Foreword

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is pleased to share a new resource, "Transportation Safety Planning and the Zero Deaths Vision: A Guide for Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Local Communities."

Reducing transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries across the transportation system has consistently been one of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) strategic goals. As identified in the US Department of Transportation Strategic Plan for FY 2018-2022, to improve transportation safety, DOT seeks to work effectively with State, local, Tribal, and private partners; address human behaviors to reduce safety risks; improve safety data analysis to guide decisions; continue to employ safety countermeasures; ensure that automation brings significant safety benefits; and pursue performance-based rather than prescriptive regulations. FHWA is pleased that an increasing number of communities across the country share this strategic goal and are working to meet the zero deaths vision by developing and implementing data driven safety plans that prioritize safety. The lessons learned from these communities serve as a foundation for this Guide.

This Guide will assist Metropolitan Planning Organizations, local communities, and affiliated transportation agencies and stakeholders to use the safety planning process to work toward the zero deaths vision. The Guide provides a step-by-step process to develop, implement, and evaluate a regional or local safety plan and highlights noteworthy practices. It presents safety considerations necessary in the safety planning process to reach the zero deaths goal. It also shows how safety practitioners engage in safety planning efforts; analyze data; set goals and targets to facilitate a performance-based planning approach; identify strategies to address safety challenges; prepare a document that presents the plan; and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan. We hope you will find this guide useful and welcome your feedback.

Thank you for your efforts toward eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on our nation's roadways. Together we are saving lives!

Sincerely yours,