Highway Safety Improvement Program–Assessment Toolbox

Self-Assessment

The purpose of a self-assessment is to provide a formal process for Federal, State and local transportation safety professionals to collaboratively assess the HSIP and identify opportunities for improvement. The self-assessment process:

• Helps raise the level of awareness of HSIP-related practices and strategies.
• Serves as a working tool to identify gaps in existing HSIP efforts.
• Provides an opportunity to benchmark progress at the agency level.

Currently, the HSIP Self-Assessment Tool is available to transportation safety professionals to assess the current status of HSIP implementation efforts. Prior to the HSIP Self-Assessment Tool, FHWA used the HSIP Quality Assessment and the Program Delivery Improvement Tool to support HSIP self-assessment efforts. To maintain historical perspective, a discussion of both of these tools is included in the Appendix. An overview of the HSIP Self-Assessment Tool is provided below.

HSIP Self-Assessment Tool

The HSIP Self-Assessment Tool provides HSIP managers information to assess their programs, policies, and procedures against many of the recommended HSIP practices in use today.

An HSIP self-assessment can be initiated and led by either the State Department of Transportation, FHWA Division Office, or other safety partners, as appropriate. A self-assessment is most beneficial if conducted as a partnership among stakeholders, as self-assessment requires a collaborative effort. The timeframe and frequency for conducting a self-assessment is at the discretion of the agency. Typically, self-assessments are conducted annually, or every other year, to measure progress in implementing program improvements.

The HSIP Self-Assessment Tool consists of a series of questions to determine the level of adoption of a particular HSIP practice based on a five phase adoption process: initiation; development; execution; evaluation; and integration. Questions are scored on a scale of 0 to 15, with a higher number indicating a greater degree of adoption. Questions are grouped within five primary assessment areas:

• Leadership
• Administration
• Planning
• Evaluation

The Leadership area acknowledges the relationship between support from the highest levels of agency management and the effectiveness of the HSIP. Agency management support as well as consistent safety goal setting and the presence of safety champions combines to raise the visibility and importance of the HSIP. This helps to create an agency culture supportive of HSIP goals.

A comprehensive set of Administration elements are key to HSIP effectiveness. These elements include adequate staffing, established procedures, and clear guidance that define safety funding and eligibility features to maximize the effectiveness of the HSIP.

The Planning area consists of features that assist in the identification of safety problems, the development of improvement strategies and countermeasures, and the programming of projects. The HSIP should be a data-driven process that considers a range of problems and solutions to maximize the return on scarce safety resources.

Implementation questions are designed to evaluate the extent to which safety funds are allocated and safety projects are managed to assure fulfillment of safety goals. Once a program of projects is developed, it is important to monitor implementation to ensure successful completion.

The Evaluation area provides feedback to policy makers and program managers regarding the effectiveness of the HSIP. Feedback provides a basis to continuously improve the program.

HSIP managers can use the HSIP Self-Assessment results to establish a benchmark to measure progress in implementing the HSIP or in combination with other information such as program reviews, risk assessment, or performance measures to develop strategic plans, stewardship agreements, or allocate resources.