On January 27th, 2022, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the creation of a new National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS). This is an exciting and long-awaited development for road safety in the US. It commits the nation to a Safe Systems Approach and, ultimately, a goal of zero roadway fatalities. The Safe Systems Approach to road safety differs from the traditional approach in that it shifts the sole blame for crashes away from the user, and instead recognizes that there is a shared responsibility to address road safety. Elected officials, city planners, traffic engineers, automotive industry leaders, and many more have a role to play in reaching zero deaths.
With that in mind, the NRSS is a pivotal moment for US transportation because it provides a unified approach to road safety, works to give guidance and technical resources to communities so they can establish safer road systems, and provides financial resources and incentives that enable the design and implementation of new designs and technologies. Importantly, this strategy outlines concrete steps that USDOT will be taking that will shape transportation policy in the coming years. These are organized into five key focus areas: Safer People, Safer Roads, Safer Vehicles, Safer Speeds, and Post-Crash Care. In the next few sections, I will provide a brief summary of these focus areas and highlight a few actions to be taken by USDOT as part of the NRSS.
Safer People
While the Safe Systems Approach shares responsibility among stakeholders in the transportation system, USDOT does make improving driver behavior a key focus area of the NRSS. Specifically, it looks to make interventions focused on road users, both in addressing key behaviors (e.g., alcohol consumption, distracted driving, lack of seatbelt use) and targeting high-risk groups (e.g., younger and older drivers).
Some key actions by USDOT:
- Use the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which will affect the future of transportation in various ways, to increase research funding for addressing unsafe behaviors;
- Explore advanced technology to detect impaired driving;
- Support equitable enforcement of driving laws;
- Work with states to improve driver’s license record-keeping systems and removal of unsafe drivers
Safer Roads
Recognizing that humans will still inevitably make mistakes, the Safe Systems Approach seeks to improve the design of roads to be more forgiving. To that end, the NRSS pledges many actions to reshape roadway design – from improving the redundancy of safety systems to implementing context-sensitive designs. Such designs will benefit those walking and biking, as well as those using and accessing public transit systems.
Some key actions by USDOT:
- Finalize rulemaking process for the current update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) with changes based on public comments, as well as begin advancing more comprehensive changes and updates to the MUTCD outside the scope of the current rulemaking;
- Increase funding for safer streets through the BIL using the existing Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and other new and ongoing programs;
- Launch a nationwide Complete Streets Initiative and provide technical guidance to jurisdictions for implementation of context-sensitive designs
Safer Vehicles
In the Safe Systems Approach, road safety is a shared responsibility not only with users and practitioners, but also with auto manufacturers. As vehicles become larger and faster, the threat to non-motorist safety only increases. With this third focus area, USDOT is promising interventions that are focused on safer vehicle design through new technologies and regulations – both by expanding access to technologies and increasing oversight of manufacturers and vehicle design.
Some key actions by USDOT:
- Develop a New Car Assessment Program road map to show the planned advancement of vehicle technologies;
- Initiate new rulemakings on key safety technologies, including Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking;
- Evaluate a rulemaking for the requirement of advanced impaired driving prevention technology
Safer Speeds
The Safe System Approach recognizes that reducing vehicle speeds plays a crucial role in reducing crash rates and crash severity. Accordingly, the fourth focus area of the NRSS is focused on reducing vehicle speed through engineering (i.e., roadway design and speed limit setting), as well as through education and enforcement.
Some key actions by USDOT:
- Coordinate implementation of a multimodal speed management program;
- Update its guidance on speed limit setting, including providing context on the oft-used and oft-derided 85th-percentile method, and providing alternative strategies;
- Revise guidance for road design to emphasize road designs that “self-enforce” speeds;
- Fund the equitable implementation of Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE)
Post-Crash Care
Expanding on the theme that human error should not result in death or serious injury, the safe systems approach also emphasizes timely and proper post-crash care. Crash severity can be reduced through prompt arrival and proper treatment by first responders and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which is why USDOT has made it the fifth focus area of the NRSS.
Some key actions by USDOT:
- Develop outreach and training materials for EMS to improve first responder safety;
- Coordinate with other agencies through the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS) to improve EMS response times;
- Improve technologies and training for the use of Advance Incident Management systems to improve the safety of first responders and motorists involved in incidents
While that concludes this high-level summary of the NRSS, there is still much more to be said about this groundbreaking document of US transportation policy. Check out part 2 of this blog for more on a few of the most promising developments to come from the Strategy.
