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A new generation of safety analysis tools and methods have been developed to help identify safety issues and provide recommendations for improvements, including the HSM, SafetyAnalyst, IHSDM, and the NCHRP Series 500 Volume 19: A Guide for Collecting and Analyzing Safety Highway Safety Data. These safety analysis tools require quality roadway, traffic, and crash data to achieve the most accurate results. The FDE/HSIP will help support the use of these tools.
There are several funding sources available to help support the collection of roadway safety data. The FHWA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) all have multiple funding mechanisms available to support the collection of roadway safety data.
The FHWA Office of Safety recognizes that collecting additional data elements and incorporating them into an existing safety program requires financial resources. States will be concerned about the additional cost to collect these 38 FDE/HSIP. Therefore, FHWA conducted an analysis to estimate the cost to develop a relational location referencing system and collect the FDE/HSIP on all public roads.
The FHWA Office of Safety is currently developing several resources that can provide additional information and assistance. Through the MIRE initiative, FHWA is releasing a report entitled Exploring MIRE Element Data Collection Mechanisms (7). This research will provide an overview of:
One of the underlying factors of the MIRE data elements is that they are capable of being linked through a common relational location referencing system. A goal for each State would be to have such a common relational location referencing system (i.e., geographic information system, linear referencing system, etc.) for all public roads.
The 23 CFR 924 provides only general guidance on how safety data should be used; it does not provide details on specific data elements (1). While MIRE provides a comprehensive listing of roadway and traffic data elements, it may not be feasible for States to collect all of the 200+ MIRE elements and integrate them into their existing programs. State and local departments of transportation (DOTs), particularly highway safety agencies, are facing increasing demands and decreasing resources.
The overall objective of the HSIP is to significantly reduce the occurrence of fatalities and serious injuries resulting from crashes on all public roads.
In 2009, 33,808 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the total societal cost of crashes exceeds $230 billion annually (2). The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was signed into law on August 10, 2005, established the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) as a core Federal-aid program.
Quality data are the foundation for making important decisions regarding the design, operation, and safety of roadways.