Your trusted "safety sidekick” to make rural road travel safer! 
Safety countermeasures are actions taken to improve transportation safety and therefore decrease the number of injuries and fatalities. Safety countermeasures may include geometric design, systemic safety, and intelligent transportation systems. Because safety challenges are different in rural areas, some safety countermeasures are more effective in rural locations than others, or there may be unique installation and operation considerations.
This section provides resources and examples of rural safety countermeasures. Some of the key countermeasures are highlighted in individual subtopics, where they are described in greater detail.
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 » ]
An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety. Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatal ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatali ... [ Read More » ]
An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety. Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatal ... [ Read More » ]
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 ...
[ Read More » ]An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatali ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Rural Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar featured a review of ... [ Read More » ]
An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety. Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatal ... [ Read More » ]
An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety. Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatal ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Rural Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description Human traffickers exploit legitima ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety invites students, researchers, and professionals to apply to present at a unique virtual poster session entitled How to Make Rural Roads Safe for Everyone.
In 2019, there ...
An FHWA EDC-5 Webinar in collaboration with NLTAPA and the National Center for Rural Road Safety Rural roadway departures make up a third of U.S. traffic fatali ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
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 » ]
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 » ]
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 » ]
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 » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the National LTAP & TTAP Association’s (NLTAPA) Safety Working hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour onlin ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]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 » ]
As bicycle travel continues to grow in popularity across the country, more communities are working to attract bicycle tourists to spend money in their area. The ... [ Read More » ]
Webinar Description In recognition of Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, the Safety Center’s May webinar focused on motorcycle safety. The webinar focused on ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
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 » ]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 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 ...
[ Read More » ]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 » ]
Every October is International Walk to School Month – an opportunity for children to join hundreds of thousands of pupils across the globe celebrating the walk to school as well as giving them a chance to cele ...
[ Read More » ]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 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 » ]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 s ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar provided information on how t ... [ Read More » ]
Safety should be EVERY day, but June just so happens to be designated as National Safety Month and week four is focused on driving safety—let’s use this as another reason to do safety outreach in our ...
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 » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description In this webinar, you were provided with ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
Have you joined yet? Road to Zero is a collaboration focused on ending traffic fatalities – a leading cause of unintentional death on our roadways within 30 years. The goal is safe mobility for all people, ...
[ Read More » ]
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 » ]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 » ]
During the winter months, maintenance teams work hard to make sure roadways are prepared to handle hazardous weather conditions. Through the use of de-icing/anti-icing agents, salt spreaders, and snowplows, road ...
[ Read More » ]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 » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association (NLTAPA) co-hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour on ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description Rural transportation agencies are in ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) are hosting a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar. Webinar Description This webinar will provide an overview ... [ Read More » ]
October is Pedestrian Safety Awareness Month, a time to consider that every single one of us is a pedestrian. Even though we’re all pedestrians, it does not make this mode of transportation a safe guarantee ...
[ Read More » ]
Attention high school, community college, and college students! If you’re interested in engineering and roadway safety, there’s a “Traffic Control Device Challenge” competition currently ...
[ Read More » ]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 ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
Anew microsite to provide a central resource for information about roadside safety hardware, including guardrails. The site contains state guardrail data, inclu ... [ Read More » ]
South Carolina Department of Transportation has recently created a rural road safety program. Secretary Hall presented the details in January 2017 at a monthly ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
TRB’s National Cooperative Research Program (NCHRP) Report 841: Development of Crash Modification Factors for Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Treatments ... [ Read More » ]
This is an annual report snapshot of state-by-state investment in public transportation. To purchase the report ($10/member, $13/non-member). ... [ Read More » ]
This handout is written in letter form, from a transportation agency to their partner law enforcement agency. The letter describes how important law enforcement ... [ Read More » ]
This handout describes the importance of law enforcement in transportation safety. The front side discusses action items that law enforcement can take and the b ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety would like to share that a new ListServ has been created by a group of local public agency engineers across the United States who would like to promote the exchange of ed ...
[ Read More » ]It’s time for the biennial solicitation of nominees for the Federal Highway Administration and Roadway Safety Foundation National Roadway Safety Awards. Nominations should exemplify successful engineering solut ...
[ Read More » ]“Appropriate deceleration on approaches to roundabouts is primarily accomplished through the use of applicable geometric design principles; however, traff ... [ Read More » ]
This webpage provides information on distracted driving. It includes resources for distracted driving awareness month, a free cell phone policy kit, distracted ... [ Read More » ]
“This course consists of 13 self-paced informational modules that can be taken in any order depending on the student’s prior knowledge level, interest, ... [ Read More » ]
This fact sheet from the Kansas LTAP discusses what a road diet is, facts or myths about road diets, when a road diet is appropriate, factors to consider, pros ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
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 » ]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 th ... [ Read More » ]
The Winter 2017 Issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s Safety Compass newsletter includes an article promoting Road Diets, one of the nine proven safety countermeasures. While the article explains the vi ...
[ Read More » ]Articles in this issue of the Safety Compass include: HSIP 2015 National Summary Report Now Available! DDSA: Performing A Health Check-Up On Your Roadways Data ... [ Read More » ]
“The Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks report is a resource and idea book intended to help small towns and rural communities support safe, accessib ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
This fact sheet provides information on how to use road diets to provide safer routes to school. The fact sheet discusses road diets as a proven safety practice ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]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 » ]
The Future of Transportation: Safety, Opportunity, and Innovation speaker series, hosted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, brought together ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
“The purpose of this white paper is to: 1. Acknowledge that pedestrian and bicycle considerations should be addressed at the State, local, and regional pl ... [ Read More » ]
On March 1-2, 2016, the Northwest Transportation Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NW TTAP) conducted a hands-on tribal road safety audit (RSA) workshop. T ... [ Read More » ]
“WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Motor Ca ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
In the latest effort to clamp down on the rising number of distracted driving crashes, legislators in New York State are considering equipping police with a “ ... [ Read More » ]
“[Long Version] A Road Diet is a roadway reconfiguration that increases safety and livability at a low cost. Implementing Road Diets improves mobility and ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
“On August 13-14, 2014, at the Turner-Fairbanks Highway Research Center in McLean, VA, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Office of ... [ Read More » ]
This FHWA guide provides safety strategies for both signalized and Unsignalized intersections. The strategies are ranked by cost (low, moderate, moderate-high, ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
This FHWA website provides 9 proven safety countermeasures that “address crashes in the focus areas of intersections, pedestrians, and roadway departure.& ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
The Tribal Transportation Safety Management System Steering Committee is “for Federally Recognized Tribes, federal agencies and other regional and local ... [ Read More » ]
On March 1-2, 2016, the Northwest Transportation Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NW TTAP) conducted a hands-on tribal road safety audit (RSA) workshop. T ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
” Road Safety Audit (RSA) is a proven countermeasure for improving safety and saving lives by reducing injuries. The RSA is a formal and independent safet ... [ Read More » ]
This fact sheet addresses that myth that “road diets make traffic worse” by providing several scenarios that bust this myth. In truth, “when a ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
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 » ]
“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 » ]
“Improved safety and congestion relief on public roadways are high-priority national goals. Innovative reconfigurations such as Road Diets can help achiev ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
The Local and Rural Safety Program provides national leadership in identifying, developing, and delivering safety programs and products to agencies, elected off ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5 hour webinar. This Safety Center sponsored webinar provided participants with the ... [ Read More » ]
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 » ]
This website is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s communication resource for States, partner organizations, and highway safety profess ... [ Read More » ]
One person dies every 16 minutes in a traffic crash in the United States. Over the course of a lifetime, nearly every U.S. resident is touched by consequences o ... [ Read More » ]
This Unsignalized Intersection Improvement Guide (UIIG) has been developed to assist practitioners at such agencies in selecting design, operational, maintenanc ... [ Read More » ]
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5 hour webinar. This Safety Center sponsored webinar provided a background on the ... [ Read More » ]
Introduction to the National Center for Rural Road Safety
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) hosted a FREE, 1.5 hour webinar for road agencies and other stakeholders who want to learn more about ... [ Read More » ]
An article discussing how technology and driverless cars may affect animal-vehicle crashes in the future. ... [ Read More » ]
Cost Effective Local Road Safety Planning and Implementation
The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and the National Association of County Engineers (NACE) have partnered to develop such a guide for loca ... [ Read More » ]
Traffic Safety in the New Millennium: Strategies for Law Enforcement
Traffic safety programs form an integral component of the effective, comprehensive law enforcement operation. Unfortunately, not all law enforcement executive ... [ Read More » ]
Road Diet Information Guide
A classic Road Diet converts an existing four-lane undivided roadway segment to a three-lane segment consisting of two through lanes and a center two-way left t ... [ Read More » ]
Local and Rural Road Safety Briefing Sheets: Behavioral Safety Strategies for Drivers on Rural Roads
This document describes the types of risky driving behaviors evident in rural areas and presents a summary of strategies that can be used to address these behav ... [ Read More » ]
Implementing Local Agency Safety Management
A Safety Management System (SMS) gives decision makers and those who manage and maintain local roadways the tools to systematically identify, prioritize, correc ... [ Read More » ]
Roadside Safety Pooled Fund
To establish an ongoing roadside safety research program that meets the research and functional needs of participating states in a cost-effective and timely man ... [ Read More » ]
Rural ITS Toolbox
Rural ITS Toolbox is a toolbox describing the best practices on the deployment of rural ITS. This document was created to share ITS deployment experience so tha ... [ Read More » ]
North/West Passage (Pooled Fund)
Northwest Passage Corridor(Interstates 90 and 94 between Wisconsin and Washington function as major corridors for commercial and recreational travel) focuses on ... [ Read More » ]
Highway Administration Selects MSU’s Western Transportation Institute to Lead New Centers
WTI wins two grants to establish and lead two new transportation centers ... [ Read More » ]
Wildlife Crossings: The New Norm for Transportation Planning
Transportation engineering has the distinct and demanding tradition of meeting human mobility and safety needs. These days, however, more and more transportatio ... [ Read More » ]
“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 » ]
A Resident's Guide for Creating Safer Communities for Walking and Biking
“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 » ]
“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 » ]
“NCHRP Report 811 provides state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) with a practical, field-tested guideb ... [ Read More » ]
In January 2015, Secretary Foxx challenged community leaders to raise the bar for bicyclist and pedestrian safety by joining the Mayors’ Ch ... [ Read More » ]
InTrans is a Partner in New National Center for Rural Road Safety
The Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University, together with several partner organizations, announces the development of a new National Center for R ... [ Read More » ]
Manual for Selecting Safety Improvements on High Risk Rural Roads
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 » ]
“Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Imp ... [ Read More » ]
Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Site Safety Analysis – User Guide #1
“Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Imp ... [ Read More » ]
Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Network Safety Analysis – User Guide #2
“Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Imp ... [ Read More » ]
Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance
“Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Imp ... [ Read More » ]
Speed Management A Manual for Local Rural Road Owners
“Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Imp ... [ Read More » ]
Memorandum: Promoting the Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures
This guidance provides you with a revised list of research-proven countermeasures that supersedes the 2008 guidance. Through our collective efforts, many of the ... [ Read More » ]
This article provides important information about the benefits of snow fences, as well as, information about their design and construction. ... [ Read More » ]
Road Safety Information Analysis
This article provides important information about the benefits of snow fences, as well as, information about their design and construction. ... [ Read More » ]
“Road Safety Audits/Assessments (RSAs) have proven to be an effective tool for improving safety on and along roadways. As such, the use of RSAs continues ... [ Read More » ]
“Effective Snow Fences – Federal Highway Administration 1991 – Video VH-286 – Part 1, Benefits, is intended for chief administrative off ... [ Read More » ]
“Road Safety Audits/Assessments (RSAs) are an effective tool for proactively improving the future safety performance of a road project during the planning ... [ Read More » ]
A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Bicycles
“Road Safety Audits/Assessments (RSAs) are an effective tool for proactively improving the future safety performance of a road project during the planning ... [ Read More » ]
“Road Safety Audits (RSAs) are an effective tool for proactively improving the future safety performance of a road project during the planning and design ... [ Read More » ]
Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Volume 1: A Guide for Addressing Aggressive-Driving Conditions
“Aggressive driving” is operating a motor vehicle in a selfish, pushy, or impatient manner, often unsafely, that directly affects other drivers. In many cas ... [ Read More » ]