ATSSA Signal September October 2019

The Signal | September/October 2019 17 Innovation & New Programs winding roadways that are not easily accessible, according to Federal High- way Administration (FHWA) spokesman Neil Gaffney. “To address this, some agencies use a systemic approach to safety in rural areas, where proven safety countermeasures are widely implemented across a region based on the presence of high-risk road- way features that correlated with partic- ular severe crash types,” said Gaffney. Gaffney, an ATSSAmember and former FHWA employee Frank Julian, stated that limited resources within local and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) posed a challenge in advancing rural roadway safety. “A state or local agency may be hard- pressed to provide up-front monies or matching funds for safety projects, find available staff to identify safety issues, administer projects in these areas, and secure the technical skills needed to complete effective data analysis, iden- tify issues, and deploy countermea- sures. Local agencies also have to juggle competing priorities and interests and reach consensus among stakeholders,” said Gaffney. Currently, the nation has a $146 billion backlog of needed roadway safety improvements, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The organi- zation found that by implementing safety improvements, it could save 63,700 lives and reduce serious injuries by 350,000 over a 20-year period. “Many roadway safety improvements can be made to reduce serious crashes and