Strategic Highway Safety Plan Resources
Below is information on funding sources, design manuals, and best practices to help with your traffic safety planning. For data resources, please see Road Safety Data Resources. The Crashes Aren't Accidents (PDF) explains the importance of using the correct terminology.
A variety of funding sources are available for safety projects and programs.
| Funding Resources |
| Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Funding provides information on grants for behavioral road safety projects. |
| Caltrans Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Local provides information on dedicated safety funding for infrastructure projects. |
Federal Grant Database provides grants from federal government agencies, including the Department of Transportation:
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California Grants Portal offers grants by California state agencies:
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| Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF) provides grants to projects that will reduce fatal and serious injuries in transportation related incidents identified by federally recognized Indian tribes. |
Many tools have been developed at the national level to support safety analysis and countermeasure development.
| National Safety Key Publications and Resources |
| AASHTO Highway Safety Manual guidance document for incorporating quantitative safety analysis in the highway transportation project planning and development processes. |
| Crash Modification Factors (CMF) Clearinghouse provides a searchable database of CMFs along with guidance and resources on using CMFs in road safety practice. |
| End Distracted Driving provides education about distracted driving and how to eliminate it. |
FHWA Highway Safety Programs provides information on the Safe System Approach (SSA), Proven Safety Countermeasures, grants, and improving safety in different areas.
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| Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) provides leadership and advocacy to help State and Territorial Highway Safety Offices and their partners make U.S. roads safer for everyone. |
National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) connects and mobilizes North American cities and transit agencies toward safe, sustainable, and accessible transportation.
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides education, research, safety standards, and enforcement as part of its mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes.
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| Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center (National) provides information and resources related to bicycling and walking. |
| Roadside Safety Professional Capacity Building provides resources to help safety experts and specialists develop critical knowledge and skills within the roadway safety workforce. |
Transportation Research Board (TRB) provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation.
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Safety resources have been developed at the state level to provide information and guidance tailored to California.
| Key California Publications and Resources |
| California Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) (PDF) provides effective strategies to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries. |
| University of California Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC), Berkeley, Safe Speeds Toolkit is intended to help local jurisdiction across California set safer speed limits that accommodate all road users. |
University of California Transportation Reseach and Education for Driving Safety (TREDS), San Diego develops training programs for the public that address various roadway safety issues:
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| The Pedestrian Safety - TREDwise: Get There Safely course is designed to help pedestrians recognize dangerous locations with roadway safety issues and the appropriate countermeasures. |
| The Local Roadways Safety Manual (PDF) provides an easy-to-use and comprehensive framework of the steps and analysis tools needed to identify locations with roadway safety issues and the appropriate countermeasures. |
| The Highway Design Manual establishes uniform policies and procedures to carry out the state highway design functions of the Caltrans. |
| Complete Intersections: A Guide to Reconstructing Intersections and Interchanges for Bicyclist and Pedestrians (PDF) compiles information and concepts from various organizations and agencies to help reframe intersection and interchange safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. |
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Complete Streets Program improves linkages between land use planning, community values, transportation planning, decision-making, and transportation project delivery to achieve a more sustainable transportation system through:
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| Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities in California (A Technical Reference and Technology Transfer Synthesis for Caltrans Planners and Engineer) (PDF) references an abundance of information regarding pedestrian and bicycle facilities directed at Caltrans planners and engineers. |
| California Transportation Planning provides links to plans and resources. |
| California Local Assistance/HSIP Information oversees more than one billion dollars annually available to over 600 cities, counties, and regional agencies for the purpose of improving their transportation infrastructure or providing transportation services. |
| Transportation Impact Study Guide (PDF) provides guidance to Caltrans districts, lead agencies, tribal governments, developers and consultants regarding Caltrans review of a land use project or plan's transportation analysis using a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) metric. |
| Work Zone Traffic Control Devices provides information related to work zones, including Positive Work Zone Protection (PWP), mitigation, public awareness, and more. |
| Training for Local Agencies provides contact information for Caltrans Local Assistance District Training Coordinators. |
| California Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan (CVSP) provides a multi-year performance-based plan to reduce CMV-involved crashes, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. |
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California Highway Safety Plan (HSP) (PDF) showcases three-year blueprint to make California roads safer and more accessible for everyone. |
| California Motorcyclist Training provides information on motorcycle training options. |
| California Transportation Plan 2050 provides a common framework for guiding transportation decisions and investments by all levels of government and the private sector. |
The FHWA Local and Rural Safety Program provides national leadership in identifying, developing, and delivering safety programs and products to agencies, elected officials, governments and other stakeholders to improve safety on local and rural roads.
| Local and Rural Roads Resources |
| FHWA Rural and Local Training, Tools, Guidance and Countermeasures for Local Practitioners resources to assist practitioners and stakeholders in addressing safety on rural and local roads. |
| FHWA Low -Cost Safety Improvement Videos a series of six short videos on low-cost improvements to make stop-controlled intersections, curves, unpaved roads, and walking and biking safer. They also highlight how the use of pavement markings and speed management techniques can improve safety on a small budget. |
| FHWA Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety Toolkit provides a step-by-step process to assist local agency and tribal practitioners in completing traffic safety analyses, identify safety issues, countermeasures to address them, and an implementation process. |
| FHWA Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads - Site Safety Analysis User Guide #1 presents an example of how rural local and Tribal practitioners can study conditions at a preselected site. |
| FHWA Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads -Network Safety Analysis User Guide #2 presents an example scenario and step-by-step solution for studying safety conditions and identifying potential treatments at unsignalized intersections on a network. |
| Local Rural Road Owner’s Manual provides information tailored to local road managers on a variety of safety topics, including intersections, roadway departures, non-motorized users, speed management, developing safety plans, and safety information analysis. |
| FHWA Roadway Departure Safety Resources provides countermeasures to reduce fatalities and serious injuries associated with roadway departures. |
| Tribal Resources |
| National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) designs and delivers legal education, research, and technical assistance programs which seek to improve the quality of life for Native communities. |
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Tribal Road Safety Program provides resources from UC Berkeley SafeTREC to improve transportation safety for California’s tribal populations, as well as for all population groups that travel to California’s Rancherias and reservations or through their lands.
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| Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit developed by NHTSA to enable tribal governments to improve crash data while maintaining data sovereignty. |
| Caltrans Native American Liaison Branch (NALB) seeks to ensure tribal transportation needs are reflected in statewide planning and programming processes, ensure statutes, regulations, and directives regarding working with tribes and tribal communities are followed, and work collectively towards mutually beneficial solutions to transportation challenges in California, especially in areas of persistent poverty. |
| Tribal Technical Assistance Program provides program and project support services for all federally recognized tribes. |
| Advisory Committees |
| Active Transportation Program (ATP) provides balanced strategic technical guidance and assistance with complex program decisions that enable and maximize continuous improvement of the ATP. |
| California Statewide Modeling Advisory Committee (CSMAC) provides a forum to discuss statewide and interregional travel issues and priorities, recommend solutions and action items, and advance analytic tools such as the California Statewide Travel Demand Model (CSTDM) to support development of plans and projects of statewide significance. |
| California Traffic Control Devices Committee consults with local agencies and the public, before adopting rules and regulations prescribing uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices used in California. |
| California Walk and Bike Technical Advisory Committee provides strategic input and technical guidance to support achievement of the walk and bike safety objectives stated within the Caltrans Strategic Plan and to guide implementation of other key Caltrans documents. |
| Local HSIP Advisory Committee provides high-level balanced strategic guidance to California’s Local HSIP and other safety programs and efforts regarding safety on California local roadways. |
| Native American Advisory Committee provides a framework for Caltrans to engage tribal leaders on a wide variety of transportation programs, policies and projects and to solicit tribal feedback and guidance to strengthen government-government relationships to inform and improve future efforts |