Using Peer Exchanges to Improve the Effectiveness of Strategic Highway Safety Plans (2014)

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102 Accomplishments: Section of a follow-up report that describes successes among the partici- pants and peer exchange results and outcomes. Acknowledgments: Section of a follow-up report that expresses thanks any organizations or offices that may have provided funding for travel and related expenses, sponsored portions of the event, or provided guidance and leadership. Benefits of the Peer Exchange: Section of a follow-up report that discusses the benefits of holding a peer exchange, including the outcomes and results determined as a result of holding the exchange. Champions: Provide enthusiasm and support to the SHSP process; tend to be subject mat- ter experts; and are highly respected within their own agencies and in the safety community. Responsibilities include: seeking buy-in and support from senior management; communicat- ing with senior management on the progress of SHSP and peer exchange; identifying gaps and target areas for improvement; identifying partners and resources. Close-Out Meeting: Convening of the planning committee and their State’s senior manage- ment a few weeks after the strategy review meeting to focus on lessons learned, new ideas, and recommendations from the planning committee to move forward with new strategies. Collaboration: The SHSP development process establishes broad-based collaboration among many agencies and organizations. Internal and external collaboration are both necessary for effective SHSP implementation. Committee Chair: An individual chosen to lead the development and implementation of the peer exchange and to oversee the functions of the planning committee. Communication: Effective communication among internal and external stakeholders is the foundation upon which successful SHSPs are developed, shared, implemented, and tracked. Communications Plan: Defines communication requirements and assignments based on roles, including what, how, and when information will be communicated and distributed. It also identifies who is responsible for various aspects of communications. Data Collection and Analysis: The purpose of a data-driven process is to direct resources to projects and programs with the greatest potential impact to advance toward the goal. Data analysis reveals the reductions in fatalities and serious injuries associated with implementing effective safety programs and countermeasures, as well as a lack of effectiveness stemming from implementation of sub-optimal approaches. Delivery Method: The method used in the event to exchange information. Examples include in-person, teleconference, video, and Internet. Glossary

Glossary 103 Drug Impairment: Operating a vehicle while there is any presence of a prohibited substance, drug, or alcohol in the driver’s body. Emphasis Area Action Plan: Describes in detail how each of the strategies will be accom- plished through a series of action steps. Identifies the responsible persons and agencies and includes performance measures, deadlines, evaluation criteria, and resource requirements. Evaluating: Provides feedback on the successes or failures to meet the goals and objectives of the meeting. Engaging participants in the evaluation of an event assists host States in prepa- ration for the next event, and helps to identify issues that could inhibit the overall success of future peer exchanges. Event Debrief: Convening of the planning committee a few days after an event to discuss the event, review participant evaluations, and answer relevant questions about whether the event met objectives and achieved desired outcomes. Event Type: Defines the extent to which participants are involved in the peer exchange. Event types include: in-state peer exchange, multi-state/regional peer exchange, peer review, and one-on-one discussion. Executive Summary: Section of a follow-up report that encapsulates the goals and objec- tives of the peer exchange and includes date, location, and participants; a summary of the proceedings; and an overview of key presentations, lessons learned, recommendations, and action items. Expert Practitioners: Practitioners with relevant subject matter expertise who are invited to participate on a peer exchange panel. Responsibilities include: understanding and reporting on the State’s safety-related data; providing a balanced view of potential countermeasures; sharing experiences in diverse disciplines related to highway safety; sharing best practices and lessons learned; and explaining the process for successfully implementing peer exchange recommen- dations and strategies. Facilitator: An individual who oversees break-out sessions and plenary discussions while remaining neutral on each topic. This person helps the attendees to understand their common objectives and to develop a plan for achieving those objectives. Follow-up Evaluations: Conducted by the planning committee 6 to 9 months after the peer exchange event to gauge the impact the event had on the agency’s SHSP. Follow-up Report: Provides a permanent record of the proceedings and assists in future tracking of the recommendations, strategies, and suggestions. This should be completed within four to six weeks of the peer exchange. Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP): Established as a core Federal aid pro- gram under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The overall purpose of the program is to achieve a significant reduc- tion in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads through the implementation of infrastructure-related highway safety improvements. Implementers: Manage the process and attend to the day-to-day tasks of arranging, facilitat- ing, and documenting meetings, tracking progress, and moving discrete activities through to completion. In-State Peer Exchange: Event that involves stakeholders from within the same jurisdic- tional area. The objective of an in-state peer exchange may be to update or refine existing SHSP documentation, strategies, action items, and/or implementation activities.

104 Using Peer Exchanges to Improve the Effectiveness of Strategic Highway Safety Plans Internal Follow-Through: Meeting held two to three weeks after the close-out meeting between the planning committee and the emphasis area teams that are responsible for mak- ing revisions to the SHSP strategies and action plans. The planning committee should outline approved changes to the SHSP emphasis areas and provide information regarding resources to implement them (e.g., staff, funding, and technical assistance). Introduction and Peer Exchange Planning: Section of a follow-up report that contains a general overview of the event, including the status of the current SHSP and the logistics involved in planning and organizing. IT/AV Support Plan: Identifies the information technology and audio visual equipment required to successfully implement the peer exchange and to electronically register attendees. This plan should identify and define the roles of persons involved in this portion of the peer exchange. Leadership: Agency leaders who may not be involved in the day-to-day management respon- sibility for program development and implementation, but have access to resources and the ability to implement change. Marketing: Informs the general public on transportation safety issues, educates key political leaders on their role in saving lives, and encourages active participation in SHSP implementa- tion activities among safety partners. Moderator: The person who oversees the peer exchange, introduces speakers, keeps order, manages time, explains logistics and processes, and facilitates the agenda. Multi-State/Regional Peer Exchange: Event that often includes agencies geographically sur- rounding a host State, but may include others based on the ability for those States to travel or the use of innovative delivery methods (e.g., video). The host State invites peer States to share their experience on any number of SHSP-related topics. One-on-One Discussion: A host State conducts an informal discussion with an official from a peer State to discuss SHSP updates to emphasis areas and strategies, specific issues and con- cerns, challenges, or best practices. Peer Exchange: A focused collaboration of stakeholders with a common problem or issue (in this case, those concerned with SHSP development, implementation, evaluation, and updates of processes and emphasis areas). Peer Exchange Event Timeline: Planning for the peer event should begin approximately four to six months prior to the event to allow for reviewers to get travel authorization and for the host State to arrange logistics and have sufficient time to prepare materials. Peer Exchange Proceedings: Section of a follow-up report that is an overview of the presen- tations made at the peer exchange, question and answer sessions with invited peers, and open discussions during breakout sessions. Peer Matching: Selecting potential peer States by determining perceived strengths in a peer State’s program that match up with gaps identified in the host’s program. Peer Review: An individual State seeks to improve or update a program, project, initiative, plan, etc. by organizing an expert panel from other States for an in-person or virtual event. Planning Committee: A group of highway safety professionals from a variety of disciplines who are appointed by the steering committee to handle the development, implementation, and logistics for a peer exchange. Plenary Session: The part of the peer exchange event in which all participants are invited to attend. This is also referred to as the general session.

Glossary 105 Presenters: Subject matter experts who present topics relevant to the goals, objectives, and expected outcomes identified by the steering committee and planning committee. Pre-survey: A survey of potential event participants to help determine insightful topics of interest, learn audience expectations, gauge attendance, and identify preferences for speakers. Recorder: An individual assigned to capture the verbal exchanges of peer exchange partici- pants during break-out sessions. The recorder is responsible for submitting the notes to the facilitator at the conclusion of the meeting. Report to Participants: Follow-up report prepared by the planning committee summarizing all updates made to the SHSP document, the implementation process, or other aspects of the process that came about as a result of the peer exchange event, with a particular emphasis on best practices. Resource Materials: Pre-event materials sent to participants before they attend the peer exchange to prepare the participants and make best use of the time spent during the event for the communication and flow of ideas, strategies, and implementation steps. Shepherd: An individual responsible for greeting, briefing, escorting, and seeing to the needs of guest speakers and VIPs during their visit to the peer exchange. Stakeholder: A person, group, organization, member, or system who affects or can be affected by an organization’s actions. Stakeholders may be traditional or non-traditional highway safety partners and can serve in the steering committee or planning committee, or as participants at the peer exchange. State Highway Safety Office (SHSO): A group of transportation safety professionals that are located within a State’s Department of Transportation, Public Safety Department, or another State agency. In a few cases, the SHSOs are independent offices within State government. SHSOs submit annual Highway Safety Plans (HSPs) to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra- tion (NHTSA) and assist their State DOTs in the development of the State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). Steering Committee: A group of senior level managers organized to oversee the development of the peer exchange and responsible for appointing a planning committee. Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP): A statewide-coordinated safety strategy that pro- vides a comprehensive framework for reducing motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The SHSP is data-driven and establishes statewide goals, objectives, and key emphasis areas that integrate the Four Es of Traffic Safety—Engineering, Education, Enforce- ment, and Emergency Medical Services. Strategy Review Meeting: Convening of the host State a few days after an event to discuss the recommendations for strategy implementation and/or other potential SHSP changes identified at the peer exchange. Support Team: A group of individuals who support logistics prior to and during the event in areas such as communications, IT/AV, room monitoring, resource materials, registration, procurement, finance, and liaison for facilitators, presenters, and recorders. Type of Peer Exchange: The defined event a host State uses to share information among peers. Examples include in-state, multi-state, peer review, and one-on-one. TZD (Toward Zero Deaths): An effort that focuses on developing strong leadership and champions in the organizations that can directly impact highway safety through engineering, enforcement, education, emergency medical service (EMS), policy, public health, communica- tions, and other efforts. Virtual Event: Occurs with participants at remote locations instead of in person, using tele- phone, video, Internet, or a combination of these tools to connect attendees.