In late 1996 and early 1997, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee for Highway Traffic Safety, with the assistance of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Transportation Safety Management, assembled a group of national safety experts in driver, vehicle, and highway issues from various organizations. The purpose was to develop a strategic plan for highway safety that would impact the nation's present and predicted statistics on vehicle-related death and injury. The participants included a range of stakeholders representing both the private and public sectors. This document contains the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan that was developed. It not only addresses what some consider the traditional AASHTO concerns for infrastructure, but also driver, occupant, vehicle, and post-crash responsibilities in non-infrastructure areas. Moreover, this major safety initiative is built on safety programs already in existence. The safety strategies are considered cost-effective and acceptable to a significant majority of Americans. A draft implementation plan was also developed for each strategy of the initiative. The critical strategies cover 22 key emphasis areas: instituting graduated licensing for young drivers; ensuring drivers are licensed and fully competent; sustaining proficiency in older drivers; curbing aggressive driving; reducing impaired driving; keeping drivers alert; increasing driver safety awareness; increasing seat belt usage and improving airbag effectiveness; making walking and street crossing easier; ensuring safer bicycle travel; improving motorcycle safety and increasing motorcycle awareness; making truck travel safer; increasing safety enhancements in vehicles; reducing vehicle-train crashes; keeping vehicles on the roadway; minimizing the consequences of leaving the road; improving the design and operation of highway intersections; reducing head-on and across-median crashes; designing safer work zones; enhancing emergency medical capabilities to increase survivability; improving information and decision support systems; and creating more effective processes and safety management systems. (Author/publisher)
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