Human Factors

Human factors are issues that affect or relate to drivers and their actions, including abilities, limitations, and characteristics. Examples include competency (novice driver, aging driver), state of driver impairment (alcohol, fatigue, distraction, etc.) and behaviors (seat belt use, speeding, etc.). Understanding how human factors differ between rural and urban areas is an important consideration for selecting appropriate safety mitigations.

This section includes information about human factors research that can guide roadway safety programs.

Training

Part 2: Safe Road Users

Created: Tuesday August 31st, 2021
Source: Clackamas County, OR
Topic: Education, Engineering, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Human Factors, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Road User Road Safety Culture, Safety Countermeasures

Webinar Description No doubt you have been hearing the terms Safe System Approach and Traffic Safety Culture over the past few years, but are you also wondering ... [ Read More » ]

Part 1: Introducing the Safe System Approach and Traffic Safety Culture

Created: Wednesday June 30th, 2021
Source: Center for Health and Safety Culture at WTI
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Human Factors, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Road User Road Safety Culture, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Plans, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users, Systemic Safety

No doubt you have heard of the terms Safe System Approach and Traffic Safety Culture over the past few years, but were you also wondering: how to explain these ... [ Read More » ]

Third Rural Road Safety Summit: Virtual Format Leads to Record Attendance

Posted on Monday December 21st, 2020

The National Center for Rural Road Safety hosted the 3rd National Summit on Rural Road Safety from September 30 – October 1, 2020. The summits have become an important national forum for engaging a wide variety ...

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Staying in the Lane

Posted on Monday November 26th, 2018

Rural road safety is often highlighted as a major safety issue since nearly 50% of traffic fatalities occur on rural road networks, even though only 19% of the US population lives in rural areas. A lesser known s ...

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Safety for the Rural Aging Road User

Created: Sunday October 28th, 2018
Source: Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Road User
Sub-Topic: Aging Road User, Driver Behavior, Driver Education, Human Factors, Injury Prevention

Webinar Description The safety of all road users must be considered on the “Road to Zero”. In this webinar, we explored the safety needs, challenges, and co ... [ Read More » ]

Did you attend our first Summit? Register now for the second one- we’re bridging the gap!

Posted on Tuesday August 28th, 2018

Rural communities provide food, energy, resources and much more to keep America running. In 2016, attendees at the National Working Summit on Transportation in Rural America helped define the future for “Movi ...

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Road to Zero: Getting to Zero Roadway Fatalities: What will it Take?

Created: Tuesday May 29th, 2018
Source: National Safety Council
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Driver Behavior, Driver Education, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Human Factors, Injury Prevention, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Road User Road Safety Culture, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Grant Writing and Project Development, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar provided an overview of the ... [ Read More » ]

General Report

On the Road to Zero, We Cannot Ignore Rural

Created: Thursday May 10th, 2018
Source: National Center for Rural Road Safety
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road User, Safety Culture, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Commercial Vehicles, Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Driver Behavior, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Human Factors, Injury Prevention, Organization Culture, Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Officials, Safety Data, Social Capital within Communities to Support Roadway Safety

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center), a center of excellence supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administrat ... [ Read More » ]

Training

Primer on the Joint Use of the HSM and the HFG for Road Systems

Created: Wednesday February 14th, 2018
Source: Battelle
Topic: Enforcement, Engineering, Road User
Sub-Topic: Driver Behavior, Human Factors, Safety Data

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar provided tools and techniques ... [ Read More » ]

The Culture of Swedish Vision Zero

Created: Tuesday December 12th, 2017
Source: Swedish Royal Institute of Technology
Topic: Education, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Enforcement Laws and Policies, Human Factors, Organization Culture, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Road User Road Safety Culture, Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Officials, Safety Countermeasures, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the Center for Health and Safety Culture co-hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar D ... [ Read More » ]

Technical Guide/Manual

Drowsy Driving Guide: Risks and Prevention

Created: Wednesday April 12th, 2017
Topic: Enforcement, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Driver Behavior, Driver Fatigue-Drowsy Driving, Human Factors, Road User Road Safety Culture

“Drowsy driving is a widespread issue among motorists in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drows ... [ Read More » ]

Website

How Do We Move Toward Zero Deaths

Posted: Wednesday December 21st, 2016
Source: Toward Zero Deaths
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Bicycle Safety, Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Driver Education, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Geometric Design, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP), Human Factors, Incident Management, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Pedestrian Safety, Public Involvement, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Road User Road Safety Culture, Roadside Design/Safety, Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Officials, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Performance Measures and Monitoring, Safety Plans, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users

“Zero is not an impossible goal, but it will take all of us to get there. See how all of our efforts are helping us on our way Toward Zero Deaths.” ... [ Read More » ]

Training

Toward Zero Deaths-Proactive Steps for Your Community

Created: Thursday December 8th, 2016
Source: National Center for Rural Road Safety
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Bicycle Safety, Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Driver Education, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Geometric Design, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP), Human Factors, Incident Management, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Pedestrian Safety, Public Involvement, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Road User Road Safety Culture, Roadside Design/Safety, Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Officials, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Performance Measures and Monitoring, Safety Plans, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the National Association of County Engineers (NACE) co-hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. � ... [ Read More » ]

Technical Guide/Manual

Motorcycle Road Safety Audit Case Studies

Created: Sunday May 1st, 2016
Source: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Sponsor: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Driver Behavior, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Geometric Design, Human Factors, Low Cost Countermeasures, Motorcycles, Motorcyclists, Road Departure, Road Safety Audits, Road Surface Conditions, Road User Road Safety Culture, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Plans, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users

“Road Safety Audits (RSAs) are a formal safety performance examination of an existing or future roadway or off-road facility and are conducted by an indep ... [ Read More » ]

Website

Traffic Safety Marketing

Posted: Monday December 7th, 2015
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Topic: Education, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Aggressive Driving, Aging Road User, Bicycle Safety, Child Passenger Safety, Distracted Driving, Driver Behavior, Driver Education, Driver Fatigue-Drowsy Driving, Human Factors, Impaired Driving, Motorcycles, Motorcyclists, Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Safety, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Road Rage, Road User Road Safety Culture, Safety Countermeasures, Sharing the Road Safely with All Road Users, Speed Enforcement, Young Drivers

This website is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s communication resource for States, partner organizations, and highway safety profess ... [ Read More » ]

Fact Sheet

Critical Reasons for Crashes Investigated in the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey

Created: Sunday February 1st, 2015
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Topic: Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User
Sub-Topic: Crash Records, Driver Behavior, Geometric Design, Human Factors, Road Surface Conditions, Safety Data

“The National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS), conducted from 2005 to 2007, was aimed at collecting on-scene information about the events an ... [ Read More » ]

Traffic Safety Facts Research Note

Created: Monday April 1st, 2013
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Topic: Enforcement, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Distracted Driving, Driver Behavior, Human Factors, Road User Road Safety Culture

This NHTSA fact sheet provides a summary of statistical findings about driver electronic usage in 2011. ... [ Read More » ]

Technical Guide/Manual

NCHRP Report 600 Second Edition

Created: Sunday January 1st, 2012
Source: Battelle
Topic: Enforcement, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Driver Behavior, Human Factors, Road User Road Safety Culture

This report completes and updates the first edition of NCHRP Report 600: Human Factors Guidelines for Road Systems (HFG), which was published previously in thre ... [ Read More » ]

Research Report

Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads

Created: Sunday February 1st, 2009
Source: A Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension
Topic: Road User, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Agricultural Equipment, Human Factors

This white paper has multiple purposes: a) to help identify research, policy and extension/outreach priorities for the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Trans ... [ Read More » ]