Table of Contents
Definition of a Safe Community A Safe Community is a community that promotes injury prevention activities at the local level to solve local highway and traffic safety and other injury problems. It uses a "bottom up" approach involving its citizens in addressing key injury problems.
Elements of a Safe Community Safe Communities have the following elements:
Top
Our Vision for the Future Our vision for the future is to ensure that every community in America is a Safe Community.
Do you Live in a Safe Community? The following pages describe the traffic safety activities called "best practices" that have frequently been used at the community level to prevent or control motor vehicle related fatalities and injuries. Rehabilitation activities are not addressed in this brochure, although an important part of a Safe Community program. These are the highway and traffic safety activities a Safe Community task force or coalition focuses on after it has completed a comprehensive data and cost analysis and is ready to develop a prevention program in the traffic safety area. System support activities (see Administrative Activities) are included- as are traditional countermeasure activities-because of the importance of a systems approach in a Safe Community. We know that every community is unique. There are literally dozens of other activities that could be added to this list. However, the ones identified in this publication are the ones that most experts in highway and traffic safety would agree work well at the community level. Please look at the list of best practices and see what activities your community has already implemented, and what activities you think should be included. For example, if your community has a bicycle safety problem, you can refer to the best practices listed on Page 7 to get some good ideas about programs that have worked well in other communities.
Program Resources for a Safe Community The following material and resources are available from NHTSA Regional Offices and documents many of the outstanding achievements communities have made thus far:
Points of Contact For more information on Safe Community Programs contact the NHTSA Regional Offices To Order Safe Communities Materials contact the Safe Communities Service Center
Additional points of contact are the FHWA Division Office in your State and FRA Regional offices.For grant program information contact your Governor's Highway Safety Representative.