlight the activities of four States and tribal communities to collaborate during and after the SHSP process. They contain several recurring themes:

• Establishing a government-to-government relationship between State offices and tribal governments is very effective because it establishes respectful lines of communication and agreed-upon approaches that facilitates discussion on roadway safety issues.
• Tribal involvement in the SHSP process insures tribal concerns and strategies are addressed in the SHSP.
• Tribal safety summits are an effective platform for information-sharing among tribes on roadway safety issues and often strengthen inter-tribal relationships.
• An established network for communicating between tribes and State agencies leads to better project coordination and delivery, lower project costs, stronger relationships, and better information sharing.

South Dakota

Background

For half a century, representatives from South Dakota's nine tribes have informed the State's Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) through a yearly tribal STIP meeting. During the meeting, State and tribal partners discuss safety concerns and State projects happening in tribal territory, and coordinate road projects that overlap boundaries. The South Dakota transportation secretary attends and moderates this annual meeting.

Building off the longstanding STIP consultations, South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) staff also meet with tribes individually for an annual consultation and coordination meeting where SDDOT and tribes discuss transportation issues on tribal lands. These individual meetings foster personal relationships, and meetings are also held as-needed—for instance, for consultation on federal signage standards and requirements. Department staff travel to each of the nine tribal headquarters to meet with transportation, Tribal Employment Rights Office, and Cultural Preservation staff about a variety of transportation issues. Safety is always a topic of discussion. These meetings let participants discuss the coordination of individual projects and cooperative ventures in detail. Staff from the South Dakota Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) also participate in the annual meetings with each Tribe.

Tribes typically host the summits and meetings, which include FHWA division staff, representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the State Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety, tribal historic preservation officers, tribal chairs and presidents, and sometimes council members.

This year SDDOT will hold its 6^th Tribal Transportation Safety Summit. The event will be hosted by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The summit is not just an opportunity for State and tribal representatives to build relationships, it is a time to bring together representatives from the 4 Es of highway safety: engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services (EMS).

The ongoing collaboration between tribes and SDDOT staff on the STIP, road safety projects, and individual tribal meetings is now informing the goals and strategies of the State's Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), and of tribal safety plans.

Tribal Involvement in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan

Before South Dakota completed its most recent SHSP update in 2014, SDDOT presented its draft SHSP at the Tribal Safety Summit to get input on how to integrate tribal road safety needs into the SHSP. Tribes were eager to provide feedback, and asked if SDDOT would be at the table—to provide technical assistance, data, and answer questions—as tribes created their own road safety plans.

South Dakota's SHSP Steering Committee also has a tribal representative. The SHSP update process included numerous tribal safety partners, including representatives from the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations and South Dakota Urban Indian Health, and transportation planners from the following organizations:

• Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency
• Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
• Flandreau Sioux Tribe
• Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
• Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe
• Yankton Sioux Tribe

There are several strategies in the SHSP that support tribal transportation safety efforts. In the Unbelted Vehicle Occupant emphasis area, one strategy includes supporting tribal efforts to use a rollover simulator, which shows what happens to belted and unbelted occupants when a vehicle rolls over. In the Drug and Alcohol Related Crashes emphasis area, strategies include:

• Reviewing options to create a tribal law enforcement or traffic liaison position with South Dakota Department of Public Safety to address tribal drinking and driving issues.
• Working with Lakota Circles of Hope and similar tribal programs in teaching middle and high school students about safe driving and resisting destructive decisions.

SDOT's SHSP effort also includes supporting the Annual Tribal Safety Summit, including developing agendas, securing venues, and distributing and collecting registration materials.

Finally, SDDOT funds enforcement activities on reservations, works with tribes to prepare tribal safety plans, conducts Regional Roadway Safety Inspections and Roadway Safety Audits, and administers and funds county signing projects.

Tribal Transportation Plan Development

All but two of the nine tribes in South Dakota have developed their own safety transportation plans. SDDOT staff attended developmental meetings for those plans, provided guidance, and discussed road safety issues unique to tribes. For instance, pedestrian crashes happen more often on tribal lands compared to State roads, where run-off-the-road crashes are more common. Tribal safety plans in South Dakota tend to emphasize infrastructure and behavior countermeasures, such as safe pedestrian routes and improved lighting, which make roads safer for pedestrians.

Key Challenges

While the safety summit has grown from 30 to 40 participants each year to 80 to 100 participants, it has been difficult for SDDOT to tap into EMS and law enforcement networks on tribal lands. EMS and enforcement departments tend to be understaffed and overworked and their leadership cannot afford to take even one day off. SDDOT is determined to continue to work to find ways to get full 4E representation at its safety summits.

A lack of consistent crash data can be a barrier to assisting tribes trying to address road safety needs, as is a lack of electronic data. The State, county, and city levels all use the same system to report crashes and have full access to that system, but tribes gather their own crash data that is not integrated into the system. Some tribes have expressed concern that the State will use personally identifiable information in crash reports. SDDOT continues to work to counter this perception, emphasizing that it is only interested in using crash data to help tribes obtain funding for road safety projects.

Despite the challenges related to crash data consistency, additional crash data has become available by cultivating tribal crash reporting partnerships. These expanded data partnerships resulted in additional crash reports and has provided for a more complete data set. From 2008 to 2012, there has been a relatively flat trend for the number of fatalities and fatal crash rate. Through partnerships with tribal partners, SDDOT has reestablished a trend using a more complete data set.

Benefits Realized

• Established communication leads to better project coordination and delivery, lower project costs, strong relationships, and better information sharing.
• Tribal involvement has ensured tribal concerns and strategies are addressed in the SHSP.
• Close coordination with tribes has led to the support of the annual traffic safety summit.
• The safety summit is a vehicle not just for SDDOT staff and tribal representatives to interact, but for tribes to talk to one another about low-cost safety and other improvements.
• Any tribe can sign up for a signage consultation with SDDOT staff, to ensure that signs and sign locations conform to federal standards. SDDOT staff also make it a point to be available to help resolve any other road safety or general transportation issues.

Contact

June D. Hansen
Civil Rights Compliance Officer
South Dakota Department of Transportation
(605) 773-3540
June.Hansen@state.sd.us

Washington State DOT Implements $26 Million in Local Roadway Safety Improvements through Local Agencies

Describe the roadway safety situation or state before the new practice was implemented. What was the safety issue, problem, or gap?

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds in Washington State are divided between State highways and local agency roadways. The funds are split according to the top priority infrastructure emphasis areas from the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP): Target Zero. The top priority, or priority 1, emphasis areas are run-off-road crashes and intersection-related crashes. The split between State and local share of those crashes has remained very consistent at roughly 30 percent on State maintained roadways and 70 percent local agency responsibility. Therefore, 70 percent of HSIP funds are provided to local agencies through programs administered by the Local Programs division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

From 2010 to 2014, county roads accounted for 25 percent (2,801 of 11,259) of all fatal and serious injury crashes in Washington State. However, those crashes are spread out over more than 39,000 miles of road. Very few locations have more than one fatal or serious injury crash over a five-year period. This seemingly random pattern makes implementation of safety countermeasures more challenging.

Since 2009, counties applying for HSIP funds have been required to implement low-cost improvements over widespread areas of their network. Projects have been awarded to all 39 counties statewide in that time period. Counties are allowed to identify which countermeasures they implement and where they are implemented, as long as they address fatal and serious injury crash types (primarily run-off-the-road) using proven countermeasures. Counties are responsible for identifying priority locations using this risk-based approach to safety.

What were the key challenges that needed to be addressed before the new practice could be implemented?

Counties had to be provided with the resources to develop local road safety plans to identify locations and priorities for road safety projects. The resources included statistical summaries, development of workshops, and coordination of training through the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Data and Analysis Technical Assistance program.

Describe the new practice.

Counties are required to develop a local road safety plan to identify locations and priorities. The development of such a plan is required in order for a county to be eligible to apply for HSIP funds. WSDOT assisted the counties with the development of local road safety plans in the following manner:

• Counties were provided with summary data to help them prioritize crash types, roadway characteristics, and conditions more prevalent in fatal and serious injury crashes.
• A series of eight workshops were held around the state for counties to better understand the requirements of the local road safety plan. These workshops helped to emphasize no new data are needed to be collected to develop a local road safety plan.
• During the workshops, counties were provided with additional resources, such as the Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool and the SHSP recommended countermeasures.
• After the workshops, training specific to the Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool was made available to counties (and a few interested cities).
• Technical assistance was provided as needed for any county requesting assistance in development or review of their local road safety plans and HSIP applications.
• For the final application for HSIP funds, counties were required to develop a list of prioritized projects, each with a separate cost estimate.
• If counties could advertise new safety projects by September 30, 2016, the state would provide the 10 percent match typically required from the local agency, allowing the counties to receive 100 percent funding for construction.

List the key accomplishments that resulted from the new practice. Include the roadway safety improvements.

• The majority of counties completed a local road safety plan and applied for funds within a five-month window from the announcement of the program to the application deadline.
• Of those that applied, 30 counties received funding for a total of $26.5 million in improvements.
• Nearly every project, in every county, committed to meeting that deadline in order to receive 100 percent construction funding support.

What technical and/or institutional changes resulted from the new practice?

The development of local road safety plans has a high potential to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on the county road network. This approach is data-driven, creates a process to determine risks across the network, and provides the flexibility to select the most cost-effective projects. This approach is also changing the safety culture among counties across the state by making them evaluate their roads in a different way than before.

What benefits were realized as a result of the practice?

• Two key partnership opportunities also emerged from this process including the Washington State Association of Counties (the state's NACE-affiliate) and the County Road Administration (CRAB).
• CRAB received a Traffic Records Committee grant to develop a safety module that works with their existing database. This will allow counties to combine crash, roadway, and volume data to develop a systemic safety program. The module will help to implement the Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool analysis process.

Bridge guard rail installation as a result of a local road safety plan

Signage updates as a result of a local road safety plan

Contacts

Matthew Enders, PE
Manager, Technical Services
(360) 705-6907
EndersM@wsdot.wa.gov

Susan Bowe, PE
Traffic Services Manager
(360) 705-7380
BoweS@wsdot.wa.gov

Tennessee DOT Local Roads Safety Initiative Assists Counties Challenged by Limited Staff with Road Safety Improvements

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

The Tennessee DOT (TDOT) Local Roads Safety Initiative (LRSI) was created in 2010 to assist with improving safety on local roads. TDOT created the initiative to assist its counties with road safety improvements. The initiative provides basic signing, striping upgrades, signage for curves, guardrail, and approaches to guard rails. Most counties have limited support staff and very few counties have staff with the needed engineering expertise. Only 6 of 95 county chief administrative officers are licensed engineers. The LRSI was developed by a partnership between the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and safety projects coordinator, State traffic engineer, assistant chief of operations, incident management division director, and the Tennessee FHWA Division. TDOT developed a consultant contract and hired two consultants to conduct local road safety analysis in Tennessee's 95 counties.

Benefit

The TDOT Local Road Safety Initiative has successfully conducted Road Safety Audit Reviews (RSARs) through the draft stage for 45 counties and 21 projects have been let to bid and awarded since the program's inception.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Ohio DOT and LTAP Provides Opportunities for Townships to Improve Town-wide and Corridor Signage at Intersections and Curves

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

The Ohio DOT's (ODOT) Office of Local Programs, with the assistance of the Ohio Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center, administers a systemic signage intersection and curve upgrade program for targeted Ohio Townships. The program provides two opportunities for townships to apply for free safety and advanced warning signs.

• The Township-wide Systematic Signage Upgrade Program is for Townships with a high number of severe crashes. The Top 50 Townships with a high number of serious crashes for a five-year period are invited to apply for funding to implement systematic signage upgrades.
• The Township Corridor Systematic Signage Upgrade Program provides intersection signage and curve upgrades for Townships with a corridor among the Top 50 Township High-Risk Rural Roads in Ohio based on a five-year period of crash data. Townships can apply for funding on designated corridors.
• Townships participating in the programs are responsible for installation and maintenance of the signage and are limited to a list of preapproved signs.

As a part of the program, the Ohio LTAP Center provides crash data and information on the types of sign packages available for specific situations. Townships can choose from the signage packages or build their own sign orders. The ODOT Office of Local Programs also provides guidance and assistance to Townships on sign installation if necessary. Program details are available on the ODOT Local Programs web page.

Figure 1. Before and After Photos of Sign Installation Completed as Part of Program.

Benefit

The signage packages help insure the townships install the signs according to the requirements of the Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (OMUTCD).

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Nebraska Department of Roads and LTAPs Encourage Local Agency Participation in County Sign Installation Programs

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) Local Projects Division and Nebraska Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center provide a systemic county sign installation program. Many of Nebraska's 93 counties do not have a county engineer. The program started because the State was receiving few High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) project applications. To encourage participation from local agencies, NDOR conducts a systemic safety analysis to identify potential sites (e.g., horizontal curves) for safety improvements based on risk. To market the program, the NDOR takes advantage of the Nebraska LTAP Center's contacts at local agencies throughout the State. The LTAP Center meets with the county superintendents and city supervisors and provides crash data and information about the project application process. Project site locations are selected by the counties. Counties agree to install signs according to the requirements of the Nebraska Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The Nebraska LTAP Center conducts spot checks to ensure proper installations.

Benefits

The program has helped Nebraska successfully obligate safety funds, especially the HRRRP. The program has received participation from 78 of Nebraska's 93 counties.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Louisiana DOTD and LTAP Partnership Improves Local Agencies' Capabilities to Develop Regional Safety Plans, Access Funding, and Implement Safety Improvements

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) established a Local Roads Safety Program in 2006 and despite early barriers and challenges, it has become a viable program aimed at improving highway safety on Louisiana's local road network. Today, the Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center administers the Local Road Safety Program and DOTD sets aside $3 to $5 million from its Section 154 and 164 Safety Transfer funds, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds, and High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) funds for local safety projects. (Note: MAP-21 continues two penalty transfer programs to encourage States to enact Open Container laws (Section 154) and Repeat Intoxicated Driver laws (Section 164). Any State that does not enact and enforce a conforming open container and repeat intoxicated driver law will be subject to a penalty transfer of funds. Additional information is available on the MAP-21 Guidance page.) Thanks to the successful partnership between LTAP and DOTD, technical assistance and funding is available to help local agencies implement infrastructure projects.

Within DOTD, no unit or department is responsible for administering local road safety projects, which is one of the main reasons for the partnership with LTAP. The DOTD Office of Safety provides funding to LA LTAP for a full-time traffic safety engineer/program manager, a part-time project engineer and two part-time traffic safety engineers.

The main component of the Louisiana LTAP program is to help local agencies develop the capability to solve local road safety problems using local resources or by accessing funds through the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process. LTAP assists local agencies to identify, apply for, and administer local road infrastructure safety projects. Most recently, they have begun to assist the regional transportation safety coalitions with the identification and implementation of infrastructure improvements.

In 2011, DOTD divided the State into 10 regions and charged each with developing a regional safety coalition and a safety plan (a regional SHSP) to help with the implementation of the Louisiana SHSP. Each coalition reviews regional crash data to identify strategies and projects to reduce fatalities and serious injuries for impaired drivers, unbelted drivers, young drivers, and infrastructure-related crashes. LTAP works with the coalitions to identify and implement local infrastructure improvements for the plans in coordination with activities on the State system.

Benefits

To date, LTAP has provided local data, data analysis, and technical assistance to four regional coalitions. The most advanced coalition, the South Central Regional Transportation Safety Partnership, has conducted five Road Safety Audits (RSAs), and with the help of LTAP is preparing to apply for funding. LTAP also currently is working with coalition members (as well as individual parishes) to implement a system-wide/systemic approach to improving safety on horizontal curves. LTAP has located all horizontal curves on the local road system. LTAP is working with the local agencies and DOTD to develop a process to characterize and prioritize these curves based on certain criteria and to develop a manageable process to implement projects systemically.

In terms of next steps, LTAP, LSU, and DOTD are partnering on a three-year program to assemble roadway and traffic data on the local road system. This program will collect roadway characteristic and traffic data on all arterials, collectors and roads of significance for the local road system. This will continue to enhance LTAP's capability to work with the local agencies, share data, and collaborate on infrastructure improvements. LTAP is facilitating the development of a research project to develop better estimates of local road Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) which is necessary for many of the analytical tools currently being used to analyze for safety.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Ohio Local Road Safety Program's State and Local Collaboration Makes Safety a Local Priority

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

The Ohio Local Road Safety Program is a three-part collaboration among Ohio DOT (ODOT), the Ohio Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) center, and the County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO). The collaboration provides funding for local road safety improvements, offers training and technical assistance to local agencies, and assists with the administration of local safety projects.

ODOT dedicates $12 million of Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds annually to qualifying safety projects on county roads. The funds are administered by CEAO. ODOT also funds a position at CEAO to administer the county safety projects and provide technical assistance to counties as they develop and implement local safety projects. Once projects are approved for safety funding, they are administered by ODOT through the district offices or by local governments through the Office of Local Programs. The funding set aside specifically for county roads has enabled county engineers to take the lead in determining the improvement projects to fund. Providing funding for a CEAO position enables counties to administer projects with the assistance of the CEAO Program Manager.

Local agencies also are eligible to apply for HSIP funds through the statewide program managed by ODOT. Multidisciplinary committees review applications each year and award funds based on scored criteria and other factors, such as cost, compatibility between countermeasures and crash patterns, and relevance to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). ODOT provides crash data and user-friendly tools to help local governments analyze safety challenges and justify public investments.

Ohio LTAP has developed educational, outreach, and Road Safety Audit (RSA) programs designed to build safety knowledge at the local level. Participation in RSA programs and training has increased now that an incentive is tied to local agency RSA participation. Typically ODOT will fund low-cost safety improvements on corridors or at spot locations where RSAs are conducted; however, if an RSA identifies the need for larger, more costly improvements, ODOT sends task order consultants to assess the problem and the costs.

Benefits

ODOT's partnerships with LTAP and CEAO have successfully made safety a local priority. With over 2,300 local agencies in Ohio, about 75 percent of these governments have taken advantage of the training, technical assistance, and tools provided by ODOT, Ohio LTAP, and CEAO.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function