Newsletter - July/August 2005
Southeastern Transportation Safety Coalition Peer Exchange: June 29, 2005
On June 29, 2005, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the FHWA sponsored the Southeastern Transportation Safety
Coalition (STSC) Peer Exchange in Atlanta, Georgia. The concept to form the STSC began at the 2004 SASHTO meeting in Norfolk,
Virginia. During this meeting, State CEO's met with FHWA Administrator Mary Peters, Deputy Administrator Rick Capka, John
Baxter, and members of their staff, to discuss highway safety and the joint AASHTO and USDOT goal of reducing fatalities to 1.0 per
100 million vehicle miles of travel by 2008. A suggestion was made that the southeastern states form a coalition to make a unified push to improve safety. The goal of the coalition would be to help state
safety engineers identify peers in other states and to provide a clearinghouse for good ideas related to
the four E's of highway safety (Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency Response).
GDOT agreed to facilitate the establishment of the STSC and began by organizing and conducting teleconferences and surveys. During the teleconferences and surveys, state safety engineers expressed an interest in meeting face-to-face to discuss best practices and safety issues common to southeastern states. In response, GDOT hosted the STSC Peer Exchange. The event was funded through FHWA's Accelerated Safety Activities Program (ASAP), which provides grants to focus states. Georgia is a focus state in both pedestrian safety and intersection safety.
DOT safety engineers from 10 of the 13 states in AASHTO's Region 2 attended the peer exchange, as well as FHWA safety engineers from
8 southeastern states. John Baxter from FHWA-HQ and Frank Julian from FHWA-SRC also participated. Other participants included
representatives from the I-95 Corridor Coalition and the Kentucky Governor's Highway Safety Program. Each state made a presentation
on the challenges they have encountered and safety initiatives undertaken. The group also held more in-depth discussions in several
topic areas including run-off-the-road crashes, pedestrian safety, intersection safety, crash data, and electronic enforcement of traffic laws. As a result, state safety engineers were able to talk about
specific problems they face and possible solutions.
At the close of the meeting, the moderators asked whether the STSC Peer Exchange should be held annually. The consensus of the group was that the peer exchange was beneficial and should be held annually in a different state each year.
For more information about the STSC, please contact Keith Golden (404-635-8131), Angela Alexander (404-656-5277), or Dana Robbins (404-562-3642).
Byron Dover Says Goodbye
Mr. Byron Dover has decided to move on into the next phase of his well-lived life.
After 27 years of FHWA service, mainly in the Headquarters Safety Office, Byron has decided to retire. As of August 1st of 2005, he packed up and said his farewells.
Without question, Byron has provided a tremendous amount of quality service and time to the agency as well as the American people. He has left his mark in many areas including Data,
MUTCD, Safety Transfer Programs and Speed Management. Most notably, his hard work in the Pavement Marking and Retroreflectivity Programs and coordination of the overall Safety 402 and the
Safety Withholding/Transfer/Grants Programs for the FHWA will be implemented into the future.
On behalf of FHWA and the Office of Safety, we want to thank Mr. Byron Dover for his wealth of knowledge, support and valuable years of experience. Congratulations and we wish you the best in all your future endeavors. Enjoy.
SAFETEA-LU is Now Public Law!
Safety Reauthorization Implementation and Guidance Team
Mike Robinson Retires
We would also like to wish Mike Robinson, of the Office of Safety the best in his retirement after 39 years of federal service and his contributions to the Agency.
In preparation for the anticipated passage of Highway Reauthorization, the FHWA Office of Safety established a Safety Reauthorization Implementation and Guidance Team consisting of HQ and Field staff to develop guidance on implementation of the new provisions relating to Safety. As you well know, SAFETEA-LU is now public law.
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The team members include (front row left to right): Erin Kenley (HQ Office of Safety), Debra Chappell (HQ Office of Safety), Karen Yunk (New Jersey Division), Kathy Krause (HQ Office of Safety), and (back row left to right) Dave Kopacz (Minnesota Division), Jeff Kolb (Mississippi Division), Ken Epstein (HQ Office of Safety) and Mike Davies (Maine Division). |
The Team has been charged with reviewing key Safety provisions in reauthorization legislation, and based on priority implementation needs, developing information and guidance to facilitate efficient and effective application of new or changing requirements. The Team assembled in the Office of Safety on August 1st and will complete their assignment on August 19th. The 2 primary areas that the Team is focusing on are the new "core" Safety program-the Highway Safety Improvement Program, and the embedded requirement for all States to develop and implement comprehensive Strategic Highway Safety Plans. Draft guidance packages for both of these areas are being developed as well as for several other areas including; status of the Incentive-Transfer Provisions, Reporting requirements, "Talking Points", and the disposition of the remaining FY 2005 funds. Mike Halladay, Director of the Office of Safety Program Integration and Delivery is the Team sponsor.
For more information about the Team's mission, please contact Kathy Krause (202) 366-9265, email:
Kathy.Krause@fhwa.dot.gov or Jeff Kolb (601) 965-4146, email: Kathy.Krause@fhwa.dot.gov.
Work Zone Training for Law Enforcement Officers
The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Safety has coordinated development of a stakeholder produced model-training course, "Work Zone Training for Law Enforcement Officers". The course is to provide the law enforcement community with a guide that addresses traffic control strategies at highway work zones.
Following a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation of a fatal work zone crash resulting in the death of a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper on July 26, 2000, (NTSB/HAR- 02/01), the NTSB recommended that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACPO) the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), develop a model training program for law enforcement personnel that addresses traffic control strategies at highway work zones and encourages the states to adopt it.
FHWA's Office of Safety has assumed the leadership role for producing the essential materials that will market the course into the hands of those that will continue to implement as well as reproduce these materials throughout the country. The course will:
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Result in improved safety in work zones while enhancing coordination among law enforcement personnel, highway safety engineers, and contractors.
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Function as a model training program that's adaptable for jurisdictional specific requirements.
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Improve communications between law enforcement, contractors, and the engineering community engaged in work zone duties.
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Address crashes that occur in work zones each year resulting in fatalities and injuries.
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Consist of an Instructors Manual, Participants Guide, Pocket Guide, and Power Point Training Modules. All these components will also be available on a CD for reproduction and electronic viewing and via web for downloading.
The course is projected to be ready for distribution near the end of 2005. Once the course products have been fully developed they will be distributed broadly throughout law enforcement agencies and organizations. If you should have any questions regarding the course, please contact one of the following FHWA's specialists:
Harry Taylor - 202-366-2175, email: harry.taylor@fhwa.dot.gov
John Balser - 202-366-9212, email: john.balster@fhwa.dot.gov
Designing and Operating Intersections for Safety
NHI Course Number: 380074A Class Size: Minimum 20; Maximum 30 This course consists of a series of six modules that can be presented individually, or as an entire package, over a three-day period. The course examines various aspects of design and operations and how they affect the safety of an intersection and its various users. The full course contains a total of six modules: Users and Intersections; Diagnostics and Countermeasures; Geometric Design; Unsignalized Intersections; Signalized Intersections; Case Studies. This course is designed to be interactive with numerous discussions, exercises, and case studies.
Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:
- List the user groups to consider.
- Describe user characteristics and how they affect intersection design and safety.
- Describe approaches to balance needs of different user groups.
- Review how to determine which intersections have poor crash experience.
- Review how to assess causes of high crash experience or high potential.
- Describe how to select appropriate countermeasures.
- Define intersection design objectives, controls, and focus areas.
- Identify key safety-related intersection geometric design decisions, applications, and assumptions.
- Describe the measured and potential safety improvements that result from key intersection geometrics.
- Describe safety issues at unsignalized intersections.
- Summarize MUTCD requirements for signalizing an intersection.
- Select appropriate countermeasures to address safety issues at unsignalized intersections.
- Identify common safety concerns at signalized intersections.
- Discuss contributing factors to safety concerns.
- Select countermeasures to improve signalized intersection safety.
The target audiences for the course are traffic engineers and transportation professionals with one to five years' working experience.
Technical Information is available from Clayton Chen at (202) 366-4656 or via e-mail at clayton.chen@fhwa.dot.gov.
For information on scheduling this NHI course, contact Danielle Mathis-Lee at 703-235-0528 or via e-mail at Danielle.mathis-lee@fhwa.dot.gov.
Update on Pedestrian Safety Focus State Activities
As discussed in previous editions of this newsletter, the FHWA's Safety Office has an ongoing project to develop a "How to Guide for Developing and Implementing a Pedestrian Safety Plan" which was awarded to University of North Carolina (UNC) Highway Safety Research Center. The purpose of the project is to assist the pedestrian focus states (AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, IL, MI, NJ, NM, NY, NC, PA, TX) and cities (Los Angeles, Phoenix, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City) in developing and implementing pedestrian safety plans.
UNC is close to completion of the draft "How to Guide," which should be finalized this summer. In addition, FHWA has been hosting monthly conference calls with those in the focus states and cities who are involved with this activity to discuss items of interest and share information. To date, there are over 100 participants. FHWA and UNC have also established a listserve as a way to keep people talking and informed. UNC has developed a menu of technical assistance options for each of the states and cities to receive customized technical assistance in developing their plans. The on site assistance will likely begin this Fall. We are also working with AASHTO/NCHRP to host a national meeting for the Pedestrian Safety Focus States and Cities, possibly in conjunction with the Association of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Professionals Professional Development Seminar in Chicago, Oct 9-11. For information, contact Tamara Redmon tamara.redmon@fhwa.dot.gov, or view the website at: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped/index.htm.
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Saving Lives — A Vital Goal |
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Vision |
Improving Transportation for a Strong America. |
Goal |
To continually improve highway safety by reducing the number of highway fatalities and injuries including large trucks. Ensuring safe travel on highways is a guiding principle throughout the FHWA. |
Focus |
High-risk areas through technical assistance, research, training, data analysis, and public information as well as through compliance and education. The FHWA is working with safety partners to heighten safety awareness within the highway community, business, industry, and the Public. |
Priorities |
Roadway Departure, Intersections, and Pedestrians |
| Dates |
Location |
Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ||
| August 7-10 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting & Exhibit http://www.ite.org/ |
| August 28-31 | Norfolk, VA | GHSA 2005 Annual Meeting http://www.naghsr.org/ |
| September 7-9 | Washington, D.C. | National Association of Towns and Townships http://www.natat.org/natat/ |
| December 11 – 14 | Washington, DC | White House Conference on Aging http://www.whcoa.gov/ |
| September 11-14 | Minneapolis, MN | American Public Works Association (APWA) |
| September 27-29 | Baltimore, MD | Intertraffic North America 2005 |
