Local Road Safety Plan Template

Feel free to use this Word document to create your safety plan planning document. Delete any instructions and exam- ples, and then start writing!

INTRODUCTION

Briefly describe your County’s commitment to transportation safety through this planning process and the drafting of this document. An introduction can be one or more paragraphs, and can be as general or specific as you’d like. It serves two purposes: it gives readers an idea of what the rest of the plan will say; and it provides a reason to keep reading. For example, you should include a description of the document; define the central concept—transportation safety; and per- haps provide some statistics that you’d like to change enough to take on this planning process.

For example, you might say, “The County is committed to improving transportation safety to reduce the risk of death and serious injury that result from incidents on our transportation systems. This plan tells the story of transportation safety needs and strategies for our County. Implementation of the plan will improve transportation safety for the county, its people, and its visitors. As part of an ongoing effort to make safety improvements, the Local Road Safety Plan was de- veloped with input from several safety partners. In the past 5 years, (state some statistic that you want to improve). The County is targeting (cite a goal that will improve this statistic) over the next 5 years.”

VISION & GOALS

Generate interest in the planning process by drafting a vision statement. It can be a team effort. A vision statement is an idealized description of your success. It should inspire, energize, focus, and help you and your partners picture success as you develop the plan.

The best vision statements describe the desired long term, big picture outcomes that are five to ten years away. Summa- rize your Vision in a powerful phrase. This can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your vision statement. This phrase will serve as a trigger to the rest of the vision in the mind of everyone that reads it. If you are having trouble coming up with your summarizing phrase, try adding after you’ve written the rest of the vision statement.

Here are examples of a vision statement:

To advance road safety in our County by reducing fatal and serious injuries and improving peoples lives.

Create a County Culture inside and out that promotes and implements Toward Zero Deaths strategies.

Here are examples of goals to support the vision:

Reduce the number of fatal crashes to Zero by 2030.

Reduce the number of severe Run off the Road crashes by 50% by 2025.

Implement proven safety solutions systemically to reduce fatal and severe crashes.

Increase seat belt usage by 20% for teenage drivers.

SAFETY PARTNERS

Select and identify partners that will be able to provide advice in acquiring and analyzing data, selecting emphasis areas, developing safety strategies, and implementing the final plan. For example, County Sherriff’s Department, local school, County Public Health Department, community groups, local medical professionals, etc.

List of partners here:

PROCESS

Describe the process you used to develop the plan. This would include identification of team members, public outreach efforts, partner involvement, the timeline, etc.

EXISTING EFFORTS

Describe your efforts, activities, programs, and policies that were already in place or in development to address transpor- tation safety and perhaps led to this planning effort. Identify those that are being evaluated, and those that are benefi- cial and will continue to be implemented for the foreseeable future.

DATA SUMMARY

Use the best available safety data. The best available data may be anything from police crash reports or database to your maintenance logs, to traffic violations, to a public involvement process depending on what is available for your County.

Many transportation safety plans will include Data Improvement as an emphasis area.

Note any trends shown by the available safety data and additional questions prompted by the data. Data Analysis in- volves looking for patterns in crash type, driver factors, roadway features, vehicle factors, or environmental condition.

EMPHASIS AREAS

Many plans will include multiple emphasis areas. Emphasis areas may include three parts: a description, a goal, and strategies. Emphasis areas should describe the issue where there is opportunity to improve. Emphasis area descriptions should also explain what information led to the identification of the issue. Strategies should describe the activities that will have an impact on the issue.

Examples of emphasis area that might fit your situation are lane departure crashes, crashes on curves, impaired driving crashes, pedestrian safety, intersection crashes, younger drivers, data management, or night time crashes.

Description of Emphasis Area 1: (What is the problem? Why is this emphasis area strategic?)

Describe the emphasis area so that an outside reader could understand why emphasis is being placed on this category of incidents.

Provide a detailed description of exactly what types of incidents the emphasis area covers.

Provide any additional data that is specific to this subset of crashes.

Goal for Emphasis Area 1:

Goals provide a short-term measure that can be accomplished.

Goals enable you to measure success and determine the appropriate time to revise the plan.

Strategies for Emphasis Area 1:

How will the emphasis area be addressed?

Strategies should be implementable and should address the emphasis area.

Who will lead implementation?

Keep this at a high level, individual action plans can be developed for each strategy later. The action plans for each strategy can detail each step that needs to be accomplished to complete the task. Assign a champion to take the lead on implementation of each high-level strategy. You may also want to consider developing a funding plan to help you implement your Local Road Safety Plan. This could include seeking Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program funds through your State DOT or using/redistributing your current funding for projects and maintenance. It’s important that your Local Road Safety Plan is not based on funding but on strategically addressing your transportation safety.

Develop your Emphasis Areas Here.

Emphasis area title:

Description:

Goal:

Strategies:

(Strategy Champion:	)

(Strategy Champion:	) Potential Funding Sources:

EVALUATION & IMPLEMENTATION

Describe the process that will be used to evaluate the success of the plan, ensure implementation, and determine when an update is needed.

How often will the goals be evaluated to measure success?

When should revision of the plan be considered? (Living Document, every 2 years, etc.)

Will a committee be formed to meet periodically to oversee implementation?

Will the County hold any departments accountable for progress on the plan goals?

Is further involvement needed from safety partners from entities outside the County?