An official website of the United States government
Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Motor vehicle collisions are a leading cause of unintentional injuries and deaths among all age groups in the United States. In 2017, approximately 3,600 deaths and over 14,000 serious injuries occurred as a result of traffic collisions in California, costing the State over $53.5 billion. Twenty-six percent of the collisions were speeding-related, which included vehicle speeds that were unsafe for conditions or in excess of the speed limit.
This spurred the legislature into action and in 2018, the California Assembly signed Assembly Bill 2363. This Bill required the establishment of a Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force. The Task Force aimed to evaluate the ways in which speed limits are set in California, suggested alternatives to the current speed-limit-setting process (85th-percentile method), and proposed policies to reduce traffic fatalities to zero. AB 2363 directed the California Secretary of Transportation to publish a Report of Findings following the conclusion of the Task Force activities and submit it to the Legislature.
The Rainier Valley neighborhood located in southeast Seattle is home to one of the City’s most culture-rich and diverse populations. Rainier Avenue South is a principal arterial street that connects residents and communities along the former regional rail corridor. The area surrounding Rainier Avenue South includes many land uses like retail, schools, and parks. These uses are pertinent to pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and drivers.
It was also the corridor with the highest number of traffic crashes in Seattle; the corridor had a per mile crash rate that is greater than other streets in the City that carry more than twice the volume of traffic as on Rainier Ave South. The City launched Vision Zero efforts in 2014, one of which was working with the community to redesign a one-mile segment of the eight-mile corridor for the pilot phase of the Rainier Avenue South Corridor Safety Project. The City implemented changes to the piloted segment between South Alaska Street and South Kenny Street over a weekend in August 2015.
Rainier Avenue South carries over 13,000 people daily on transit, is a freight and emergency response route, and serves between 19,700 and 26,600 vehicles each weekday. Studies in the corridor show that between 1,000 and 2,000 vehicles per day travel along the corridor at a speed greater than 10 miles above the 30 miles per hour (mph) posted speed limit. The total average number of annual crashes over the 10 years prior to the redesign was 95 crashes, 9 serious injury crashes, and 1 fatality crash.
In 2015, the City of San Diego adopted a Vision Zero approach to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on City streets by 2025. This approach included the development and implementation of strategies in the areas of engineering, enforcement, and education. A key element of the City’s Vision Zero program was to use data to select projects with the greatest safety benefit. This data-driven philosophy was encapsulated in the City’s Systemic Safety Analysis Reporting Program (SSARP). The Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at the University of California, Berkeley assisted with the development of SSARP, which included standardizing processes to perform crash analyses, identifying safety issues, and developing a list of low-cost proven safety countermeasures. The systemic safety approach evaluated the City’s entire roadway network, rather than individual high-crash locations, and identified high-risk roadway features correlated with common crash types.
Describe the state of roadway safety before the new practice was implemented. What was the safety issue, problem, or gap?
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) converted an existing highway-railroad crossing to a pedestrian- and bicycle-only crossing when new roadway construction and land use changes occurred in New Britain, Connecticut. The converted railroad crossing design needed to safely accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists accessing a nearby busway station, multi-use trail, and other amenities.
In 2016, three pedestrians in Ramsey, New Jersey, died when hit by a train near the Main Street and Ramsey transit station. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), New Jersey Transit, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and local town officials worked together to find and implement a treatment to help prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
What key challenges needed to be addressed before the new practice could be implemented?
The key challenge was getting agreement among professionals and the public on the chosen treatment.
Describe the new practice.
Both NJDOT and CTDOT identified a hinged pedestrian gate skirt as the most effective solution for the crossings. A hinged pedestrian gate skirt is a secondary horizontal bar that hangs under an existing pedestrian gate to help improve safety at rail crossings.
What technical and/or institutional changes resulted from the new practice?
Both Connecticut and New Jersey have installed hinged pedestrian gate skirts to better deter pedestrian violations.
What benefits were realized as a result of the practice?
This treatment deters pedestrians from going under a pedestrian gate that is in movement and in the down position. The pedestrian gate skirt pilot program found that descending gate violations decreased by 78 percent, and horizontal gate violations decreased by 54 percent. NJDOT reports no fatalities have occurred since installing the hinged pedestrian gate skirt. The low position of the gate skirt also benefits people who are blind or have low vision because the gate can be detected using canes or other mobility aids.
Pedestrian safety is a major concern in Virginia. Between 2012 and 2016, over 450 pedestrians died and over 8,000 were injured while walking along or across Virginia’s public roads. Over 90 percent of Virginia’s pedestrian crashes occur when the pedestrian is crossing the street. More than half (62% of crashes) occur at mid-block pedestrian crossings.
In 2017 and 2018, San Francisco saw historic lows in traffic-related deaths on its streets. However, every year in San Francisco, approximately 30 people lose their lives and more than 500 are severely injured while traveling on city streets. San Francisco has resolved that even one death is unacceptable, and is committed to stopping further loss of life.
Describe the roadway safety situation or state before the new practice was implemented. What was the safety issue, problem, or gap?
Presently, over half of the fatal and severe injury crashes in the Tampa Bay region occur on locally owned and maintained roadways. Traditionally, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has typically spent less than 10 percent of their allocated Federal safety funds on local roads. To aggressively address these fatal and severe injury crashes using a data-driven process, the District 7 (Tampa Bay region) office of FDOT developed and implemented the Local Agency Traffic Safety Program. The program is a coordinated and comprehensive effort to put the available safety dollars to use in reducing deaths and serious injuries on the roadways in the region.
What were the key challenges that needed to be addressed before the new practice could be implemented?
Prior to initiation of the program, the following challenges to allocating safety funding to the local agencies were identified:
Many of the local agencies did not have staff with specialized knowledge or training in traffic safety;
There was a general lack of knowledge among many of the local agencies about the available federal and state programs and the requirements of those programs; and
Agency staff typically did not know where to start to address the safety issues on their roadways.
Describe the new practice.
A comprehensive approach was developed to assist the local agencies with identifying the safety issues on their roadways, selecting appropriate countermeasures, and applying for funding to make the recommended improvements. The Local Agency Traffic Safety Program was developed to help build a culture of safety throughout the Tampa Bay region and includes:
A yearly Traffic Safety Summit in District 7 for local safety practitioners;
An online HSIP application process;
Safety ambassadors to work one-on-one with the agency staff to develop the candidate HSIP projects; and
Five methods of project delivery assistance by which local agencies can receive Federal safety funding to implement engineering improvements that have been selected for funding including:
Equipment purchase
Technical assistance
Design Build Push Button (DBPB)
Local Agency Program
Local Agency Force Account
List the key accomplishments that resulted from the new practice. Include the roadway safety improvements.
Achieved a 28 percent reduction in fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes and a 33 percent reduction in teen driver crashes over the last three years.
Completed over $23 million in safety improvements on local roadways in the Tampa Bay region.
What technical and/or institutional changes resulted from the new practice?
DBPB project delivery process allows a previously selected designer-contractor team to quickly bring a project “from concept to concrete.”
District 7 Safety Office Traffic Safety Summit.
What benefits were realized as a result of the practice?
Prior to the first Safety Summit, the District Safety Office would typically receive approximately three applications per year for safety funding on local roads. Since the inception of the Safety Summit and the support to the local agencies, the District Safety Office receives over 50 applications annually from the local agencies.
The program embodies the best of what FHWA is trying to achieve through its Every Day Counts initiative—making safety improvements through a multidisciplinary data-driven process as quickly as possible.
Brite Sticks Improve Visibility Day or Night
Mid-block Pedestrian Crossing on Fletcher Avenue Complete Streets Project
Describe the roadway safety situation or state before the new practice was implemented. What was the safety issue, problem, or gap?
Today's older adults are not only living longer; they are continuing to drive longer than any generation in history. Research suggests older adults can expect to outlive their ability to drive safely by seven to ten years. Florida has a significant number of aging road users with 18.2 percent of its population over age 65. This percentage is expected to grow to 27 percent by 2030, a figure substantially higher than the national average of 19.7 percent.
As an increasing number of older adults drive on Florida's roadways or travel the roads as pedestrians, passengers, bicyclists, motorcyclists, or transit riders, the issue of transportation safety becomes a greater public health concern. In 2013, there were 454 fatalities involving drivers age 65 and older, which is over 19 percent of all fatalities.
What were the key challenges that needed to be addressed before the new practice could be implemented?
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) created a Safe Mobility for Life Program within its Traffic Engineering and Operations Office which quickly expanded as an increasing number of stakeholders became involved with the program. The program originally focused on engineering improvements on the state highway system to compensate for the natural changes that occur as people age. Human factors studies were soon incorporated into the program, in conjunction with the Florida State University Department of Psychology, to gain a better understanding of how traffic control devices are comprehended by all age groups prior to implementation. A training course was later developed and tailored to the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians to address the unique aspects of Florida's transportation system and take into account competing design practices such as Context Sensitive Design/Solutions and Livable Communities. With an ever increasing number of activities associated with the program, FDOT needed to develop a better solution to integrate its various partners into the program.
Describe the new practice.
FDOT partnered with the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy at Florida State University to form a statewide coalition. The Safe Mobility for Life Coalition (SMFLC) consists of 27 agencies and organizations who share responsibilities and interests in aging road user safety and mobility.
Activities developed or supported by the Coalition that have helped Florida achieve reductions in aging road user traffic related fatalities and serious injuries include:
Roadway and Pedestrian Improvements: Safety countermeasures including larger lettering on signs, advance warning signs, countdown pedestrian signals, etc.
Dedicated website (safemobilityfl.com): A one-stop website created and maintained by FDOT to put aging road user transportation safety and mobility tools and resources all in one place.
Florida's Guide for Aging Drivers: This free guide was developed as a printed version of the FLsams website and is designed to help Floridians learn how to continue to safely drive while also sharing information to help prepare and plan ahead to meet their mobility needs after transitioning from driving.
Find-a-Ride Database: This database, generated by the University of Florida, provides direct access to over 800 local transportation options through the Find-a-Ride page on the FLsams website.
Aging Road User Survey: This survey conducted in September 2012 and again in 2013 saw an increase in the number of people who had heard about SMFLC as well as an increase in the number of individuals who indicated they were preparing for when they could no longer drive.
Safe Mobility for Life Resource Center: Coalition materials that promote and educate on aging road user safety and mobility are distributed upon request to all stakeholders, including the guide, checklist, brochures, and tip cards that support the Aging Road User Strategic Safety Plan.
List the key accomplishments that resulted from the new practice. Include the roadway safety improvements.
The proportion of traffic fatalities in Florida involving drivers ages 65-74 was below the proportion for both the NHTSA Region 4 and the nation during the last three years (2011-2013).
Broadcasted three focus group tested radio public service announcements targeting urban and rural priority counties in 2014.
Conducted an Assessment of Health Care Providers and Older Adult Service Organizations research project with results used to develop and distribute educational materials and resources.
What technical and/or institutional changes resulted from the new practice?
The Coalition developed the Aging Road User Strategic Safety Plan, which is incorporated in Florida's Strategic Highway Safety Plan under the At-Risk Drivers Emphasis Area. The Aging Road User Strategic Safety Plan is broken down into 10 key emphasis areas:
Advocacy and Policy;
Aging in Place;
Assessment, Remediation, and Rehabilitation;
Data Collection and Analysis;
Licensing and Enforcement;
Other Road Users;
Outreach and Education;
Prevention and Early Recognition;
Program Management, Evaluation, and Resources; and
Transitioning from Driving.
The plan includes specific emphasis areas and tracks their progress and implementation to ensure that the overall plan is moving forward.
What benefits were realized as a result of the practice?
Developed specialized materials that focus on older driver related transportation safety issues.
Held special events including: an indoor/outdoor interactive Safety is Golden Mobility Fair to provide available local transportation safety and mobility resources to participants; a Transit is Golden safety event to help educate and promote the use of public transportation among older adults by walking to a bus stop and traveling to a local destination; and a Stop on Red safety event in collaboration with Alert Today Florida to promote pedestrian safety.
Safe Mobility for Life Coalition members attend quarterly meeting in Tallahassee, FL
Members working as trained technicians at a CarFit event in Tamarac, FL
Distributing safety information at the Safety is Golden Mobility Fair in St. Petersburg, FL
Contacts
Safe Mobility for Life Program
Florida Department of Transportation
State Traffic Engineering and Operations Office
605 Suwannee Street, MS 36
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450 Gail.Holley@dot.state.fl.us
850-410-5414
Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy
Safe Mobility for Life Resource Center
636 West Call Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306 Safe-Mobility-For-Life@fsu.edu
850-644-8145
