BACKGROUND 

The Safe System Approach (SSA) is a comprehensive approach to road safety that works by building and reinforcing multiple layers of protection to prevent crashes and minimize harm when crashes occur. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), and others are working to increase awareness and adoption of SSA. The U.S. DOT has developed numerous resources to support state implementation of SSA. State DOTs and AASHTO are working to complement those efforts. Guides and other resources under development will address some needs but not all of them. 

Research is needed to develop tools to support state DOTs and other transportation agencies in adopting SSA, recognizing that deployment often occurs through changes in individual principles or activities. Tools to support implementation will allow state DOTs and other transportation agencies to begin incorporating SSA concepts to facilitate the elimination of traffic deaths and serious injuries. International experience shows SSA will be applied somewhat differently based on the culture, context, and needs of individual agencies and communities. 

OBJECTIVE 

The objective of this project is to develop a toolkit with tools, methods, and process models to support decision-making in implementing SSA throughout the transportation project life cycle and across project types and functional disciplines (e.g., designers, planners, maintenance, and operations staff) as a complement to higher-level guidance and practices. 

Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks. 

TASKS 

PHASE I 

Task 1. Review and assess international and domestic tools, both existing and under development, for applying SSA. NCHRP Project 17-132, “Toolkit to Support Implementation of the Safe System Approach,” should build on and complement other SSA research activities and avoid duplication. The effort shall focus on decision-making tools and practices that use a holistic definition of safety in analyzing exposure to, the likelihood of, and severity of crashes to maintain safe mobility for all road users. Proposers may consider safety approaches adopted by other transportation modes, such as commercial air travel. 

Task 2. Identify gaps in existing tools and tools under development that, if filled, could support the implementation of SSA at the planning, project development, maintenance, operations, and program levels, such as (but not limited to) equitable consideration of all road users, kinetic energy considerations, self-enforcing and self-explaining roads, reduced likelihood of human errors, climate considerations, and incorporating knowledge from the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual. 

Task 3. Develop a research work plan to be executed in Phase II to accomplish the research objective. The work plan will focus on developing a scalable, configurative, and user-friendly integrated toolkit. The toolkit should be sensitive to data availability, transportation agency staffing limitations, and the degree of training required to apply the toolkit. At a minimum, the toolkit shall support and inform decision-making in the following functional areas:   

• Funding allocation
• Project definition (e.g., scoping)
• Design and operational decision-making
• Workforce development
• Construction change orders
• Program and project evaluation
• Operations and maintenance 

A user guide to support practitioners’ understanding and use of the toolkit and an annotated outline for the toolkit shall also be developed as part of Task 3. 

Task 4. Prepare Interim Report No. 1, which documents the work completed in Tasks 1 through 3. Update the work plan proposed for Phase II. 

PHASE II 

Task 5. Execute the work plan according to the approved Interim Report No. 1 to achieve the research objective. 

Task 6. Make all preparations for a workshop with at least 15 diverse representatives of state DOTs and other transportation agencies to (1) demonstrate the draft toolkit developed in Task 5 and (2) collect participant feedback on the application of the toolkit to attendee-provided real-world scenarios, representing various contexts. At a minimum, workshop preparations shall include issuing invitations to NCHRP-approved participants and preparing a final list of attendees; asking workshop participants to provide examples of real-world scenarios for use in testing the application of the draft toolkit; providing travel support for workshop attendees (other than panel members and NCHRP staff); providing catering services for all participants, including panel members; preparing name tags for all participants; and preparing PowerPoint presentations and any handouts.

Task 7. Submit a draft toolkit for NCHRP review. Revise the draft toolkit as needed. 

Task 8. Conduct an in-person workshop, as planned for in Task 6, to demonstrate the draft toolkit and collect feedback. 

Task 9. Refine the draft toolkit based on workshop participant feedback and assessment of the toolkit made during the workshop. 

Task 10. Propose one or more state DOTs to pilot test the draft toolkit to demonstrate and test the applicability of the toolkit to support and inform decision-making in the functional areas identified in Task 3. Provide evidence of support from one or more DOTs and, if relevant, local transportation agencies. Pilot testing should be conducted in both rural and urban contexts, with consideration of equity. 

Task 11. Prepare Interim Report No. 2, which documents the work completed in Tasks 5 through 10. Update the work proposed for Phase III. 

PHASE III 

Task 12. Conduct a pilot test of the draft toolkit with one or more state DOTs. 

Task 13. Prepare outreach materials to support practitioners’ understanding and use of the research findings. 

Task 14. Prepare Interim Report No. 3 that documents the work completed in Tasks 12 and 13. 

PHASE IV 

Task 15. Final deliverables should include (1) a final research report documenting the entire research effort and findings; (2) a toolkit to support the implementation of SSA; (3) outreach materials to support practitioners’ understanding and use of the research findings; (4) a PowerPoint presentation with presenter’s notes summarizing the research findings; (5) prioritized recommendations for future research; and (6) a technical memorandum on implementation. 

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.