An official website of the United States government.
Here's how you know
The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser's address (or "location") bar.
This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that's been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.
Read the latest news and announcements from traffic safety interest groups and about traffic safety topics here.
This tool, from GHSA and State Farm®, helps State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) more effectively partner with community leaders, Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) and others working to protect kids in motor vehicles. With support from State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs), 40,000 nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians provide free education and car seat inspections […]
This study employed a comprehensive, phased, mixed-methods approach. First, the research team documented state Slow Down, Move Over laws and surveyed and interviewed traffic safety stakeholders from State Highway Safety Offices, Departments of Transportation, and law enforcement agencies to gather information about public information and education and enforcement efforts. Next, the research team conducted focus […]
Derailment loads in nearly all U.S. transit design criteria documents are similar across agencies. However, it is unclear whether horizontal and vertical derailment loads for the efficient and safe design of transit structures are reasonably accurate. Determination of Actual Derailment Loads on Transit Bridges
State departments of transportation (DOTs) have increased their focus on resilience initiatives to address impacts from short-term and long-term stressors such as extreme weather events, wildfires, and flooding. Economic shifts, changes in population, and other disruptions also cause transportation agencies to modify their practices to accommodate uncertainty. State DOTs need tools and approaches to justify […]
Ensuring the safety and security of customers is a core responsibility of public transit agencies. Perceptions of personal safety play a critical role in influencing travel behavior, with fear and anxiety about personal safety acting as major deterrents to transit use. Improving Transit Customer Perception of Personal Security
This report outlines how a modern approach to traffic safety can save lives and reduce injuries through targeted, evidence-based action. It describes how TRA can be used alongside other information to provide insight into road risk and how the methodologies used by the insurance industry have created a path forward that transportation officials, policy makers […]
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States. Despite significant risks associated with young drivers, current driver’s licensing exams are not strong predictors of driving safety. The on-road driving skills examination represents a “gateway” from the learner phase to licensure and independent, unsupervised driving. Predicting High-Risk Drivers
The persistence of alcohol-involved crashes is a significant and persistent challenge to traffic safety that requires new strategies to combat the annual loss of life. This study examined the extent to which a modern vision-based driver monitoring system (DMS) could be used to detect driver-based measures of alcohol impairment. Measures of eye behavior and driving […]
Highway infrastructure construction projects often necessitate temporary traffic pattern changes, such as lane or road closures, which can impact mobility, safety, and the environment. This report presents a systematic framework and tool designed to assist transportation agencies in evaluating and comparing alternative construction plans. The framework integrates cost analysis to quantify the traffic effects of […]
Behavioral outreach is a compelling option for improving traffic safety, because it presents a relatively low-cost and broad-based way for highway safety offices to discourage unsafe behaviors and encourage safe behaviors without requiring the same logistics and resources as deploying enforcement or changing infrastructure. Measures of Effective Traffic Safety Public Awareness