ITE Journal - June 2021 - 48

4. Agencies should support participation of their staff on
AASHTO and Transportation Research Board (TRB)
committees and subcommittees that oversee the research and
implementation of the HSM and PBASAPs. Through their
participation on these committees and subcommittees, staff
will better understand the importance of reliable and accurate
data, training needs, and limitations and applications of various
methods and procedures, and be better prepared to implement
research results.
5. Agencies should adopt the Toward Zero Deaths National
Strategy on Highway Safety or other zero-based traffic safety
initiatives, if they have not already done so, because it provides
a platform for implementing and integrating HSM methods and
PBASAPs within agencies.
6. Agencies should identify incremental steps to implement
certain aspects or applications of the HSM within their agencies
and, over time, look to more fully integrate HSM procedures
within their policies and programs. Such steps could be incorporated into an HSM implementation plan (see above).
7. Agencies should develop executive orders, policies and
procedures, and guidance documents to facilitate the implementation of HSM methods. Such policies and guidance should
address the tort liability implications of using the term " safety "
in planning, programming, and project development; align
project purpose and needs statements with safety evaluation,
analysis, and diagnosis activities; and put into place agreements
with oversight agencies (e.g., stewardship agreement).

Topic No. 2: Training
Agencies should develop a robust HSM training program that:
1. Provides various levels and types of HSM training for
target audiences.
2. Demonstrates tools that implement HSM procedures and
instructs users on how to properly use the tools to analyze
safety and interpret the results.
3. Addresses the type of data used in the HSM, such as site
characteristics, traffic volume and crash data; presents
PBASAPs; and demonstrates how users can access their
agency's data for analyses.
4. Uses a variety of training methods such as in-person sessions,
webinars, and web-based tutorials that users can access
as-needed.
5. Is updated regularly to incorporate new material and address
gaps in knowledge related to application of HSM procedures for
planning, programming, and project development.
6. Incorporates in-house staff to deliver at least part of the
training to increase trust and acceptance, provide insight on
how the HSM can be applied within the agency, and provide
support following training.
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Topic No. 3: Technical Function
1. Agencies should provide guidance on the recommended level of
safety analysis expected for projects based on the purpose and
need statement, type and level of funding, level of complexity,
and other criteria to increase consistency among projects.
2. Agencies should put processes in place to better understand
project scope, definition, and design approach and incorporate
safety performance quantification at the earliest stage of
planning, programming, and project development so it can be
effectively utilized and project delays are minimized.
3. Agencies should recognize the value of evaluation, analysis, and
diagnosis of safety performance needs across disciplines that have
a responsibility for safety performance and decision making.
4. Agencies should evaluate existing tools and software that
apply HSM methods and PBASAPs and select or develop tools/
software to meet their needs, making it easier for personnel to
understand, implement, and apply HSM methods and PBASAPs
as part of their job responsibilities.
5. Agencies should consider supplementing their traditional,
crash-based safety management approach with a systemic
approach to address crash types that are widely dispersed
across the highway network and are not well suited for
remedy using a traditional, site-based (i.e., hotspot) safety
management approach.
6. State transportation agencies should work with local agencies
and MPOs to provide prioritized lists of sites with potential
for safety improvement based on advanced safety analyses and
reliable performance measures, and assist them in developing
their own local road safety plans.

Topic No. 4: Data
1. Agencies should develop a short-term and long-term vision for
acquiring and using safety data. First, they should identify ways
to use readily available data to achieve early implementation
of HSM methods and PBASAPs. Next, they should identify
incremental steps for collecting additional data and integrating
it into HSM methods and PBASAPs.
2. Agencies should develop a safety data business plan to guide
their safety data management practices.
3. Agencies should establish and enforce data governance policies
that address data needs in each business area.

Topic No. 5: Culture
1. Agencies should use HSM training programs and marketing
material to educate their staff concerning the difference between
nominal and substantive safety and limitations associated with
using crash rate as the primary measure of safety performance.
2. Agencies should seek approaches and opportunities to achieve
a cultural shift to institute performance-based processes within

ITE Journal - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ITE Journal - June 2021