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12-03 — Advances in Safety Program Practices in “Zero-Fatalities” States

Original Scope: AASHTO is engaged in developing a national strategy on highway safety, titled “Toward Zero Deaths.” This national strategy is building on the experiences gained in safety planning and implementation efforts to date. In developing this strategy, AASHTO is reaching out to stakeholders with whom highway infrastructure professionals do not typically interact. Also, the national strategy includes an emphasis on safety culture as it relates both to road users in general and to highway agencies that need to balance safety with other factors in their decision-making processes. All states have developed Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP), and many states have updated their plans at least once. Each SHSP has a highway fatality reduction goal, and several states have set their goals at zero. The scan team examines practices in states, counties, metropolitan areas and municipalities that have highway safety goals of zero fatalities.

Implementation and Impact

Findings of the scan and implementation opportunities are detailed in the article Scanning Tour Uncovers TZD Advances, Promotes Accelerated Implementation, published on the Domestic Scan website and reproduced and shared though:

  • FHWA Safety Compass newsletter
  • Center for Transportation Studies Toward Zero Deaths newsletter
  • National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) Transportation Thursday newsletter
  • Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) member newsletter
  • Roadway Safety Foundation (NSF) Twitter feed

Scan team members disseminated scan findings and discussed deployment at a number of state and national events and committee meetings:

  • TRB Annual Meeting
    • 2015 Poster Session 728, “Recent Research, Best Practices, and Implementation of Zero Death Goals and Plans”
    • 2015 Lectern Session 475, “Transforming the Future of Safety with a Vision Towards Zero Deaths”
    • Toward Zero Deaths Goal Subcommittee (ANB10(9))
  • AASHTO Standing Committee on Highway Traffic Safety meeting
  • International Association of Chiefs of Police, Highway Safety Committee meeting
  • Tribal Safety Champions Workshop
  • Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference at Pennsylvania State University
  • Illinois Statewide Engineering Safety Conference
  • New Jersey DOT Research Showcase

Scan Members

Pictured left to right

    • Kelly Hardy, AASHTO
    • Michael Wright, Arora and Associates, PC, Scan Coordinator
    • Jeremey Vortherms, Iowa DOT
    • Rita Morocoima-Black, Champaign County (Illinois) Regional Planning Commission
    • Priscilla Tobias, Illinois DOT, Scan Chair
    • Girish (Gary) Modi, Pennsylvania DOT
    • Whitney Faron, Cambridge Systematics, Co-Subject Matter Expert
    • Marie Walsh, Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program

Not pictured

    • Jennifer Warren, FHWA
    • Susan Herbel, Cambridge Systematics, Co-Subject Matter Expert

Sites Visited

  • Idaho
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota (via webinar)
  • South Carolina
  • Washington State

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Key Details

Scan Number: 12-03
Scan Status: Completed

Scan Documents

  • 12-03 Final Report 
  • 12-03 Executive Summary 
  • 12-03 Prospectus 

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