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BTSCRP Web-Only Document 4 Highway Safety Behavioral Strategies for Rural Areas Jaime Sullivan Bryce Grame Western Transportation Institute Montana State University Bozeman, MT Jay Otto Katie Dively Bridget Hanson Kari Finley Karen Gee Jamie Arpin Nic Ward Center for Health and Safety Culture Montana State University Bozeman, MT Corinne Peek-Asa Cara Hamann Claire Willey University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Adam Blair Jenna Goldberg Scott Middleton Russell Pildes EBP US Boston, MA Contractorâs Final Report for BTSCRP Project BTS-15 Submitted February 2023 © 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This work was sponsored by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It was conducted through the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. DISCLAIMER The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications. The Transportation Research Board, the National Academies, and the sponsors of the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturersâ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.
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C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR BTSCRP WEB-ONLY DOCUMENT 4 Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Richard Retting, Senior Program Officer Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications Jennifer J. Weeks, Publishing Projects Manager Jennifer Correro, Assistant Editor BTSCRP PROJECT BTS-15 PANEL Eric J. Fitzsimmons, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (Chair) Andrew H. Ceifetz, WSP, Walled Lake, MI William Haynes, Department of Safety/State Police, Center Barnstead, NH Amy Benecke McLaren, Peoria County (IL) Highway Department, Peoria, IL Eugene Robert Russell, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Kimberly J. Vachal, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND Lisa N. Wundersitz, Centre for Automotive Safety Research, Adelaide Stacy Jeleniewski, NHTSA Liaison Bernardo B. Kleiner, TRB Liaison
iv Contents LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................................... VIII LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................................................... IX ACRONYM LIST ........................................................................................................................................................... XI SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................... 3 Project Background ......................................................................................................................... 3 DEFINE RURAL AREA ROADS (TASK 1) ................................................................................................................ 4 Key Considerations ......................................................................................................................... 4 Existing Area Classification Systems ............................................................................................... 5 Existing Road Classification Systems .............................................................................................. 8 Design-Based Classification Systems .......................................................................................... 8 Systems Arising from Safety Analysis .......................................................................................... 9 Proposed Classification System .................................................................................................... 10 Rural Areas ................................................................................................................................ 11 Rural Roads ............................................................................................................................... 17 Combined Rural Road Safety Classification .............................................................................. 21 DATA ANALYSIS (TASK 2) ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Purpose of the Safety Analysis ...................................................................................................... 22 Safety Data Sources ...................................................................................................................... 22 Highway Safety Information System .......................................................................................... 22 Highway Performance Monitoring System ................................................................................. 23 Fatality Analysis Reporting System ............................................................................................ 23 National EMS Information System ............................................................................................. 24 Regional Integrated Transportation Information System ............................................................ 24 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System .............................................................................. 24 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System ................................................................................. 24 Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System ......................................................... 25 Individual State Data Sources .................................................................................................... 25 Data Analysis Approach ................................................................................................................ 26 Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................................. 26 State-Level Analysis Results ......................................................................................................... 27 Crash Frequency and Incidence ................................................................................................ 28
v Crash Severity ........................................................................................................................... 34 National Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 39 Behavioral Factors ..................................................................................................................... 39 Crash Reductions ...................................................................................................................... 42 Task 2 Key Takeaways .................................................................................................................. 45 LITERATURE REVIEW (TASK 3) ........................................................................................................................... 48 Methodology .................................................................................................................................. 48 Search Methods ......................................................................................................................... 48 Selection Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 48 Data Collection and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 49 Transportation Safety Overview .................................................................................................... 49 Recent Changes in Transportation Safety Approaches ............................................................. 49 Rural Transportation Safety ....................................................................................................... 51 Rural Behavioral Surveillance and Protective Factors ................................................................... 55 Surveillance ............................................................................................................................... 55 Rural Roadway Risk and Protective Factors .............................................................................. 56 Rural Behavioral Safety Intervention Strategies ............................................................................ 58 Study Overview by Type of Intervention and Behavioral Strategy Focus Areas ........................ 58 Study Overview by Intervention Type and Study Design ........................................................... 58 Studies by Behavioral Strategy Focus Areas ............................................................................. 60 Study Designs and Quality of Studies ........................................................................................ 65 Zero Deaths Campaign Overview .................................................................................................. 67 Vision Zero Website Identification Methods ............................................................................... 67 Vision Zero Website Review Methods ........................................................................................ 67 Quality of Vision Zero Websites ................................................................................................. 68 Vision Zero Website Content ..................................................................................................... 68 Barriers and Approaches for Overcoming Barriers in the Implementation of Behavioral Rural Traffic Safety Interventions ............................................................................................................ 70 Geospatial .................................................................................................................................. 71 Engagement ............................................................................................................................... 71 Infrastructure and Resources ..................................................................................................... 72 Risks Specific for Rural Road Users .......................................................................................... 73 Cultural ....................................................................................................................................... 73 Rural Data for Program Evaluation ............................................................................................ 74 Task 3 Key Takeaways .................................................................................................................. 75 INTERVIEWS (TASK 4) ............................................................................................................................................ 77
vi Selection of Case Studies .............................................................................................................. 77 Case Study Procedure ................................................................................................................... 78 Case Study Summaries ................................................................................................................. 79 Case Study: Boone County, Nebraska....................................................................................... 79 Case Study: Cameron County, Pennsylvania ............................................................................ 81 Case Study: Hancock and Kennebec Counties, Maine .............................................................. 83 Case Study: Humboldt County, California .................................................................................. 85 Case Study: Keweenaw County, Michigan ................................................................................ 87 Case Study: Morgan County, Kentucky ..................................................................................... 89 Case Study: Orange and Orleans Counties, Vermont................................................................ 90 Case Study: Ravalli County, Montana ........................................................................................ 92 Case Study: Ziebach County, South Dakota .............................................................................. 94 Task 4 Key Takeaways .................................................................................................................. 96 PHASE I CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 98 General Process Information ......................................................................................................... 98 Intervention Specific Information ................................................................................................. 103 Policies and Laws .................................................................................................................... 104 Public Awareness Campaigns ................................................................................................. 104 Education ................................................................................................................................. 105 Enforcement ............................................................................................................................. 105 Roadway Design ...................................................................................................................... 105 TOOLKIT (TASK 7) ................................................................................................................................................. 108 Identifying and Reviewing Existing Toolkits ................................................................................. 108 Developing the Toolkit Outline, Format, and Process .................................................................. 112 Draft Toolkit Contents and Layout ............................................................................................... 113 Share Draft Toolkit ....................................................................................................................... 115 TRAINING (TASK 8) ............................................................................................................................................... 124 Promotional Video ....................................................................................................................... 124 Developing a Logic Model Video ................................................................................................. 125 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS MOVING FORWARD ............................................................................ 126 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................................................... 129 APPENDIX A: ROAD TYPE DEFINITIONS (TASK 1) ....................................................................................... 137 APPENDIX B: CRASH INCIDENCE EXPLANATORY MODEL (TASK 2) ....................................................... 139 APPENDIX C: COUNTIES WITH SIGNIFICANT CRASH REDUCTIONS (TASK 2) ..................................... 140 APPENDIX D: DISCUSSION GUIDE (TASK 4) ................................................................................................... 142
vii APPENDIX E: DETAILED RESULTS OF THE EXISTING TOOLKIT REVIEW (TASK 7) ........................... 143 Resource: NHTSAâs Countermeasures that Work (Tenth Edition) .............................................. 143 Resource: FHWAâs Proven Safety Countermeasures ................................................................. 144 Resource: FHWAâs Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety Toolkit ............... 145 Resource: FHWAâs Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox ...................................................... 146 Resource: The Community Guide ............................................................................................... 153 Resource: IHS Selected Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Injuries ............................... 154 Resource: AAAFTS Evidence-Based Behavior Change Campaigns to Improve Traffic Safety Toolkit .......................................................................................................................................... 155 Resource: Traffic Injury Research Foundationâs Community-Based Toolkit for Road Safety Campaigns .................................................................................................................................. 156 Resource: FHWAâs Local Road Safety Plan Do It Yourself Website ........................................... 157 Resource: National Center for Rural Road Safetyâs Rural Intelligent Transportation System Toolkit .................................................................................................................................................... 158 Resource: Rural Health Information Hubâs Rural Transportation Toolkit ..................................... 160 Resource: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ................................... 161 Resource: Connecting Transportation & Health .......................................................................... 162 Resource: Health in All Policies ................................................................................................... 163 APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW INTRODUCTION AND QUESTIONS (TASK 7) ................................................ 164 BTSCRP Web-Only Document 4 contains the conduct of research report for BTSRP Project BTS-15 and accompanies BTSCRP Research Report 8: Highway Safety Behavioral Strategies for Rural and Tribal Areas: A Guide. Readers can read or purchase BTSRP Research Report 8 on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org).
viii List of Figures Figure 1. Highway Functional Classification System Hierarchy ........................................................... 8 Figure 2. Relationship Between Project Development and Safety Management (Behar, 2016; Herbel et al., 2010) ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3. County Classification Process ............................................................................................ 13 Figure 4. U.S. Counties Shaded According to Their Classification Category .................................... 16 Figure 5. Alaska, Minnesota, and Washington State County Types .................................................. 27 Figure 6. Percent of Fatal Crashes Involving a Drunk Driver ............................................................ 40 Figure 7. Percent of Fatal Crashes Involving Speeding .................................................................... 41 Figure 8. Percent of Occupants Killed in Fatal Crashes Who Were Unrestrained or Unhelmeted .... 41 Figure 9: Percent of Fatal Crashes Involving a Distracted Driver ...................................................... 42 Figure 10: Top Five Rural Counties Within Each NHTSA Region by Decline in Annual Rural Fatal Crashes per 100 Million VMT ............................................................................................................ 44 Figure 11: Vision Zero Approach (Fox and Shahum 2018) ............................................................... 50 Figure 12: Steps to Grow Positive Traffic Safety Culture (Ward et al. 2019) ..................................... 51 Figure 13: NHTSA regional map. Source: NHTSA Click It or Ticket High Visibility Enforcement Campaign. ......................................................................................................................................... 78 Figure 14: Nebraska State Patrol vehicle rollover simulator (Cole 2016). ......................................... 80 Figure 15: Cameron Countyâs entry in the annual PennDOT âPaint the Plowâ contest. Source: PennDOT Engineering District 2. ...................................................................................................... 82 Figure 16: Maineâs Roadside Testing Vehicle (RTV) supports intoxicated driving enforcement activities that would otherwise be challenging for roadside environments far from police stations. It is also useful for outreach campaigns. The RTV includes two Intoxilyzers ........................................... 84 Figure 17: Eurekaâs Heads Up campaign added education and outreach to its engineering solutions for traffic safety, as well as increasing enforcement (Alta Planning and Design 2015). .................... 86 Figure 18: Keweenaw County Road Commission truck. Source: Keweenaw County Road Commission, http://www.keweenawcountyonline.org/commissions-roads.php ................................. 88 Figure 19: Facebook post from the Morgan County Sheriffâs office. Source: Facebook .................... 89 Figure 20: Racecar driver Evan Hallstrom partnered with the Vermont Governorâs Highway Safety Program and the Vermont Highway Safety Alliance in their campaign to promote seat belt use in Vermont. Source: Inside Line Promotions. ........................................................................................ 91 Figure 21: Students operate an off-road vehicle in âimpaired modeâ on a closed course during Ravalli Countyâs Impaired Driver Education Program (IDEP). Source: Ravalli County DUI Task Force. ...... 93 Figure 22. Dynamic message sign on South Dakota highway (Brunner 2019). ................................ 94 Figure 23. Fatal crash marker. Source: South Dakota Department of Public Safety. ........................ 95
ix List of Tables Table 1. Summary of Rural Area Classification Systems .................................................................... 5 Table 2. Key Geometric and Operational Features for Safety Analysis (Lord et al., 2008) ............... 10 Table 3. Rural Classification Characteristics Ordered by Total Population ....................................... 15 Table 4. Highway Road Extent and Travel by Functional Class, 2014 .............................................. 18 Table 5. FHWA Guidelines for Rural Arterials (FHWA, 2013) ........................................................... 19 Table 6. FHWA Guidelines for Rural Collectors and Locals (FHWA, 2013) ...................................... 20 Table 7. Combined Rural Area / Rural Road Classification System .................................................. 21 Table 8. Contextual Information for Alabama, Alaska, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Washington 28 Table 9. Frequency of Crashes by Rural County and Rural Road Type in Alabama, 2015-2019 ...... 29 Table 10. Crash Frequency by Rural County and Rural Road Type in Alaska, 2015-2017 ............... 29 Table 11. Crash Frequency by Rural County and Rural Road Type in Minnesota, 2013-2015 ......... 30 Table 12. Crashes per Million VMT by Rural County and Rural Road Type in Minnesota, 2013-2015 .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 Table 13. Crash Frequency by Rural County and Rural Road Type in North Carolina, 2016-2018 .. 31 Table 14. Crashes per Million VMT by Rural County and Rural Road Type in North Carolina, 2016- 2018 .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Table 15. Crash Frequency by Rural County and Rural Road Type in Washington, 2016-2018....... 32 Table 16. Crashes per Million VMT by Rural County and Rural Road Type in Washington, 2016- 2018 .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Table 17. Percent of Crashes by Rural Road Type and Crash Severity in Alabama, 2015-2019 ...... 34 Table 18. Percent of Crashes by Rural Road Type and Crash Severity in Alaska, 2015-2017 ......... 35 Table 19. Percent of Crashes by Rural Road Type and Crash Severity in Minnesota, 2013-2015 ... 35 Table 20. Percent of Crashes by Rural Road Type and Crash Severity in North Carolina, 2016-2018 .......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Table 21. Percent of Crashes by Rural Road Type and Crash Severity in Washington, 2016-2018 . 36 Table 22. Percent of Crashes by Rural County Type and Crash Severity in Alabama, 2015-2019 ... 37 Table 23. Percent of Crashes by Rural County Type and Crash Severity in Alaska, 2015-2017 ...... 37 Table 24. Percent of Crashes by County Type and Crash Severity in Minnesota, 2013-2015 .......... 38 Table 25. Percent of Crashes by County Type and Crash Severity in North Carolina, 2016-2018 ... 38 Table 26. Percent of Crashes by County Type and Crash Severity in Washington, 2016-2018........ 39 Table 27: Rural Barriers and Potential Solutions ............................................................................. 100 Table 28. Risk Factors for Rural Area Classifications ..................................................................... 103 Table 29. Existing Resources Reviewed ......................................................................................... 108 Table 30. Summary of Reviews of Existing Resources ................................................................... 109 Table 31. Individuals Interviewed .................................................................................................... 110 Table 32. Introduction to Usability Survey ....................................................................................... 116 Table 33. Roles and Focus Levels of Participants in Usability Study .............................................. 116 Table 34. Summary of Responses About Chapter 1 ....................................................................... 118 Table 35. Summary of Responses About Chapter 2 and Associated Appendices .......................... 119
x Table 36. Summary of Responses About Chapter 3 ....................................................................... 120 Table 37. Summary of Responses About Chapter 4 ....................................................................... 121 Table 38. Summary of Responses About Chapter 5 and the Entire Document ............................... 122 Table 39: Promotional Video Script ................................................................................................. 124 Table 40: Suggestions for Assessing the Effectiveness of the Guidance ........................................ 127 Table C- 1. Top Five Counties by Reduction in Fatal Crash Rate (2012-2016 Compared to 2014-2018) by NHTSA Region ........................................................................................................ 140 Table E- 1. Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox: Application Guides With Rural Content ........ 148 Table E- 2. Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox: Databases With Rural Content .................... 149 Table E- 3. Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox: Information Sources With Rural Content ...... 149 Table E- 4. Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox: Information Guides With Rural Content ....... 149 Table E- 5. Roadway Safety Data Program Toolbox: Software With Rural Content ....................... 151
xi Acronym List AADT Average Annual Daily Traffic ATV All-Terrain Vehicle BRFSS Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Caltrans California Department of Transportation CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDPH California Department of Public Health CHP California Highway Patrol CIOT Click It or Ticket CODES Crash Outcomes Data Evaluation Systems CRIS Crash Records Information System DOT Department of Transportation DUI Driving Under the Influence EMS Emergency Medical Services FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System FAST Act Fixing Americaâs Surface Transportation Act FFA Future Farmers of America GPS Global Positioning System HPMS Highway Performance Monitoring System HRRR High-Risk Rural Road HSIS Highway Safety Information System HVE High Visibility Enforcement ICAT Iowa Crash Analysis Tool IDEP Impaired Driver Education Program MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
xii MDOT Michigan Department of Transportation MDT Montana Department of Transportation MeBHS Maine Bureau of Highway Safety MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization MSP Maine State Police MTCF Michigan Traffic Crash Facts NDOT Nebraska Department of Transportation NEMSIS National EMS Information System NHSO Nebraska Highway Safety Office NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NICHD National Institute of Child Health and Human Development NPMRDS National Performance Management Research Data Set NSC National Safety Council OP Occupant Protection OTS Office of Traffic Safety PCIT Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool PennDOT Pennsylvania Department of Transportation PSA Public Service Announcement PSP Pennsylvania State Police RITIS Regional Integrated Transportation Information System ROUTES Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success RTV Roadside Vehicle Testing RTZ Road to Zero SHSO State Highway Safety Office SHSP State Highway Safety Plan SRTS Safe Routes to School
xiii STEP Selective Traffic Enforcement Program TIMS Transportation Information Mapping System TOPAZ Target Occupant Protection Awareness Zones TRID Transportation Research International Documentation TZD Toward Zero Deaths US United States USDOT United States Department of Transportation VES Visual Enhancement System VHSA Vermont Highway Safety Alliance VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled VSP Vermont State Police VTrans Vermont Agency of Transportation WISQARS Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System YRBSS Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
