Making Roadways Safer for Motorcycles

Original publication: National Roadway Safety Awards: Noteworthy Practices Guide; 2011

Description of Practice

With help from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Florida DOT formed a motorcycle safety coalition and a Motorcycle Strategic Safety Plan. The safety coalition created a training DVD to call attention to common challenging road conditions including grates, potholes, ridges, steel plates, pavement markings, grooved surfaces, loose gravel, land changes, and drop-offs in work zones.

Key Accomplishments and Results:

• Creation of a 10-minute training DVD
• Identifying safety countermeasures through the Motorcycle Strategic Plan
• Integration of motorcycle safety into strategic planning initiatives

Contact

Marianne Trussell
Florida Department of Transportation
850-245-1504
Marianne.Trussell@dot.state.fl.us

SHSP/HSIP Alignment

Original publication: SHSP Implementation Process Model, Supplement Number 1 – Case Studies; FHWA-SA-10-025; 2010(PDF, 1MB)

Key Accomplishments

• Established a strong safety focus in regional DOT offices emphasizing the SHSP.
• Provided improved guidance on safety project development to local agencies resulting in improved project quality and focus on the most serious hazardous locations.
• Implemented multiple pedestrian safety projects including countdown pedestrian signals, dynamic speed signs in school areas, pedestrian freeway overpasses, and grade separation of a bike path crossing.

Because the target fatal crash rate had not been achieved on the non-DOT portion of its road network, Michigan recognized that greater focus on local safety projects was needed. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has a policy to distribute a cover letter to regional engineers and system managers strongly encouraging submission of safety projects in the annual call for projects. In addition, to provide more focus at the local level, the 2008 call for projects highlighted the need for local safety projects. As part of the process, MDOT delivered presentations on the SHSP at State conferences to increase awareness and alignment of safety projects with the emphasis areas.

In letters to the county road association and municipal league announcing the call for high-risk rural road and local safety projects, MDOT requires benefit/cost or time-to-return analysis on all project submissions for better alignment with the SHSP. To support local agencies in completing this requirement, MDOT provides a listing of accepted crash reduction factors for commonly submitted projects. The letters also promote submission of non-motorized projects, which aligns with the SHSP’s emphasis area on pedestrians and bicycles. To help with identification of high-risk locations, MDOT provides fatal and serious-injury crash maps by region on the Web site. Regional MDOT staff provides assistance to local agencies on project development when requested to make sure safety projects fit into a SHSP focus area.

Results

By providing local agencies more details on the types of safety projects MDOT seeks, the quality of submittals is improving and safety projects are aligning with SHSP emphasis areas.

Contact:
Jim D’Lamater
Safety Engineer
Michigan DOT
517-335-2224
dlamaterj@michigan.gov

Teen Driver Study Commission Adopts SHSP Strategies and Advances Legislation

Original publication: SHSP Implementation Process Model, Supplement Number 1 – Case Studies; FHWA-SA-10-025; 2010(PDF, 1MB)

Key Accomplishments

• Enhanced communication and coordination among the private and public sectors and State legislators.
• Expedited the implementation of SHSP strategies by partnering with a public-private commission in the young driver emphasis area.
• Drafted legislation to strengthen the GDL law, require safety belt use in rear seats, and eliminate plea bargaining for GDL licensed drivers.

Despite a strong Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law, New Jersey experienced a continued high volume of teen crashes. As a result, leadership identified young driver crashes as an SHSP emphasis area. The SHSP Young Driver Emphasis Area Team developed three primary strategies and 10 action steps to reduce crashes among this population.

Concurrently New Jersey enacted a law establishing a Teen Driver Study Commission. The 15 member Commission is comprised of representatives of both the public and private sector as well as members of the State legislature. The charge of the Commission is to assess teen driving within New Jersey and recommend ways to reduce fatal and injury crashes. The Commission incorporated all of the young driver emphasis area strategies into their 47 recommendations. These are grouped into seven areas: Graduated Driver License, driver education, driver training, enforcement/judicial, insurance industry, schools, and technology. Recommendations requiring legislative action were presented to the Highway Traffic Safety Policy Advisory Council and the legislature.

Results

The leaders of the SHSP effort successfully partnered with the Teen Driver Study Commission and achieved agreement to move the SHSP strategies forward through the Commission. Although agencies receiving public funds are prohibited from lobbying, the private sector members of the Commission have been able to successfully champion bills included in the Commission’s recommended policy initiatives.

Contact:
Pam Fischer
Director, Division of Highway Traffic Safety
New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety
609-633-9272
Pam.Fischer@lps.state.nj.us

Making Complete Streets in Portland, CT

2021 Road Safety Award

Located in central Connecticut and responsible for 63 miles of roadway, the Town of Portland is a small community of under 10,000 residents that faced serious safety concerns regarding vehicle speeds and limited opportunities for safe walking and cycling. To address these concerns, a grassroots Complete Streets Group (CSG) wrote the Complete Streets Policy and got the Town’s elected leaders to formally adopt it in 2016. The CSG then started working with Public Works and the Town Engineer to plan, design, and construct safety improvements.

Read more