1. 2004 Traffic Records Forum Session 24 – Roundtable on State Data Improvement Programs

2. Joyce Emery Ames, Iowa 515-239-1016 jemerydot@yahoo.com Iowa Data Improvement Program Tuesday July 27, 2004 Session 24 - 3:30 p.m. Nashville, Tennessee

3. Highway Safety Management in Iowa Governor Office of Traffic and Safety Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Cities, Counties, Other State Agencies, Universities & Private Sector Groups Safety Management System & Statewide Traffic Records Committee Department of Transportation Department of Public Safety

4. Iowa Data Improvement Program Sections of this presentation: Iowa Statewide Traffic Records Advisory Committee (STRAC) Status and recent successes Factors contributing to success

5. History of Iowa STRAC --Initiated in June 1994 as a NHTSA state data improvement project Co-chairs Robert Thompson and Joyce Emery

6. STRAC, page 2 Tasks written into grant NHTSA traffic records assessment – June 1994 First statewide traffic records conference – November 1994 Strategic plan for Iowa traffic records – fall 1995 and updated periodically thereafter

7. STRAC, page 3 STRAC principles Interagency cooperation Interdisciplinary cooperation Grass roots participation Systematic approach to assessment and planning Education on traffic records management and technologies Pictured in white shirt: Mike Laski, Director Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau

8. STRAC, page 4 Team-building goals Build professional relationships having trust and camaraderie Empower knowledge workers while keeping the support of Management (the “Guidance Team”)

9. STRAC, page 5 A key organizational step-- All STRAC members placed on one of three Subcommittees that met for the first hour of every STRAC meeting: 1.Systems Integration 2.Local Empowerment 3.Location Methodologies

10. STRAC, page 6 Key Features of these subcommittees EACH ONE INCLUDED Members from several safety disciplines Members from multiple state, local, and federal agencies A vertical mix—office directors worked alongside staff, and rank was left at the door

11. STRAC, page 7 Relationship with management MVD Director first recognized value of NHTSA RFP of December 1993 Management watched STRAC carefully at first. The strategic plan was never formally endorsed by any person or group other than STRAC. Nevertheless; STRAC members and the Guidance Team began to address the plan

12. STRAC, page 8 Project work gets done outside STRAC Responsibilities for project level work remains within line agencies Many complex projects have succeeded using STRAC principles STRAC members have developed professionally over the past decade— one of the best unplanned consequences of STRAC

13. Status and Success STRAC meets quarterly for most of the day Group composition has changed slightly (no permanent members from some fringe areas) Meeting agendas have been consistent over the past decade STRAC communications continue to be via email only No minutes are kept apart from policy decisions by the membership

14. Status and Success, page 2 Our champions in management have enhanced STRAC’s position as an advisory body STRAC as an entity has more leverage than ever before Pictured: Tom Welch, State Safety Engineer

15. Status and Success, page 3 Informal and formal communications OUTSIDE of STRAC MEETINGS have increased vastly.

16. Status and Success, page 3 The statewide traffic records system has been credited with playing a role in Iowa’s recent gains in highway safety. Safety data is valued in Iowa as never before, and we are still early in an early stage of delivering the benefits to customers. Impact on the bottom line… Preventing crashes and loss of life

17. Factors Contributing to Success Iowa’s famous work ethic Long history of cooperation between government and academia Stable political environment A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK…. ……..AND DRIVE!

18. Success factors, page 2 Many efforts prior to STRAC Examples- assessment done in 1976 - ALAS in wide use, 1979 - PC analysis tools 1989 and “giving the locals their databases” - TraCS initiated by 1993

19. Success factors, page 3 Perseverance To cope with problems To execute multi- stage and lengthy developments To create with no blueprint or roadmap To endure failures and mistakes To hold on to the vision

20. Success factors, page 4 During the 1990s, state government embraced the concepts of process improvement teams, customer service orientation, and continuous quality improvement

21. Success factors, page 5 Financial resources State funds -safety earmarked RUTF - SMS funding Section 157 funds Section 411 funds

22. Success factors, page 6 Achievements Extensive implementation of TraCS Change from link-node to GIS location methodology both in data capture and analysis A new MMUCC compliant report form Greatly improved crash surveillance and problem identification methodologies More accurate and timely crash data Linkage capability of multiple sources of safety data, both statewide and at the local level. We are in the early stages of reaping the benefits of these accomplishments.

23. State Data Improvement in Iowa In closing, STRAC has been highly effective There are many additional factors behind Iowa’s success In our experience, data improvement has been a long and difficult process, but The rewards are well worth the cost

24. Joyce Emery Bob Thompson and the gang at Iowa STRAC