Low Cost Countermeasures

The need to make roads safer and decrease fatalities is nationwide; traditional countermeasures often involve large scale and costly construction or infrastructure projects. However, many agencies responsible for implementing countermeasures have financial constraints, especially in rural areas. Therefore, it is imperative that agencies have information about low-cost countermeasures that can enhance safety and are effective on rural roads.

This section provides examples of low-cost countermeasures that can be used in rural areas.

Training

LRSP Part #2: A Roadmap to Getting Home Safely

Created: Thursday January 23rd, 2020
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Plans

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

LRSP Part #1: Local Road Safety Plan Implementation

Created: Tuesday December 17th, 2019
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Plans

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

Multi-Disciplinary Speed Management

Created: Tuesday November 19th, 2019
Source: Governors Highway Safety Association
Topic: Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Enforcement Laws and Policies, Low Cost Countermeasures, Road User Road Safety Culture, Safety Countermeasures, Speed Enforcement, Speed Management Systems

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

A Review of the Effectiveness of Mitigation Measures that Seek to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions

Created: Wednesday October 30th, 2019
Source: Western Transportation Institute
Topic: Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User
Sub-Topic: Animal Vehicle Countermeasures, Driver Behavior, Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures

This webinar presented the latest information on the relative effectiveness of mitigation measures that seek to reduce animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs). There a ... [ Read More » ]

LTAP Centers' Safety Peer Exchange

Created: Thursday August 15th, 2019
Source: Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Plans

The National LTAP & TTAP Association’s (NLTAPA) Safety Working Group and the National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour ... [ Read More » ]

Summer…it’s Time to Mow the Lawn!

Posted on Wednesday July 24th, 2019

Keeping roadsides groomed is more than cosmetic; untrimmed grass, weeds, brush, or tree limbs limit visibility and safety by obscuring signs, traffic signals, pedestrians, cyclists, and unpredictable wildlife. Ro ...

[ Read More » ]

Rural Multimodal Planning

Created: Tuesday July 16th, 2019
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Bicycle Safety, Low Cost Countermeasures, Pedestrian Safety, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Plans, 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 explored why and how rural co ... [ Read More » ]

Bridging the Gap: Safety Summit #2 Recap

Created: Thursday February 28th, 2019
Source: National Center for Rural Road Safety
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Plans, Systemic Safety

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar provided a recap of the 2nd N ... [ Read More » ]

Continuing to Address Reducing Rural Roadway Departures

Posted on Tuesday February 12th, 2019

FHWA’s Every Day Counts Round 5 is in full swing, and among the initiatives in this round is Reducing Rural Roadway Departures. Taking a cue from previous EDC rounds, this new set of initiatives continues to ad ...

[ Read More » ]

Rural Roadway Departure Countermeasures – Part 3

Created: Tuesday December 18th, 2018
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Departure, Safety Countermeasures, Systemic Safety

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) EDC-5 Team, National Association of County Engineers (NACE) Saf ... [ Read More » ]

Rural Roadway Departure Countermeasures - Part 2

Created: Tuesday November 13th, 2018
Source: Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program at Iowa State University
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Departure, Safety Countermeasures, Systemic Safety

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) EDC-5 Team, National Association of County Engineers (NACE) Saf ... [ Read More » ]

Rural Roadway Departure Countermeasures - Part #1

Created: Thursday October 4th, 2018
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Departure, Safety Countermeasures, Systemic Safety

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) EDC-5 Team, National Association of County Engineers (NACE) Saf ... [ Read More » ]

Utilizing ITS for Rural Road Safety

Created: Tuesday September 25th, 2018
Source: Iowa Department of Transportation
Topic: Engineering, Road User
Sub-Topic: Intelligent Transportation Systems, Low Cost Countermeasures

Webinar Description This webinar provided an overview of the Safety Center’s newly released Rural Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Toolkit, as well as, ... [ 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 ...

[ Read More » ]

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 » ]

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Posted on Monday March 19th, 2018

April has been designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. While distracted driving is something to be tackled every day, this April we can put some extra focus on ending distracted driving. Transportation ...

[ Read More » ]

Proven Safety Countermeasures…List Updated by FHWA

Posted on Monday February 12th, 2018

The Federal Highway Administration began promoting tried and true infrastructure-oriented safety treatments and strategies in 2008 as their list of Proven Safety Countermeasures. That list was updated in 2012 and ...

[ Read More » ]

Pedestrian Treatments for Uncontrolled Locations

Created: Thursday January 18th, 2018
Source: Illinois Department of Transportation
Topic: Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Pedestrian Safety, Safety Countermeasures, 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 In this webinar, the Illinois Depart ... [ Read More » ]

Research Report

Guidance for Design and Application of Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips

Created: Friday June 30th, 2017
Source: National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Departure, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures

“NCHRP Report 641: Guidance for the Design and Application of Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips explores the design and application of shoulder and ce ... [ Read More » ]

Fact Sheet

New Guidelines for Lighting Overhead Signs

Created: Friday June 30th, 2017
Source: National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Retro-reflectivity and Nighttime Visibility, Safety Countermeasures

This NCHRP Ready Results Brief was published to discuss the results of NCHRP Report 828. The brief explores lighting for overhead signs in suburban and urban a ... [ Read More » ]

Training

ITE Vision Zero Virtual Toolbox Webinar

Created: Thursday June 1st, 2017
Source: Texas Transportation Institute
Topic: Engineering
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) co-hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webin ... [ Read More » ]

Website

Distracted Driving: One Call Can Change Everything

Posted: Monday April 10th, 2017
Source: National Safety Council
Topic: Education, Enforcement, Engineering, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Distracted Driving, Driver Behavior, Driver Education, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Family Rules Regarding Roadway Safety, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Safety Countermeasures

This webpage provides information on distracted driving. It includes resources for distracted driving awareness month, a free cell phone policy kit, distracted ... [ Read More » ]

Training

Converting Paved Roads to Unpaved Roads

Created: Tuesday April 4th, 2017
Source: Western Transportation Institute
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Context Sensitive Solutions, Low Cost Countermeasures, Pavement Safety, Road Surface Conditions, Safety Countermeasures

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) co-hosted a F ... [ Read More » ]

Do you want to help spread the safe driving message? The timing is right!

Posted on Wednesday March 8th, 2017

April is Distracted Driving Month, and the National Safety Council would like for you to help spread the word about their #JustDrive campaign for safety. They have assembled a variety of distracted driving social ...

[ 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 » ]

Fact Sheet

Rumble Strip Implementation Fact Sheet

Created: Wednesday December 21st, 2016
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Pavement Safety, Road Departure, Road Surface Conditions

This fact sheet discusses installing rumble strips on new or existing pavements. It includes discussions on pavement suitability for rumble strip implementation ... [ Read More » ]

When it’s Good to be Fenced In!

Posted on Wednesday December 14th, 2016

There is more to falling snow than painting the landscape into a winter wonderland; it can also create a plentiful amount of additional roadway safety hazards. Snow drifts, which are created by wind moving snow o ...

[ 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 » ]

Defining the Future for Safe Rural Transportation in Rural America

Created: Thursday November 10th, 2016
Source: National Center for Rural Road Safety
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Access to EMS Data, Bicycle Safety, Commercial Vehicles, Crash Avoidance Technologies, Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Driver Behavior, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Incident Management, Injury Prevention, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Intelligent Vehicle Systems, Location of Trauma Centers, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Officials, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Plans, Systemic Safety

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 » ]

National Working Summit on Transportation in Rural America

Created: Friday September 9th, 2016
Source: Western Transportation Institute
Sponsor: National Center for Rural Road Safety, American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials, Rutgers - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Access to EMS Data, Bicycle Safety, Commercial Vehicles, Crash Avoidance Technologies, Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Driver Behavior, Enforcement Laws and Policies, Incident Management, Injury Prevention, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Intelligent Vehicle Systems, Location of Trauma Centers, Low Cost Countermeasures, Organization Culture, Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Officials, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Safety Plans, Systemic Safety

The National Working Summit on Transportation in Rural America was held Sept. 7-9, 2016 in Denver, CO. It was hosted by the National Center for Rural Road Safet ... [ Read More » ]

Safety Compass Newsletter

Published: Friday June 24th, 2016
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Cross Jurisdictional Safety Planning, Geometric Design, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP), Low Cost Countermeasures, Retro-reflectivity and Nighttime Visibility, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Performance Measures and Monitoring, Safety Plans, Speed Management Systems

Articles in this issue of the Safety Compass include: Introducing the HSIP Final Rule Safety PM Regs Now in Effect Rumble Strip Virtual Peer Exchanges Glean In ... [ Read More » ]

Technical Guide/Manual

Intersection Safety Strategies

Created: Thursday June 23rd, 2016
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Geometric Design, Intersection Design/Safety, Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures

This FHWA guide provides safety strategies for both signalized and Unsignalized intersections. The strategies are ranked by cost (low, moderate, moderate-high, ... [ Read More » ]

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

Proven Safety Countermeasures

Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2016
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road, Road User
Sub-Topic: Intersection Design/Safety, Low Cost Countermeasures, Pedestrian Safety, Road Departure, Safety Countermeasures

This FHWA website provides 9 proven safety countermeasures that “address crashes in the focus areas of intersections, pedestrians, and roadway departure.& ... [ Read More » ]

Crash Modification Factors Clearinghouse

Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2016
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Enforcement, Engineering, Vehicle
Sub-Topic: Crash Avoidance Technologies, Crash Records, Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data, Systemic Safety

This FHWA website provides crash modification factors (CMF), as well as, guides for how to use and/or develop CMF. “A crash modification factor (CMF) is a ... [ Read More » ]

Training

Crash Risk Factors for Low-Volume Roads: an ODOT Case Study

Created: Monday March 21st, 2016
Source: Western Transportation Institute
Sponsor: National Center for Rural Road Safety
Topic: Enforcement, Engineering
Sub-Topic: Crash Records, Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Data, Systemic Safety

The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar providee information on: ... [ Read More » ]

Research Report

Public Perception of Safety Messages and Public Service Announcements on Dynamic Message Signs in Rural Areas

Created: Tuesday March 1st, 2016
Source: Battelle
Topic: Education, Engineering, Road User
Sub-Topic: Intelligent Transportation Systems, Low Cost Countermeasures, Public Service Announcements/Marketing Campaigns, Safety Countermeasures

“The objective of this project was to assess the effectiveness and potential benefits of posting public service announcements (PSAs) in rural areas by sur ... [ Read More » ]

Website

Garden Snow Fencing from the Ground Up Video

Posted: Monday February 8th, 2016
Source: University of Wyoming Extension
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures, Weather Conditions

“A snow fence around your garden can help increase soil moisture and provide other benefits. From the Ground Up is your source for Wyoming relevant garden ... [ Read More » ]

Training

Rural Local & Tribal Road Safety Toolkit & User Guides Webinar Series

Created: Thursday February 4th, 2016
Source: USDOT FHWA Office of Safety
Topic: Education, EMS, Enforcement, Engineering, Road, Road User, Safety Culture
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Safety Plans

The Focus: Local and Tribal Road Safety The Reason: Getting the most from the Toolkit and User Guides to address safety on rural local and tribal roadways where ... [ Read More » ]

Website

Smarter Work Zones

Posted: Thursday February 4th, 2016
Source: USDOT FHWA Office of Safety
Topic: Engineering, Road, Road User
Sub-Topic: Intelligent Transportation Systems, Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Speed Management Systems

“While several options are available to establish efficient work zones, the EDC-3 Smarter Work Zones effort focuses on two strategies: project coordinatio ... [ Read More » ]

Safety Edge (SM)

Posted: Monday February 1st, 2016
Source: USDOT FHWA Office of Safety
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Geometric Design, Low Cost Countermeasures, Pavement Safety, Road Departure, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures

“Pavement edge drop-off on highways has been linked to many serious crashes, including fatal collisions. To mitigate vertical drop-offs, FHWA advocates in ... [ Read More » ]

Technical Guide/Manual

2015 National Roadway Safety Awards Noteworthy Practices Guide

Created: Monday December 7th, 2015
Source: Roadway Safety Foundation
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP), Low Cost Countermeasures, Pavement Safety, Retro-reflectivity and Nighttime Visibility, Road Departure, Road Surface Conditions, Safety Countermeasures

It is an honor to formally recognize the extraordinary achievements of those selected for the 2015 National Roadway Safety Awards. The individuals, groups, and ... [ Read More » ]

Research

Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements (Pooled Fund)

Published: Thursday July 9th, 2015
Topic: Engineering
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures

The goal of this research is to develop reliable estimates of the effectiveness of the safety improvements that are identified as strategies in the National Coo ... [ Read More » ]

Research Report

Optimization Snow Drifting Mitigation and Control Methods for Iowa Conditions

Created: Monday February 9th, 2015
Source: University of Iowa
Sponsor: Iowa Department of Transportation
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures, Weather Conditions

“Blowing and drifting of snow is a major concern for transportation efficiency and road safety in regions where their development is common. One common wa ... [ Read More » ]

Technical Guide/Manual

Manual for Selecting Safety Improvements on High Risk Rural Roads

Created: Friday August 1st, 2014
Source: Science Applications International Corporation
Sponsor: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road, Road User
Sub-Topic: Geometric Design, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP), Intersection Design/Safety, Low Cost Countermeasures, Pavement Safety, Pedestrian Safety, Road Departure, Road Safety Audits, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Roundabouts, Safety Countermeasures

This manual provides information on the costs and benefits of safety treatments on high-risk rural roads (HRRR). Agencies can use this manual to determine the f ... [ Read More » ]

Speed Management A Manual for Local Rural Road Owners

Created: Thursday November 1st, 2012
Source: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Sponsor: Federal Highway Administration
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Safety Countermeasures, Speed Management Systems

This manual provides information on the costs and benefits of safety treatments on high-risk rural roads (HRRR). Agencies can use this manual to determine the f ... [ Read More » ]

Blog

Snow Fence: Tis the Season

Posted: Saturday December 3rd, 2011
Source: Defiance County
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures, Weather Conditions

This article provides important information about the benefits of snow fences, as well as, information about their design and construction. ... [ Read More » ]

Website

USDOT Strategic Highway Research Program Effective Snow Fences Video

Posted: Sunday August 29th, 2010
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation
Topic: Engineering, Road
Sub-Topic: Low Cost Countermeasures, Road Surface Conditions, Roadside Design/Safety, Safety Countermeasures, Weather Conditions

“Effective Snow Fences – Federal Highway Administration 1991 – Video VH-286 – Part 1, Benefits, is intended for chief administrative off ... [ Read More » ]