Useful Links
recent additions
Newly added on March 6, 2009
Teen Crashes--Everyone at Risk The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that explores the findings of an analysis of fatal motor vehicle crashes from 1998 through 2008 that were identified as involving a 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old driver.
PEDESTRIANS 2008: TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2073 includes 14 papers that include an evaluation of a pedestrian safety demonstration project, video monitoring of pedestrians at signalized intersections, the characteristics and circumstances of collision-involved pedestrians, pedestrian collision risk assessment, models to measure pedestrian activity at signalized intersections, and more.
Safety Compass Newsletter: Sept./Oct./Nov. 2008: The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of its Safety Compass newsletter. The newsletter covers program delivery, best practices, research, training, regulations, and legislation designed to help improve and establish a more productive national and local safety program. This issue explores the downward trend in Washington State highway fatalities, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ report on driving down lane-departure crashes, and more.
Five-County Minnesota Case Study: Rural Roadway Fatal Crash Characteristics and Select Safety Improvement Programs The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies has released a report that explores the characteristics of the fatal rural roadway crashes within five Minnesota counties and examines some of the safety improvement programs or campaigns being used in this five-county area.
Child-Parent Interaction in Relation to Road Safety Education The U.K. Department for Transport has released a report that explores child-parent interaction in relation to road safety education from the perspectives of both parents and children.
A Guide for Addressing Collisions Involving Motorcycles TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 22: Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Addressing Collisions Involving Motorcycles provides guidance on strategies that can be employed to reduce crashes involving motorcycles.
Guide to Promoting Bicycling on Federal Lands: The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that explores ways to promote bicycling on federal lands. The report examines the benefits of bicycling, successful bicycling programs, policies that support bicycling, issues and challenges faced by land managers, and resources available to help meet these challenges.
Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Fourth Edition, 2009: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores major highway safety strategies and countermeasures that are relevant to State Highway Safety Offices; summarizes their use, effectiveness, costs, and implementation time; and provides references to safety research summaries and individual studies.
(These and previously added links can be found in the list below by topic.)
By Traffic Safety Topic
Click on the topics below to be taken to links pertinent to that subject or simply scroll down the page.
Governmental Agencies and Organizations
Older Adults and Safe Mobility
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Walkability, and Physical Activity
Public Health Preparedness and Bioterrorism
Transit and Rail
University-based organizations
Transportation
Injury Prevention & Control
Burden of Disease
Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: The Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have released TRB Special Report 287, Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement. The report summarizes presentations and discussions at a workshop held on January 26-27, 2006, in Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles Burden of Disease Study
National Center for Health Statistics
Child Passenger Safety
November 2008: In California, 52 lives saved by child restraints, age 4 and younger, 1,791 lives saved by seat belts, age 5 and older, 211 lives saved by front air bags, age 13 and older, 266 lives saved, all ages, motorcyle helmets. Added lives saved if there had been 100 percent copliance with restraints and helmets: 196 for seat belt, and 26. See report for entire U.S. in Lives Saved in 2007 by Restraint Use: a brief statistical summary from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
California Health Care Safety Net Institute - Preventing Child Injuries
CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - Child Passenger Safety Fact Sheet
Child-Parent Interaction in Relation to Road Safety Education The U.K. Department for Transport has released a report that explores child-parent interaction in relation to road safety education from the perspectives of both parents and children.
July 2008: IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BOOSTER SEAT LAWS The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores possible factors that relate to the use and nonuse of child booster seats and examines the attitudes of law enforcement officers, parents, and caregivers concerning booster seat laws.
Injury Prevention (journal)
Injury Control Resource Information Network (ICRIN)
National Coalition for School Bus Safety
NHTSA - Child Passenger Safety
SafeUSA - Child Passenger Safety Fact Sheet
Data
2006 LARGE TRUCK CRASH OVERVIEW The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released a report that provides an overview of large truck crash data by trends, vehicles, drivers, and crash environment for 2006.
California Traffic Deaths Trends: compiled by independent researcher Peter Roeper from California SWITRS data and data from the State of California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit. Has numerous links and analyses.
August 2008: Community Maps Pilot Site. An online dynamic map interface using the open Google Maps API to provide roadwork and crash data for the counties of Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, and Richland in southwestern Wisconsin. It is being developed at TOPS Lab through partnership with Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SWWRPC), the Midwest Regional University Transporation Center (MRUTC), and WISDOT.
CRASHES VS. CONGESTION: WHAT'S THE COST TO SOCIETY? The American Automobile Association (AAA) has released a report that examines the costs of roadway crashes to society. According to AAA, the study is designed to raise awareness of the importance of transportation investments, and to provide policy makers, departments of transportation, and the public with information on the magnitude of the safety problem.
October 2008: MODEL MINIMUM UNIFORM CRASH CRITERIA: UPDATED THIRD EDITION The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Governors Highway Safety Association have released an updated version of guidelines designed to help states collect consistent crash data for a wide range of traffic safety planning applications.
October 2008: SPEED/HEADWAY INFLUENCE ON CRASHES from the National ITS Implementation Research Center, a report that examines a new crash risk predictor, safe headway distance, to estimate traffic crash likelihood by using individual vehicular information and applying it to basic sections of interstates in Virginia.
State Traffic Safety Information (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
Technologies for Improving Safety Data The objective of this synthesis was to summarize the current state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art use of technologies for efficient and effective collection and maintenance of data for highway safety analysis. (NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM).
Disparities in Traffic Safety
Building Bridges - Native Americans and Traffic Safety
Minority Health Project at University of North Carolina
Driver Behavior
Aggressive Driving Transportation Review The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a transportation review that explores the issue of aggressive driving. The review examines state legislative actions, the effectiveness of state enforcement programs, and federal actions associated with aggressive driving. Download report from NCSL>>
AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT: A COMPENDIUM OF WORLDWIDE EVALUATIONS OF RESULTS from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
THE CRASH AND OFFENCE EXPERIENCE OF DRIVERS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DRIVER INTERVENTION PROGRAM The Centre for Automotive Safety Research at The University of Adelaide has released a report that compares the crash and driving offence experience of two groups of offending drivers: those attending the Driver Intervention Program (DIP, a small-group workshop for disqualified drivers), and those who could have attended the DIP but chose not to and paid an expiation fee instead; both before and after they became eligible for the DIP.
August 2008: DISTRACTIVE EFFECTS OF CELLPHONE USE Land Transport New Zealand has released a report that examines the driving performance and conversational patterns of drivers speaking with in-car passengers, on hands-free cellphones, and with remote passengers who could see the driver's current driving situation.
October 2008: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF TRAFFIC AND NON-TRAFFIC RELATED MESSAGES PRESENTED ON CHANGEABLE MESSAGE SIGNS--PHASE II from the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies.
October 2008: Generational Perspective on Teen and Older Drivers on Traffic Safety in Rural and Urban Communities The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) has released a report that explores beliefs and attitudes about risky driving behavior and traffic safety interventions between urban and rural drivers as a function of age.
April 25, 2008: ROAD COURTESY AND ROAD SAFETY The Centre for Automotive Safety Research at the University of Adelaide, Australia, has released a report that explores road courtesy and campaigns to promote road courtesy. For the purposes of this report courtes, refers both to behaviors (the presence of some and the absence of others) and to the attitudes and habits of mind that accompany behaviors.
GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING A HIGH-VISIBILITY ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE UNSAFE DRIVING BEHAVIORS AMONG DRIVERS OF PASSENGER AND COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released guidelines for implementing a selective traffic enforcement program (STEP).
July 2008: Hands-Free L.A.: Your Guide
Series of news stories and commentary related to the California hands-free cellular phone laws that went into effect July 1, 2008. Features a Q&A about the law, reviews of hands-free devices (such as wireless headsets and speaker phones), and articles about fines, potential cancer risks from cell phone use, and driving safety. From the Los Angeles Times.
Source: Librarians' Internet Index (LII)
IMPROVING TRAFFIC SAFETY CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES: THE JOURNEY FORWARD - SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released an executive summary of an earlier released report that is a compendium of papers designed to expand the discussion and debate over traffic safety. The papers in the compendium address the "traffic safety culture" from a variety of perspectives. (January 2008)
National Institute for Driver Behavior
TRAFFIC SAFETY CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES: RESEARCH UPDATE: The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a selection of findings from the first of several surveys of the American public about a wide variety of issues related to traffic safety.
October 2008: Use of Advanced In-Vehicle Technology by Younger and Older Early Adopters The AAA Foundation for Safety has released a report that explores drivers' experiences with backing aids (proximity sensing systems), rear-view video cameras, adaptive cruise control, advanced high-intensity discharge headlamps, and built-in vehicle navigation systems.
Governmental Agencies and Organizations
Bureau of Transportation
Statistics
California Department
of Health Services
California Office of
Traffic Safety
California Department of Motor Vehicles
Caltrans (California Department of Transportation)
California Highway Patrol
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
2007 INTERACTIVE HIGHWAY SAFETY DESIGN MODEL The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the 2007 version of
its Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM), which is a suite of
software analysis tools for evaluating safety and operational effects of
geometric design decisions on two-lane rural highways. IHSDM is a
decision-support tool. It checks existing or proposed two-lane rural
highway designs against relevant design policy values and provides
estimates of a design's expected safety and operational performance.
International
Council on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
October 2008: Making the Case for Transportation Safety - Ideas for Decision Makers The Transportation Safety Planning Working Group (TSPWG) has released a report that includes case studies of transportation safety practices throughout the United States involving stakeholders at all levels of transportation safety. The report also examines the potential value of integrating safety into the transportation planning process and lists transportation safety resources. TSPWG is an informal, ad hoc partnership of select U.S. Department of Transportation agencies and associations representing safety, traffic engineering, and planning professionals as well as state departments of transportation.
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA)
March 2009: Safety Compass Newsletter: Sept./Oct./Nov. 2008: The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of its Safety Compass newsletter. The newsletter covers program delivery, best practices, research, training, regulations, and legislation designed to help improve and establish a more productive national and local safety program. This issue explores the downward trend in Washington State highway fatalities, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ report on driving down lane-departure crashes, and more.
August 2008: SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER: JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2008 The Federal Highway Administration's newsletter's articles in this issue include:
* Improving Motorcycle Travel Data
* Georgia Click It or Ticket
* Maryland Median Barrier Analysis
* Arizona Tribal Safety Summit
* Child Transportation Safety
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007 The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of
its Safety Compass newsletter. Articles in this issue include the following:
* A Successful Strategy to Improve Safety on Local Roads
* The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse
* Spotlight: Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day
* Federal Lands Barrier Guide
* Resources, Tools, Technology
Tire Safety in Hot Weather: NHTSA Urges Drivers To Check Their Tires During The Hot Weather A tire industry survey this year found 85 percent of drivers fail to properly check tire pressure. NHTSA estimates that crashes associated with tire problems take approximately 660 lives each year and injure 33,000 people.
National
Safety Council
National Center for Health Statistics
National Transportation
Safety Board
Transportation
Research Board
Surface Transportation Policy Project
US Census
Who's Who in Traffic Safety
WHO
Road Safety Legislation Database:
This database provides information
on road safety legislation in
countries around the world. The
data has been collected with
input from WHO partner organizations
around the world The database
contains information on legislation
around a number of risk factors
for road traffic injuries - speed
limits, seat belt and child restraint
use, helmet use, blood alcohol
limits, daytime running lamps,
mobile phone use. Information
on countries' lead agencies for
road safety is also provided.
Added August 2, 2006.
Impaired Driving
ALCOHOL-RELATED FATALITIES AND ALCOHOL INVOLVEMENT AMONG DRIVERS AND MOTORCYCLE OPERATORS IN 2005 The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis has released a Traffic Safety Facts Research Note that explores results from the 2005 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) indicating that there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2005, which the report describes as essentially unchanged from 2004.
Injury Prevention Web's Links to Alcohol and Other Drugs
International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety
National Commission Against Drunk Driving
National Institute on Alcohol Use and Alcoholism
Injury Prevention and Control
APHA Injury Control and
Emergency Health Services
Association of Schools of Public Health
California Health Care Safety Net Institute
Children's
Hospital of
Pittsburgh's
Injury Prevention
website
Healthy
People 2010
Injury
Prevention (journal)
Injury
Control Resource Information
Network (ICRIN)
EPIC-Epidemiology
and Prevention for Injury
Control (CA Dept. Health Services)
Prevention
Institute
Prevention
Research Center
National
Center for Injury Prevention
and Control
National
Resource Center on Aging
and Injury
National
Safe Kids Campaign
ROAD SAFETY AT WORK ONLINE LIBRARY created by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to house resources from around the world
related to the prevention of road traffic injuries and deaths while at
work. It contains information on best practices such as
engineering controls, policies, administrative procedures, and guidance
to employers or workers about safety on roads. The site also includes
materials that show evidence of implementation and evaluation of
success, and statistics about worker injuries and fatalities on roads.
Safe
Communities
Safe
USA
Trauma
Foundation
December 2008: World Health Organization Report on Child Injury Prevention
Older Adults and Safe Mobility
CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - Older Adult Drivers Fact Sheet
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: Older Drivers
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration - Older Road Users
SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS WEBSITE The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, along with the Beverly Foundation and the Independent Living Partnership, have created a new website that focuses on supplemental transportation programs (STP). The site is designed to allow STP providers to discuss implementation of successful programs that provide transportation options to aging adults and those who can no longer drive.
Pedestrian & Bicyclist Safety, Walkability, and Physical Activity
Active Living by Design Active Living by Design is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a part of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC School of Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This program establishes innovative approaches to increase physical activity and healthy eating through community design, public policies and communications strategies.
November 2008: Active Transportation for America: a report on the value of increased investment in bike and pedestrian infrastructure from the Rails to Trails Conservancy.
American
Planning Association's project to promote physical
America
Walks America Walks is the voice of advocacy for local, state, and national issues. We are at the heart of a growing movement to create walkable communities across North America.
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
October 2008: California Walk to School Headquarters Includes tool kits and success stories. From the California Center for Physical Activity.
Center
for Disease Control's website promoting physical activity
February 29, 2008: DEVELOPING SCHOOL-BASED CYCLE TRAINS IN NEW ZEALAND Land Transport New Zealand has released a report that examines the characteristics of cycle trains and explores the process for setting up and operating them. A cycle train is similar in approach to the walking school bus - adult volunteers, or conductors, cycle along a set route to school, collecting children from designated 'train stops' along the way.
EFFECTIVENESS OF "CHILDREN AT PLAY" WARNING SIGNS: Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
April 2008: Free Pedestrian Safety Assessments for California Cities ITS Berkeley's Tech Transfer Program provides free Pedestrian Safety Assessments (PSA) to California cities upon request, thanks to funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
How Far, By Which Route, and Why? A Spatial Analysis of Pedestrian Preference The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies at the San José State University College of Business has released a report that examines the distance pedestrians walk to rail transit stations and the environmental factors that influence their route choice.
Impediments to Walking as a Mode Choice (PDF <300K) A report from Land Transport New Zealand. "The results of this survey show only four factors relevant to studying the choice of whether to walk or drive a short journey:
- the weather (fine or raining)
- the belief that park-and-rides are appropriately used by people who live close
- the availability of a car, and
- the belief that a park-and-ride provides convenience."
November 2008: Applications of Illuminated, Active, In-Pavement Marker Systems TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 380: explores the state of the technology, experiences with applications, and potential research needs.
November 2008: The Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation at Portland State University has released its first annual report.
INTERIM REPORT TO THE U.S. CONGRESS ON THE NONMOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION PILOT PROGRAM SAFETEA-LU SECTION 1807 The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that explores the progress and initial results of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) and the four pilot communities' participation in the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) from its inception through May 2007. Section 1807 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), P.L. 109-59, established the NTPP in August 2005. Over the span of 4 years, the legislation provides $25 million in contract authority for each of the NTPP's four pilot communities (Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin) "to construct ... a network of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure facilities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle trails, that connect directly with transit stations, schools, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community activity centers."
JourneyOn: JourneyOn is a unique journey planner for Brighton & Hove (U.K.) The planner helps you find a route across the city and tells you the cost, time and the number of calories you'd burn whether you walk, cycle, take the bus or go by car.
North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.
League of American
Bicyclists
Mean
Streets: Pedestrian Safety and Reform of the Nation's
Transportation Law
National
Bike Safety Network
July 2008: New York Cycle Club List of Bicycling Safety sites: compiled on a page that also hosts links to a risk assessment survey. Contains a number of links to national, state and local resources about bicycle safety.
August 2008: PBIC Messenger Summer 2008: the e-newsletter of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Stories include:
* Profile: Pedestrian Safety Guide for Transit Agencies
* PBIC and APBP develop new case studies and FAQs
* Featured Resource: Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice
October 2006: Pedestrian Decision-Making of Adolescents Aged 11-15 Years, A U.K. Department for Transport report that examines the role of skills, attitudes, and perceived behavioral controls.
November 2008: Pedestrian Forum - Fall 2008 The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of its quarterly newsletter that highlights recent pedestrian safety activities related to the 4 E's-engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services.
August 2008: PEDESTRIAN FORUM - SUMMER 2008 The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) newsletter highlights
efforts by the FHWA and its partners to improve the safety of walking
and bicycling as a mode of transportation.
PEDESTRIAN FORUM - FALL 2007 from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): Topics include tribal school zone safety, speed campaigns and signal timing for older pedestrians.
PEDESTRIAN FORUM - WINTER 2008 The latest edition of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Pedestrian Forum Newsletter highlights efforts by the FHWA and its partners to improve the safety of walking and bicycling as a mode of transportation.
Added March 2009 PEDESTRIANS 2008: TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2073 includes 14 papers that include an evaluation of a pedestrian safety demonstration project, video monitoring of pedestrians at signalized intersections, the characteristics and circumstances of collision-involved pedestrians, pedestrian collision risk assessment, models to measure pedestrian activity at signalized intersections, and more.
PEDESTRIANS 2007: TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2002 includes 16 papers that explore a healthier way to travel, level of service of the urban walking environment and pedestrian route choice behavior, estimating nonmotorized travel demand, pedestrian counting methods at intersections, deficiencies in Florida pedestrian crash data, and methods to prioritize pedestrian high-crash locations. (January 2008).
PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST INTERSECTION SAFETY INDICES: USER GUIDE (1.3 MB PDF) The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a user guide
designed to help practitioners use safety indices to identify which
crosswalks and intersection approaches have the highest priority for
in-depth pedestrian and bicycle safety evaluations, and subsequently use
other tools to identify and address potential safety problems. The user
guide is a companion to the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Intersection Safety
Indices: Final Report that explores the development of safety indices to
proactively prioritize intersection crosswalks and intersection
approaches for pedestrian and bicycle safety.
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY GUIDE FOR TRANSIT AGENCIES from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. An easy-to-use resource for
improving pedestrian safety, it includes a variety of approaches
to address pedestrian safety issues that are likely to arise near
transit stations, bus stops, and other such places . The guide provides references to publications,
guides, and other tools to identify pedestrian safety problems.
Surface Transportation Policy
Project's Report: "Pedestrian
Safety in California: Five Years of Progress & Pitfalls" Includes
California's most dangerous cities and counties for pedestrians.
Perils
for Pedestrians
March 2009: Guide to Promoting Bicycling on Federal Lands: The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that explores ways to promote bicycling on federal lands. The report examines the benefits of bicycling, successful bicycling programs, policies that support bicycling, issues and challenges faced by land managers, and resources available to help meet these challenges.
October 2008: SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL: A TRANSPORTATION LEGACY - A NATIONAL STRATEGY TO
INCREASE SAFETY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG AMERICAN YOUTH The National Safe Routes to School Task Force has released its final report.
WalkingInfo/BicyclingInfo
Walkable
Communities
Safe
Routes
to School
December 2008: Safe Routes to School: Steps to a Greener Future
This report indicates how Safe Routes to School is reducing carbon emissions and air pollutants. The report profiles five communities that have made strides in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and harmful pollutants around schools through the implementation of Safe Routes to School programs. The five case studies documented in this report demonstrate initial promising successes, and show how one school’s effort often spreads to additional nearby schools, furthering the environmental impact. Columbia, MO; Las Cruces, NM; Longmont, CO; Marin County, CA; and Windsor, VT are featured. Click here to view the report. Please contact Brooke Driesse for a high resolution electronic copy of the report.
December 2008: Safe Routes to School: Improves the Built Environment
This report focuses on case studies describing how ten states (California, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia) are awarding their SRTS federal funds to support improved infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike lanes, pathways, improved intersections, traffic calming, and more. Safe Routes to School: Improves the Built Environment shares information on local level implementation challenges, best practices, and securing more improvements to the built environment in your community.
December 2008: Safe Routes to School: Leads to Greater Collaboration with Public Health and School Officials
This report demonstrates how Safe Routes to School is a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations, including state Departments of Education and state Departments of Public Health. Additionally, the report addresses how school siting decisions at the state and local levels affect opportunities to walk and bicycle to schools, which in turn affects opportunities for physical activity. The four case studies showcase examples of collaboration between public health and school officials at the state level through Safe Routes to School Advisory Committees, school siting guidelines, state standards for physical activity or wellness policies and more. California, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Oklahoma are featured. Click here to view the report in full. Please contact Brooke Driesse for a high resolution electronic copy of this report.
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL: 2007 STATE OF THE STATES
October 2008: WALKABILITY RESEARCH TOOLS - SUMMARY REPORT Land Transport New Zealand has released a report that examines appropriate physical and operational variables related to walkability and explores the development of a methodology for collecting them.
Public Health Preparedness and Bioterrorism
Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness
California
Highway Patrol
Center for Infectious
Disease Research And Policy (CIDRAP)
CDC
Bioterrorism website
Centers
for Disease Control: Anthrax
Road Safety
February 8, 2008 Buses: MOVING THE BUS BACK INTO TRAFFIC SAFELYSIGNAGE AND LIGHTING CONFIGURATION PHASE I The National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) at the University of South Florida has released a report that explores efforts designed to improve the safety and effectiveness of bus pull-out bays. Efforts examined include lighting and signage on the back of the bus, roadway signs, and Florida yield-to-bus statutes.
Citizens for Highway 49 Safety (Grass Valley, CA)
March 2009: Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Fourth Edition, 2009: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores major highway safety strategies and countermeasures that are relevant to State Highway Safety Offices; summarizes their use, effectiveness, costs, and implementation time; and provides references to safety research summaries and individual studies.
August 2008 COUNTRY REPORTS ON ROAD SAFETY PERFORMANCE The Joint Transportation Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Transport Forum has released updates on road safety trends and recent road safety measures implemented in several OECD countries. The report also explores key road safety issues, measures planned to address these issues, and targets set and current results towards these targets.
CRAVE: Concerned Residents about Vasco Experiences (Bay Area, CA)
July 2008: CROSS MEDIAN CRASHES: IDENTIFICATION AND COUNTERMEASURES The goals of this project were to review the state-of-art with regard to identifying highway sections where median barriers would be most effective, and if necessary, develop remedies for any identified deficiencies. The review concluded that, at present, no off-the-shelf method currently exists that adequately addresses this issue. A statistical technique was then developed for using crash records to estimate the frequency and rate of MCCs on each set of highway sections...Estimates which allowed highway sections to be ranked with respect to estimated frequency of MCCs, estimated density of MCCs, or estimated MCC rate were computed, and the results of one such ranking were reported. Finally, a first version of a simulation model was developed for comparing the cost-effectiveness of barrier projects on different highway sections.
July 2008: TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 20, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Head-On Crashes on Freeways: Summary: Although a relatively small proportion of total fatalities, according to FHWA data head-on crashes on freeways and Interstates appear to be increasing in recent years. Head-on crashes can occur under a wide range of circumstances. The predominant geometric feature associated with such crashes is the median, including its width as well as the presence (or absence) of a barrier or similar device, and proximity to interchanges. There is evidence that such crashes are associated with high-risk driver behaviors, including excessive speeding and erratic maneuvers.
November 2008: Roadway Departure Safety Web site: provides highway designers, decision makers, and practitioners with information and guidance that will lead to safer roads and roadsides. From the FHWA.
August 2008: DIRECTIONS IN ROAD SAFETY NEWSLETTER: JULY 2008 The Transportation Safety Planning Working Group (TSPWG)'s quarterly newsletter.
October 2008: Evaluation of Crash Rates and Causal Factors for High-Risk Locations on Rural and Urban Two-Lane Highways in Virginia, from the Virginia Transportation Research Council, a partnership of the Virginia Department of Transportation and the University of Virginia.
March 2009 Five-County Minnesota Case Study: Rural Roadway Fatal Crash Characteristics and Select Safety Improvement Programs The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies has released a report that explores the characteristics of the fatal rural roadway crashes within five Minnesota counties and examines some of the safety improvement programs or campaigns being used in this five-county area.
Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: The Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have released TRB Special Report 287, Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement. The report summarizes presentations and discussions at a workshop held on January 26-27, 2006, in Washington, D.C.
New Nov. 9: INTERSECTION DECISION SUPPORT: AN OVERVIEW The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies has released a report that explores a rural Intersection Decision Support System.
Road Safety Audits (RSAs): Road safety audits can be used in any phase of project development from planning and preliminary engineering, design and construction. RSAs can also be used on any sized project from minor intersection and roadway retrofits to mega-projects. (FHWA).
Rural Passenger Safety - Texas A&M University
RURAL SAFETY WEBSITE The University of Minnesota has created a new website associated with its Center for Excellence in Rural Safety. Go to Web site>>
RURAL AND URBAN SAFETY CULTURES: HUMAN-CENTERED INTERVENTIONS TOWARD
ZERO DEATHS IN RURAL MINNESOTA The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS)
has released a report that explores the potential contribution of rural
driver attitudes and behavior that may be a causal factor in rural
highway crashes. According to the CTS, the total number of annual
traffic fatalities and the rate of fatalities per vehicle mile traveled
are considerably higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. The
report includes policy suggestions for developing safety interventions
that are designed for the psychosocial factors that define the rural
culture. (January 2008).
Federal Highway Administration's Rural Transportation Planning Workshops
Seat Belt Use
November 2008: In California, 52 lives saved by child restraints, age 4 and younger, 1,791 lives saved by seat belts, age 5 and older, 211 lives saved by front air bags, age 13 and older, 266 lives saved, all ages, motorcyle helmets. Added lives saved if there had been 100 percent copliance with restraints and helmets: 196 for seat belt, and 26. See report for entire U.S. in Lives Saved in 2007 by Restraint Use: a brief statistical summary from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
March 2007: UNCONSCIOUS MOTIVATORS AND SITUATIONAL
SAFETY BELT USE
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a
report that explores whether unconscious defense mechanisms can be overcome
to encourage the full-time use of safety belts. The report includes
a literature review on the role of unconscious motivators in response to
safety threats, as well as the results from a meeting of experts in fields
such as psychology, communication, and sociology on the role of unconscious
defense mechanisms in full-time use of safety belts. Download
NHTSA Report in PDF format>>
National Safety Council's Safety Belt Coalition
Released August 2008 MAY 2006 CLICK IT OR TICKET SEAT BELT MOBILIZATION EVALUATION: FINAL REPORT The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores the impact of the May 22-June 4, 2006, Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilization effort. CIOT mobilizations are intense, short-duration, seat belt publicity and enforcement programs.
Nov. 9: EVALUATION OF THE MAY 2005 CLICK IT OR TICKET MOBILIZATION TO INCREASE SEAT BELT USE: A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on the May 2005 mobilization. Includes three case studies.
February 8: THE IMPACT OF LEGISLATION, ENFORCEMENT, AND SANCTIONS ON SAFETY BELT USE TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 601: The Impact of Legislation, Enforcement, and Sanctions on Safety Belt Use explores the effectiveness of mandatory approaches to increase safety belt usage.
October 2008: Seat Belt Use in 2008—Overall Results: from the NHTSA.
Statistical Methods
February 29, 2008: STATISTICAL METHODS, SAFETY DATA, ANALYSIS, AND EVALUATION 2007 TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2019 includes 30 papers that explore modeling crash frequency by severity, time series analysis of road risk, crash data analysis using bootstrapped maximum likelihood method, time series analysis of the effect of holidays on daily traffic counts, regression-to-mean effect in traffic safety evaluation, roundabouts, and the safety impact of improved signal visibility. This issue of the TRR also examines automated analysis of road safety with video data, route safety assessment, crash prediction models, innovative time series analysis of road marking retroreflectivity and crashes, prediction of fatality rates, safety index of two-lane rural highways, safety planning study of urban freeways, signalized intersection right-angle crashes, and the impact of active speed limiters. In addition, this issue reviews the identification of intersections for red light cameras, animal-vehicle collisions, reliability of road safety estimates, estimating safety benefits of shoulder rumble strips, identifying sites with specific accident types, safety prediction models, the safety effectiveness of changes in shoulder width, relationships between crash involvement and temporal-spatial driving behavior activity patterns, and digitizing information on crash locations.
Statistical Methods and Crash Prediction Modeling TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1950 contains 10 papers that cover topic such as using decomposition in exposure, accident risk, and fatality risk; negative binomial regression techniques; estimating crash modification factors of signal installation; models of injury count by severity; effects of sample size on goodness-of-fit statistic and confidence intervals of crash prediction models; accident prediction models; using macrolevel collision prediction models in road safety planning; and calibration of safety prediction models for planning transportation networks. The TRR: Journal also includes the draft prototype chapter for rural two-lane highways of the "Highway Safety Manual." More>>
Teen Drivers
March 2009: Teen Crashe—Everyone at Risk The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that explores the findings of an analysis of fatal motor vehicle crashes from 1998 through 2008 that were identified as involving a 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old driver.
July 2008: EFFECTIVENESS OF OREGON'S TEEN LICENSING PROGRAM A report from the Oregon Department of Transportation on the effectiveness of teen licensing laws that went into effect in 2000,expanding the provisional driving license program and establishing a graduated driver licensing program for all drivers under age 18.
Also, Governors Highway Safety Association reaction to the report as it pertains to graduate licensing laws and other policies. Go to Association page>>
October 2008 IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 7 The latest issue of Status Report explores the impact licensing teenagers later may have on automobile crashes.
A GUIDE FOR REDUCING COLLISIONS INVOLVING YOUNG DRIVERS: TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 19, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Young Drivers provides strategies that can be employed to reduce collisions involving young drivers. (January 2008)
November 2006: Evaluating Driver Education Programs: Comprehensive Guidelines The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that provides background for planning and conducting evaluation of beginner driver education, and for integrating evaluations into program development and policy. The report explores a range of evaluations and is written primarily for program evaluators, researchers, and other technical audiences. Actual tools, such as surveys, focus group guides, and log books that can be used or adapted for evaluating beginner driver education programs, are included in the publication. More>>
November 2006: Methods for Reaching Young Adults with Traffic Safety Messages: a summary released by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Includes descriptions of campaigns by state DOTs, commerical media outlets and federal agencies.
November 2006: Turning Young Drivers Into Survivors: A new FHWA outreach campaign educates teens on work zone safety. More>>
DRIVER EDUCATION: THE PATH AHEAD TRB’s Transportation Research Circular E-C101 includes a series of papers that were presented at a workshop held on September 12–13, 2005, in Washington, D.C. Issues covered by papers in the circular include novice drivers, content of driver education, instructional methods for young drivers, student competency measures, novice driver training effectiveness evaluation, and the future of driver education.
Transit and Rail
American Public Transportation Association
Bay Area Transportation
and Land Use Coalition
A BETTER WAY TO GO U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), has released a report that explores the potential future role that rail, rapid buses, and other forms of public transit could play in America’s future transportation system.
July 2008: California Transit Links
Quick links to California transit agencies and systems, including larger agencies and local transit organized by county and city. Includes bus systems, ferries, airport transportation, paratransit, dial-a-ride services, trolley, commuter rail, and university, business, and shopping shuttles. From the American Public Transportation Association.
Source: Librarians' Internet Index (LII)
COMPILATION OF PEDESTRIAN SAFETY DEVICES IN USE AT GRADE CROSSINGS The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration has released a report that explores the state of the practice of pedestrian accommodation at rail grade crossings, including pedestrian-only crossings.
October 2008: MULTIMODAL LEVEL OF SERVICE ANALYSIS FOR URBAN STREETS TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 616: explores a method for estimating the auto, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian level of service (MMLOS) Ae MMLOS user's guide is published as NCHRP Web-Only Document 128
University-based Organization Links
Transportation
Iowa State--Center for Transportation Research and Education
U of Florida--Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Program
Northwestern--
U or North Carolina WalkingInfo/BicyclingInfo
U of Michigan--Transportation Research Institute
San Diego State--California Institute of Transportation Safety
Texas Transportation Institute
California
PATH
UC
Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies
University
of California Transportation Center
DOT University Transportation Centers
ITS
Research Centers of Excellence University
of Minnesota
Injury Prevention and Control
Harvard--Harvard
Injury
Control
Research
Center
UCLA--Southern
California
Injury
Prevention
Research Center
U of Washington--Harborview
Injury Prevention Research Center
U of Alabama--UAB Injury
Control Research Center
Vehicle safety
November 2008: IIHS Status Report: Vol. 43, No. 9. The issue explores the impact of antilock brakes on motorcycles.
March 2009: A Guide for Addressing Collisions Involving Motorcycles TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 22: Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Addressing Collisions Involving Motorcycles provides guidance on strategies that can be employed to reduce crashes involving motorcycles.
August 2008: IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 6 This issue of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)'s magazine explores the performance of small pickup trucks in crash tests.
IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 4 This issue of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Status Report magazine issue explores the use of cell phones by teens while driving.
April 25, 2008: IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 3 The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores vehicle crash avoidance features.
February 8, 2008: IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 1 The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores travel speeds on the nation's roadways and consequences of exceeding posted speed limits.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety STATUS REPORT: VOL. 42, NO. 11:The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores vehicles passenger protection in front, side, and rear crashes based on IIHS tests. (January 2008).
