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Newsletter — May/June 2005

George Ostensen Retires

George Ostensen, Associate Administrator for Safety, retired from FHWA on April 1, 2005. During
the last 35+ years, George held a series of field engineering positions in the Delaware, Maryland,
South Carolina, and Michigan Division Offices. During the mid to late 90's he joined the Senior
Executive Service ranks as Director of the Office of Safety and Traffic Operations, Research
Development and, later, Director of Field Services-Midwest.

An Award of Honor & Service From Rick Capka

Agency Recognition From Bud Wright

Mary's Farewell to George

Over the last 3 years, George led a dramatic institutional change in how FWHA addresses the safety challenge in the U.S., and what FHWA and other organizations are doing to make a difference to save lives. George's creative thinking, inspirational style, and aggressive pursuit of highway safety goals have led to major highway safety initiatives in FHWA and with our partners, both within and outside the Department.

George's many contributions over the years to highway safety will long be remembered. We wish him the best for good health and happiness in retirement.

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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.

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Moving Forward

With the leadership of George Ostensen over the past three years, the Agency has established an
aggressive program to meet the Safety goals of the USDOT and the FHWA. That aggressive program will continue to move forward under the leadership of our current Acting Associate Administrators, Michael Halladay and John Baxter. Mike and John will be fulfilling leadership roles on a monthly rotating basis, until the position is filled. They are looking forward to working with each of you in advancing America’s safety initiatives.

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Maryland Hosts National Work Zone Safety Week Kick-Off

Every year a national awareness campaign is launched that helps increase public awareness of work zone safety. In partnership with the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and other partners, the 2005 campaign was successfully launched. It was a collective effort to help educate the nation on work zone related injuries and fatalities and the dangers that can be encountered and avoided when driving through a roadway construction zone. This year’s theme: “Slow Down or Pay Up”. Using enforcement to help decrease speeding in work zones was this year’s focus. "No one should sit on the sidelines of safety," said Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters. "Orange and white safety barrels are springing up as temperatures climb. Taking a few simple steps will keep drivers, passengers and our highway crews safe in construction areas and avoid the traffic tie-ups that work zone accidents cause."

Rick Capka helps kick-off National Work Zone Awareness Week.

In support of Administrator Peter's call, Deputy Administrator Rick Capka helped kick-off National Work Zone Awareness Week at an event near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge construction project outside Washington, D.C. He was joined by a host of other Federal, State, Local, and transportation organization officials. "The highway is a workplace for thousands of men and women, and we're asking drivers to remember that," said Capka. Work zone fatalities have increased 48 percent since 1997. In 2003, work zone accidents claimed 1,028 lives and injured 41,239 others. Four out of five people killed in work zones are either drivers or passengers.

Peters and Capka encourage drivers to follow the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) "Ten Tips for Driving Safely in Work Zones," such as slowing down, obeying road crew flaggers, and avoiding tailgating. These safety tips are available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/safetytips.

In addition to developing safety tips for drivers, FHWA is looking at new ways to increase work zone safety, including more durable pavements, better work zone design, and real-time information services to help drivers plan alternate routes around construction areas. To learn more about what FHWA is doing to decrease work fatalities, please go to: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/index.htm. For more information, please contact Harry Taylor at: Harry.Taylor@fhwa.dot.gov.

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Two New Intersection Safety Resources Now Available

1. Version 2 Comprehensive Intersection Resource Library CD: This CD is a compilation of resources related to intersection safety and contains information on: signalized and unsignalized intersections, access management, red light running, pedestrian, bicycle and special user safety at intersections, roundabouts, highway-rail grade crossings, non-traditional designs, and links to other resources and training.

2. Red Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines, January 2005: The guidelines can be used by State and local agency managers, transportation engineers, and law enforcement officials to identify and properly address safety problems resulting from red light running within their jurisdiction. This guidance outlines proven and effective practices implemented in the United States, and generally provides guidance that can be followed to ensure that cost-effective solutions are implemented by State and local agencies.

For more information on both resources contact: Louisa.Ward@fhwa.dot.gov , or visit: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersections/index.htm.

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Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Among Hispanic Populations

The Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just completed a project on "Determining the Extent of the Highway Safety Problem as it Relates to Hispanic Populations in the United States." The project was undertaken because experience suggests that a disproportionate number of persons killed and injured in traffic crashes are Hispanic immigrants. However, statistics gathered by NHTSA do not provide information about the nationalities of those involved in traffic crashes, nor do they provide information on how long they have been in the country, etc. The scope of this project was to determine the extent of the highway safety problem as it relates to Hispanics as pedestrians and Hispanics as bicyclists. The project included the following groups: Hispanics of Mexican Origin, Hispanics of Central/South American Origin, Hispanics of Puerto Rican ancestry, and Hispanics of Cuban Origin. Main findings include:

• Each year an average of 545 Hispanics are killed in pedestrian crashes. Hispanic pedestrians account for 16.3% of all pedestrian crashes nationwide. (Hispanics account for 13.3% of the
• U.S. population). Each year an average of 79 Hispanics are killed in bicycle crashes. Hispanic bicyclists account for 15.6% of all bicyclist crashes nationwide Most (77.3%) of the Hispanic pedestrian crashes involve Hispanics of Mexican or
• Central/South American origin. Hispanics from other areas are less involved in Hispanic pedestrian crashes.

The Hispanic population in the U.S. has a higher pedestrian death rate (2.88) than the non-Hispanic Whites (1.78) but not as high as the non-Hispanic Blacks (3.01). The Hispanic population in the U.S. has a higher bicyclist death (.32) rate than non-Hispanic Whites (.26) but not as high as non-Hispanic Blacks (.34). Death rates are computed by dividing the number of deaths experienced by a group by the total population of that group.

The full report is available online http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/docs/03p00324/index.htm.

Phase 2 of this project, which involves using the information gathered in part 1, includes developing a marketing plan that would tell the FHWA and NHTSA how to best "sell" safety to the Hispanic populations of the U.S. and developing actual products based on the outcome of the marketing plan. The project will be complete in October 2005.

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Pedestrian Safety in Rural Areas

The fact that 28 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur in rural areas challenges the conventional wisdom that pedestrian fatalities are an urban problem. This recently completed report identifies characteristics of rural pedestrian fatalities. The most prominent characteristics were clear weather, hours of darkness, weekends, non-intersection locations, and level, straight roads.

(FHWA-SA-04-008) http://www.walkinginfo.org/rd/safety.htm#fhwareports

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Pedestrian Safety Countermeasure Selection System Completed

• Provide information on the countermeasures available for prevention of pedestrian crashes and/or improving motorist and pedestrian behavior.
• Highlight the purpose, considerations and cost estimates associated with each countermeasure.
• Provide a decision process to select the most applicable countermeasures for a specific location.
• Provide links to case studies showing the various treatments and programs implemented in communities around the country.
• Provide easy access to resources such as statistics, implementation guidance, and reference materials.

• Pedestrian Facility Design
• Roadway Design
• Intersection Design
• Traffic Calming
• Traffic Management
• Signals and Signs
• Other Measures

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FHWA's Office of Safety is Offering Two New Training Courses

Roadway Safety Fundamentals Train-the-Trainer workshop (1 day) is designed to help local and
Tribal road agency professionals understand the critical relationships between roads, roadside, road user behavior, and safety. The RSF Course covers the following: road safety basics, solving traffic safety problems, traffic control devices, roadways (standards, consistency, sight distance, cross sections, curves, etc.), improving roadside safety, and much more.

The Road Safety Audits for Locals Train-the-Trainer workshop (2 days) is designed to help local and Tribal road agency professionals understand the basic road safety audit concepts:

• Understanding Risk and Safety
• Common Issues and Challenges
• Experience Conducting a Road Safety Audit

These two courses are initially being offered together in June in Arlington, VA and in October in
Seattle, WA. If any local government is interested in hosting their own course, please contact Leslie
Wright at: Leslie.Wright@fhwa.dot.gov for Road Safety Fundamentals or Louisa Ward for Road
Safety Audits at: Louisa.Ward@fhwa.dot.gov.

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Saving Lives — A Vital Goal
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

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Dates	Location	Event
2005
June 19 – 22	Buffalo, NY	AASHTO Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering http://cms.transportation.org/?siteid=62
June 22 – 25	Buffalo, NY	National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices http://ncutcd.org/
July 15-19	Honolulu, HI	National Association of Counties Annual Meeting www.naco.org
July 23-27	Dubuque, IA	National Local Transportation Assistance Program Meeting http://www.ltapt2.org/
July 31-August 4	Buffalo, NY	Traffic Records Forum http://www.nsc.org/trafficrecordsforum/
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/

 

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