A Safe System Guide for Transportation: Successful Examples from Communities in the U.S.
This document presents best practices and examples on the adoption, implementation, and long-term sustainability of the Safe System approach.
September 2024
Abstract
Introduction
This report is a collaborative effort between the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Johns Hopkins University, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. This work’s objective is to produce a useful resource for communities that plan to deploy the Safe System approach in their transportation designs and services.
This report presents information to equip stakeholders to embark on their Safe System initiatives with knowledge of best practices and lessons learned from several U.S. communities. The recommendations and the six case studies presented in this report will help practitioners and safety advocates involved in adopting, implementing, and sustaining use of the Safe System approach understand how to get started with building the partnerships that will be necessary for a comprehensive Safe System, and how to overcome potential obstacles.
Methodology
The research team employed a comprehensive data collection methodology centered on stakeholder engagement. First, the team conducted a series of five group interviews, which included talking to representatives from various municipalities across the United States. The stakeholders that participated in these meetings included elected and appointed officials, advocates, practicing transportation professionals including planners and engineers, public health professionals, school professionals, and park and recreation professionals.
These stakeholders ranged from those in the early stages of implementing Safe System principles to those who had made significant progress in their efforts. Through in-depth interviews with these key stakeholders, the team documented how local, county, and state agencies initiated their Safe System programs, the extent of collaboration required for successful implementation, and the strategies employed to overcome obstacles. These meetings allowed the research team to gather diverse perspectives and experiences, providing a full spectrum of implementation stages and challenges faced by different communities in their pursuit of prioritizing roadway safety.
Additionally, the team included six model examples of Safe System implementation and collaboration that reflect a diverse range of communities with different population sizes and geographical contexts. These examples serve to highlight unique challenges that each community faced. These six case studies illustrate common issues such as safety cultural shifts, an increase of traffic fatalities despite the implementation of countermeasures, skepticism regarding effectiveness of roadway treatments, and neglected school safety needs, among others. These examples serve as case studies, offering guidance to practitioners to navigate specific circumstances while implementing solutions that promote safer communities.
Key Findings
Findings from the five group interviews suggested that there were four distinct phases that most community navigated: getting started, building support, institutionalizing the approach, and sustaining the Safe System approach.
- The “Getting Started” phase involves initial assessments and planning, performed by leaders and ready implementors to showcase how the adoption of Safe Systems can make a difference in their communities.
- The “Building Support” phase focuses on garnering stakeholder buy-in and community engagement by starting simply, understanding other’s perspectives, engaging the community and celebrating success.
- The “Institutionalizing the Approach” phase focuses on the translation of Safe System principles into sustainable practices and securing resources.
- The “Sustaining the Safe System approach” phase uses an evidence-based approach for a continuous improvement and ensures long-term commitment to overcome resistance to change.
The study also identified four critical roles: Champion, Influencers, Implementors and Supporters. The report provides a summary of their responsibilities, and the relationships necessary for developing, implementing, and sustaining a community-based approach.
In addition, six examples from U.S. communities that demonstrated the importance of a multi-faceted, collaborative approach in successfully adopting and implementing the Safe System framework are presented as part of this report:
- Menlo Park, California (small-size urban community)
- McKenzie County, North Dakota (small-size rural community)
- West Hartford, Connecticut (small-size urban community)
- Madison, Wisconsin (mid-size urban community)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (large-size urban community)
- Massachusetts (large-size community)
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