Resource Guide for Enhancing the Incorporation of Safety into the Regional Planning Process

One way to reduce the annual U.S. $230 billion societal cost of motor vehicle crashes is to incorporate safety directly into the regional long-range transportation planning process. A survey of Virginia regional planning agencies revealed both a healthy interest in such integration and obstacles to the integration of safety and planning. Thus, merely exhorting regional agencies to emphasize safety is unlikely to affect planning practice. This paper reports on the creation of a resource guide that addresses the obstacles by providing numerous, specific examples implementable at the level of a regional planner with limited staff. For instance, in one rural plan where several projects entail widening substandard high-speed travel lanes, the guide shows how to estimate expected crash reductions so that projects with the greatest safety impact are identified. A contrasting example shows how to reduce urban crashes through removing a vehicle travel lane, adding a bicycle path, and managing access. Thus, the guide reflects the diverse opportunities for linking safety and planning. Other topics in the guide are crash data analysis, alignment of plan goals with specific programs, use of performance measures to prioritize alternatives, and innovative funding sources for safety-related improvements—all based on real data or plans such as monitoring the impact of a speed limit change on crashes while accounting for random variation. Recognizing that there is no shortage of planning-related literature, the guide acknowledges, but does not duplicate, the long-range regional planning process.