Safety in SAFETEA-LU

SAFETEA-LU provides special emphasis on Safety by provisioning $6.3 billion for highway safety programs over the five year period of this legislation. The bill establishes a Highway Safely Improvement Program (HSIP), which includes $880 million for the railway-highway grade crossing program and $90 million for construction and operational improvements on high-risk rural roads. The remainder of the money is distributed by formula. Highway safety investment through SAFETEA-LU is provided by funding the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The safety funding by fiscal year is as follows:

Guaranteed Funding for Highway Safety (in millions of dollars)

	FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2006	FY 2007	FY 2008	FY 2009	Total
FMCA	$364	$443	$495	$517	$528	$541	$2,888
NHTSA	$298	$299	$694	$700	$711	$729	$3,430
Total	$662	$742	$1,189	$1,217	$1,239	$1,270	$6,318

NHTSA safety program allocates funding for the Highway Safety Research and Outreach Program. Required studies from this program will focus on crash data, distracted drivers, pedestrian safety and alcohol-impaired driving. The bill creates a new five-year, $34.5-billion State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Incentives Grant program to provide additional funding to states that initiate programs that improve safety data collection and sharing.

To obtain “core” safety funds a State must have in effect an HSIP under which the State:

• develops and implements a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) that identifies and analyzes highway safety problems and opportunities
• produces a program of projects or strategies to reduce identified safety problems
• evaluates the plan regularly
• submits an annual report to the Secretary

States that do not develop a strategic plan by October 2007 will have their HSIP apportionment frozen at the FY07 funding level. SHSP will help identify key safety needs of the State and guide investment decisions to achieve significant reductions in fatalities and injuries on all public roads.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is leading the effort to develop the statewide Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) to identify safety projects and strategies that address the key safety needs of the State of California. Through SHSP, California plans on providing a comprehensive framework for data-driven decision-making, utilizing the four E’s – engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services. The California SHSP will establish statewide goals, objectives, and key emphasis areas in consultation with federal, state, local, and private sector safety stakeholders. There are two SHSP summits planned for March 7, 2006 in Sacramento, California; and March 9, 2006 in Ontario, California. Further information on the California SHSP program is available at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/SHSP.

Sources:

• http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/safetealu/
• http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3734/is_200510/ai_n15715910
• http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/SHSP/
• American Road & Transportation Builders Association, “SAFETEA-LU - An Analysis”, September 2005.