U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
The FHWA encourages agencies to focus safety improvements on severe crashes with potential for correction. A strategic action plan should be developed and implemented based on an analysis of crash statistics and other available information. Most agencies will find that roadway departure crashes are a major cause of highway fatalities in their State or locality. To effectively address these crashes, it is critical to select the appropriate set of countermeasures, and install them correctly in locations with the greatest potential. The FHWA recommends the use of both systemic improvements and high crash location identification and offers guidance on how to incorporate a focus on roadway departure safety into planning, design, construction, and maintenance programs.
FHWA Roadway Departure Strategic Plan
This plan provides a data-driven focus with a vision to "Pursue a proactive approach Towards Zero Deaths and serious injuries involving roadway departure events." The plan shows a need to focus efforts in three primary emphasis areas, outlined in this brochure.
Sample Roadway Departure Safety Implementation Plan
This sample plan is intended to provide Focus State highway Agencies a general idea of the structure and content of the Roadway Departure Safety Implementation Plan. It may also be used by those who are not Focus States to develop their own implementation plan. A description of how Kentucky’s Roadway Departure Implementation Plan was developed and carried out can be found in this flyer.
Strategic Plan for Improving Roadside Safety – NCHRP 17-13
This documents the results of an NCHRP research project conducted between 1995 and 2001, which developed a comprehensive strategic plan for improving roadside safety, built upon a broad-based consensus
Strategies for Improving Roadside Safety
This 8-page publication from the Transportation Research Board provides an overview of roadside safety. The importance of roadside safety problems is explained, and key strategies for improving roadside safety are described.
Toolbox of Countermeasures and Their Potential Effectiveness for Roadway Departure Crashes
This issue brief documents the crash reduction benefits that may be expected from implementation of various countermeasures. Use care when applying countermeasures, considering which is the most appropriate to your application, the type and severity of crashes, and the reliability of the source data.
Low Cost Treatments for Horizontal Curve Safety
Horizontal curves represent over one-quarter of all U.S. traffic fatalities, and over 80% of those are fatalities involve roadway departures. This guide provides information on many potential countermeasures that can be applied at horizontal curves to reduce the number and severity of these crashes.
NCHRP Report 500: Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
The following volumes of this publication are designed to help practitioners choose countermeasures to address specific roadway departure safety issues:
Good Practices: Incorporating Safety Into Resurfacing and Restoration Projects
This report documents the results of a Scan Tour which was conducted to identify good practices in integrating safety improvements into resurfacing and restoration projects. FHWA-SA-07-001.
