INTERTRIBAL TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 30, 2003
SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - FATAL COLLISION REDUCTION Northwest Tribal Transportation Symposium May 5-7, 1999 Portland, Oregon
SAVE LIVES ON YOUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM??? If you could reduce fatal collisions on your roadway by 60%, would you?
Impossible you say??? ä King County attained a 60% reduction in fatal collisions on their roadway system. ä They implemented a systematic, long term approach toward safety. ä The improvements along their roadways took place over a ten year period.
What IS a: Safety Management System??? ä A method to reduce fatal collisions on roadways. With the reduction of fatal collisions, all collision types will in turn, be reduced on transportation systems. ä A system to obtain funding for roadway and safety improvements.
Why a: Safety Management System??? ä It provides a systematic, long term approach to fatal collision reduction. ä Local Agency and TransAid support for the Safety Management System. ä Four “E’s” are used in the program - Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services.
Top Causes of Fatal Collisions in Washington State Counties: ä Fixed Object % ä Vehicle Overturn % ä Entering at Angle % ä Head-On - 8.8% ä Opposite Direction/All Others - 7.5% ä Pedestrians - 7.1%
Safety Management System Program Direction: À Collect data for top collision types. Á Identify locations/corridors where these accidents occur. Â Rank locations/corridors. Ã Develop multi-disciplinary action plan, as appropriate.
Safety Management System Program Direction Cont: Ä Prioritize - see “Local Agency Safety Management System”. Å Implement. Æ Evaluate success and feed back results to step 4.
Design and Collision Considerations: When looking at fatal collision reduction, there are three factors that can contribute to the collision. These factors are: ä Human ä Vehicle ä Roadway
Design/Collision Considerations - Roadway Factors: ä Shoulder Width and Condition ä Pavement Condition/Type ä Delineation and Signing ä Alignment of Roadway ä Intersection Present
Design/Collision Considerations - Roadway Factors Cont: ä Pavement Drainage ä Driver Expectancy ä Clear Zone Issues ä Weather Factors ä Roadway Width
Design/Collision Considerations - Roadway Factors Cont: ä Traffic Volume ä Access Issues ä Speed Limit ä Traffic Mix ä Lighting
Collision Considerations - Vehicle Factors: ä Visibility ä Tire Type ä Vehicle Age ä Farm Vehicles ä Pickups/SUV’s
Collision Considerations - Vehicle Factors Cont: ä Braking Ability ä A-Post Visibility ä Vehicle Loading ä Mechanical Failure ä Vehicle Blind Spots
Collision Considerations - Vehicle Factors Cont: ä Visibility Of Vehicles ä Vehicle Turning Agility ä Differential Vehicle Size ä Vehicle Size, Shape and Material ä PU/SUV’s More Susceptible to Overturns
Collision Considerations - Human Factors: ä DWI ä Seat Belts ä Inattention ä Drowsiness ä Inexperience
Collision Considerations - Human Factors Cont: ä Loss of Acuity ä Perceived Shy Distance ä Perception Reaction Time ä Speeding/Aggressive Driving
Areas to Look at to Reduce Collisions: ä Weather ä Location ä Roadway Surface ä Roadway Geometrics
Areas to Look at to Reduce Collisions Cont: ä Date, Time and Day of Week ä Daylight/Lighting Conditions ä Drug and Alcohol Involvement ä Drive Profile (age, in-state or out)
The Transportation Safety Movement …. ä Within the Pacific Northwest and on a national level, the greatest safety efforts continue to be directed at the SAFEST transportation systems - the Interstate and State Highway systems.
Redirecting the Transportation Safety Movement …. ä The redirection of Transportation Safety focus to the other systems needs to begin. ä There are roadways that have higher fatality rates than either the Interstate or State Highway transportation systems. ä These systems MUST receive national recognition and funding to bring up their safety standards!
Interested in Beginning a Safety Management System??? Contact
QUESTIIONS??? Thank you … Darlene Sharar/WSDOT/TransAid