Strategic Highway Safety Plan aims to reduce highway fatalities, injuries

On Aug. 10, 2005, President George Bush signed into law the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Essentially, the law outlines how federal funds can be used by states for road construction, maintenance, and improvements including highways, rural roads, and city streets. However, strings are attached and states must follow certain guidelines in order to be eligible for some portions of the available funds. One major string is that each state must implement a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) in order to receive funding.

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the purpose of the SHSP is to “identify the State's key safety needs and guide investment decisions to achieve significant reductions in highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.” In other words, the responsibility of highway safety is put squarely on the shoulders of the states, recognizing that safety issues may vary from state to state.

The benefit to the states is that by successfully designing an SHSP as defined by the law, each state will have access to more federal funding to implement their safety programs. However the states only have until October 1, 2006 to create an SHSP, and after that date access to new federal highway funds will be limited. After October 1, 2007 all highway funding will be locked in at current funding levels until the state creates a plan.

By definition in the law, an SHSP:

Each state’s SHSP is not a “set in stone” document, but a plan that must be continually reviewed and updated. The FHWA has also hinted at the fact that it hopes states will share collected data, information, and strategies with other states to create a free flow of discovered “best practices.”

By tying highway funds to the successful launch of a safety plan, the federal government has taken a huge step towards improving highway safety. As noted in a California Draft Discussion paper: “Successful implementation of the SHSP plan will require increased coordination within [California Department of Transportation], other State departments, regional and local transportation agencies, which will play a major role in reducing fatalities and injuries on public roads in California.” This will likely be the case in most states, creating a safety “network” of involved agencies to streamline data collection, improve data sharing, and encourage well-planned safety strategies.

However no matter how much safer the roads are, they will only be as safe as the most negligent drivers. If you have been injured in a car accident because of someone else’s reckless, drunk, or negligent driving, contact Jim S. Adler & Associates. We have more than 30 years of legal experience in Texas, and we can help you get the compensation you deserve to cover medical expenses, lost time from work, and pain and suffering. Contact us right now for a free case review.