Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory investigation into the relationship between safety legislation for transportation planning and the nature of the safety culture that has developed in highway agencies. An effective and efficient transportation system has long been a national priority, and safety is a major goal of the transportation system, but has a strong safety culture taken root in our highway agencies? This paper investigates the major transportation and safety related legislation of the last fifteen years and considers the effects of legislation on the safety culture of highway agencies, especially State Departments of Transportation.