Highway Safety Improvement Program

Highway Safety Improvement Program
Name	Highway Safety Improvement Program
Established	1995
Jurisdiction	United States
Parent agency	Federal Highway Administration

Highway Safety Improvement Program The Highway Safety Improvement Program promotes roadway safety through targeted planning, engineering, and construction interventions to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. The program coordinates among Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, State Department of Transportation (United States), Metropolitan Planning Organization, and State Highway Safety Office partners to fund systemic and site-specific countermeasures. It integrates data from Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Highway Performance Monitoring System, National Bridge Inventory, Traffic Records Coordinating Committee, and Behavioral Traffic Safety research to prioritize investments.

Overview

The program provides formula-based and discretionary funding streams administered by the Federal Highway Administration, enabling State Department of Transportation (United States), Territorial Department of Transportation, Tribal Transportation Program offices, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to deliver roadway safety projects. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based countermeasures such as rumble strips, median barriers, roundabouts, signal timing, and improved signage informed by datasets like the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, National Automotive Sampling System, and Highway Safety Manual. Coordination occurs with agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, and research institutions like the United States Department of Transportation Volpe Center.

History and Legislative Background

The program originated from amendments to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and was formalized under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and subsequent surface transportation reauthorizations such as the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, and the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act. Legislative debates involved committees including the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and were influenced by crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and safety advocacy by groups such as the National Safety Council and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Reauthorizations adjusted formula apportionment, eligible activities, and performance management tied to the MAP-21 and FAST Act requirements.

Program Structure and Funding

Funding flows through apportionments administered by the Federal Highway Administration with matching requirements shared by State Department of Transportation (United States) agencies and local jurisdictions. Eligible recipients include state DOTs, tribal governments via the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal Transportation Program, and metropolitan planning organizations recognized under 23 U.S.C. provisions. Budget categories cover infrastructure countermeasures, safety research partnerships with National Cooperative Highway Research Program, and pilot projects coordinated with Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration. Performance measures align with National Performance Management Measures and reporting uses the Highway Performance Monitoring System and State Strategic Highway Safety Plans.

Project Selection and Prioritization

States use data-driven tools such as the Highway Safety Manual, SafetyAnalyst, and Interactive Highway Safety Design Model to identify high-risk locations, systemic corridors, and intersection clusters. Prioritization integrates crash frequency from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, severity weighting, and equity considerations guided by Environmental Justice (United States) policies. Selection committees often include representatives from State Highway Safety Office, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Tribal Transportation Program, Department of Public Safety (United States), and academic partners like University Transportation Centers. Projects range from low-cost countermeasures to corridor-level redesigns and are evaluated against goals set under Strategic Highway Safety Plans and National Roadway Safety Strategy objectives.

Implementation and Evaluation

Implementation is managed through state project delivery systems, contracting standards such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and construction oversight by state DOTs and local agencies. Evaluation employs before-and-after studies, quasi-experimental designs like difference-in-differences, and randomized controlled trials when feasible, leveraging data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System, and infrastructure inventories like the National Bridge Inventory. Peer exchange and technical assistance are provided via American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Transportation Research Board, and Federal Highway Administration centers. Performance reporting aligns with national targets under the National Roadway Safety Strategy and statutory performance management requirements.

Impact and Outcomes

Empirical assessments attribute reductions in fatality rates and serious injury crashes at treated locations to program investments, corroborated by analyses from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Outcomes include widespread deployment of median barriers, conversion of high-risk intersections to roundabouts, expanded rumble strip installation, and improved roadway delineation, contributing to declines in lane departure and intersection-related fatalities reported in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Economic evaluations reference benefit–cost ratios and studies by the Congressional Budget Office and Department of Transportation Volpe Center to justify continued funding, while ongoing research with University Transportation Centers refines countermeasure effectiveness and equity impacts.

Category:Road transportation in the United States Category:Transportation safety