●  Introduction

●  Overview

●  Integrating Safety into Planning

Incorporating safety in transportation planning helps identify, analyze, and develop solutions to transportation hazards. Safety conscious planning addresses highway, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and heavy vehicle safety. State departments of transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) typically coordinate their efforts with local transportation and safety planning partners including, but not limited to, law enforcement, emergency management, community groups, and safety advocates. 

Trends in Transportation Safety

Pre-1990s: Focus on Human and Vehicular Factors

Motor vehicle accidents have decreased dramatically over the last four decades (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 2020 Report). The rate of casualties in traffic crashes in 1966 was three times higher than it is today, and by the end of the 1990s, the number of transportation-related injuries and deaths per capita reached an all-time low. The primary reason for the decreased rate of automotive casualties during this time period was changes in behavior: less people drove while intoxicated and more people wore a seatbelt (U.S. General Accounting Office, Highway Safety: Factors Contributing to Traffic Crashes and NHTSA's Efforts to Address Them). Improvements to vehicle safety features account for the majority of additional gains in safety during this period.

1990s: A Leveling Off of Improvement

Despite over $2 billion having been spent on federal aid for highway safety programs, the rate of automobile fatalities per capita leveled off in the mid-to-late 1990's. Population trends (i.e., larger numbers of younger and senior motorists) in the US are resulting in increases in the number of “higher risk” drivers. Combined with overall population growth across the nation and greater congestion, traffic accidents are predicted to continue as the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 3 and 34.

The Next Step: Attention to the Roadway Environment

Now that crashes resulting from human and vehicle factors have been greatly reduced, greater emphasis must be placed on addressing the environmental factors that lead to accidents. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) was the first surface transportation bill that required transportation planning agencies (including DOTs and MPOs) to "…provide for consideration of projects and strategies that will increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and non-motorized users."

An increased emphasis was placed on safety in the successor to TEA-21. The Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) included safety as its own planning factor separate from security and includes additional requirements for State DOTs and MPOs.

While crashes involving vehicles result in the greatest number of fatalities, non-motorized safety issues also exist above and beyond bicycle and pedestrian incidents with vehicles. Appropriate measures also need to be taken to enhance the safety of the traveling public outside of those driving or traveling in cars and trucks.

Measures employed by planners to improve safety on the transportation system are traditionally implemented through the “Three E’s”:

• Engineering – designing safer roadway facilities

• Education – increasing awareness of safe travel behaviors

• Enforcement – penalizing unsafe travel behaviors

Given the high costs to life and property, transportation planners are continually searching to develop methods to prevent accidents through improved planning processes and strategies. As with all forms of planning, the processes and strategies employed to identify and address needs are dependent on the characteristics of current and projected users. In the case of transportation safety in the U.S., the aging population and their strong preference to remain independent dictate the safety issues facing planners.

On June 9 and 10, 2005, the New York State Association of MPOs sponsored a forum in Poughkeepsie to discuss and share strategies to better incorporate safety in the transportation planning process. The objectives of the forum were to:

• Outline and review traditional engineering approaches to address safety

• Identify proactive strategies to improve safety

• Identify resources to support education and enforcement programs

• Develop a strategy for sharing best practices among the 13 New York MPOs

The forum included panels and breakout sessions organized around engineering, human behavior, and planning needs as each related to safety. Dr. Michael Meyer of the Georgia Institute of Technology, a nationally-recognized expert on transportation safety, delivered the keynote address.

The recommendations developed as part of the program include: 

1. MPOs should consider establishing a systematic process for addressing safety based on adequate, timely, and geocoded crash data. One strategy includes conducting annual audits of high-crash locations and locations identified by the community as having safety issues.

2. MPOs should work with county Traffic Safety Boards to facilitate a coordinated approach to address safety issues by combining technical transportation planning abilities and education and enforcement capabilities.

3. The New York State Association of MPOs should form a group to work on safety-related issues, possibly meeting quarterly or semi-annually.

4. A statewide group of stakeholders should be established to suggest priority initiatives, identify best practices, leverage funding on behalf of all the MPOs, and respond to federal and state legislation.

5. A similar forum should be convened on a regular basis to continue sharing good practice and to report on the experience and performance of actions taken by the MPOs with respect to safety.

6. MPOs should collaborate with the NY State Police and Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to implement TraCS (a software program developed for use by law enforcement agencies that collects traffic accident data) in the local jurisdictions.

7. Provide training for transportation planners on effective safety alternatives.

8. Encourage MPO involvement in the development of regional incident management plans, coordination, and training.

9. Develop tools that allow MPOs to examine safety data and establish priorities; apply for relevant funding; publicize the benefits of safety; and educate decision-makers and the public.

10. MPOs should include all disciplines in transportation planning by bringing together maintenance, operations, law enforcement, and engineering departments early in the planning process.

11. MPOs should advocate for human factors research, especially as it relates to behavioral reactions to engineering designs and technology.

The proceedings and materials from the forum are available on the New York State Association of MPOs website at: www.nysmpos.org/safety_forum.htm

Specific examples of integrating safety into transportation planning that recently have been or are being undertaken by or on behalf of GTC – along with their objectives – include: 

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

• American Automobile Association (AAA)

• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

• Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO)

• American Public Transportation Association

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

• Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

• Governors Highway Safety Association

• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

• Transportation Research Board

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