Improving Safety Data in Transportation Reauthorization

1. Data Impacts of Transportation Reauthorization:Data Community’s Plans and Strategies Pat Hu Chair, TRB National Transportation Data Requirements and Programs Committee and Director, Center for Transportation Analysis Oak Ridge National Llaboratory 30th International Traffic Records Forum July 26, 2004

2. Reauthorization of Transportation Bill • October 2002 – USDOT’s recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget • February 2003 – Presidents’ budget & reauthorization proposal to Congress • September 30, 2003 – TEA-21 expired • October 2003 – New legislation was to have been enacted • November 2003 – TRB Workshop on Data Requirements in Transportation Reauthorization Legislation • July 2004 – TEA-21 has expired for 300 days, extended four times, and no new bill

3. SAFETY is the top priorityof the New Bill -Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 (SAFETEA)

4. Safety data requirements in House bill • Section 1401 – Highway Safety Improvement Program • This program is to build around a data-driven, statewide safety plan • Use data to prioritize infrastructure safety needs and behavior safety needs • Require states to improve records for traffic data collection, analysis and integration with other safety data sources

5. Safety data requirements in House bill (continued) • Section 1403 – High Risk Rural Safety Improvement Program • Program is for high-risk rural roads • “High-risk” is defined by accident rates (fatalities and incapacitating injuries) • Data requirements: • No. of fatalities • No. of incapacitating injuries • VMT • Rural population

6. Safety data requirements in House bill (continued) • Section 2004 – State Traffic Safety Information System Improvement • Grants will be available to states to adopt and implement effective programs to improve safety data in their: • Timeliness • Accuracy • Completeness • Uniformity • Integration, and • Accessibility

7. Safety data requirements in House bill (continued) • Section 4025 – Motor Carrier Safety Data Improvement Program • Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to improve SafeStat’s (motor carrier safety data) • Accuracy • Timeliness • Completeness

8. Safety data requirements in Senate bill • Motor Carrier Safety • SafeStat Program • Crash Causation Study • Commercial driver’s license program • Hazardous material transportation • A unified safety database to reduce data collection costs and to facilitate data sharing

9. Safety data requirements in Administration’s proposal • Highway Safety Improvement Program • A program to build around a data-driven, statewide safety plan • 1st key component is to use real data to prioritize infrastructure safety needs and behavior safety needs • 2nd key component is to require states to improve records for traffic data collection, analysis, and integration with other safety data sources • Focuses on roadside obstacles, rail-highway crossings, bicycle and pedestrian problems

10. AASHTO’s Summary of State DOT concerns • Unfunded mandates • Timeliness • Coordination with multiple levels of government and agencies • Data collection, storage, and analysis methods • Competition with other state priorities • Coordination and Resources!

11. TRB Data Requirement Workshop Background/Motivations of the Workshop • In the past, data community reacted to mandates and regulations under severe fiscal pressure • States, MPOs, transit agencies, and other transportation agencies are still grappling with the data requirements in the previous legislations (ISTEA and TEA-21). • The data community recognizes that a more proactive involvement would be more effective and efficient. • A TRB workshop on November 2003 among stakeholders

12. Transportation Research Board(TRB) • A division of the National Research Council • Its mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research • Engaging more than 8,000+ engineers, scientists, and practitioners from private and public sectors and academia • Supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies, and others.

13. TRB Data Requirement Workshop Workshop Objectives • Identify data issues • Inform State and MPO data communities of potential new responsibilities • Investigate opportunities for cross-program collaboration • Identify time frames and resource needs to meet new data mandates • Develop a collaborative coalition approach to address data needs, data provision, quality, and use.

14. TRB Data Requirement Workshop Organizing Committee • Safety Data, Analysis, and Evaluation Committee • National Transportation Data Requirements and Programs Committee • Urban Transportation Data and Information System Committee • Statewide Transportation Data and Information Systems • AASHTO Standing Committee on Planning’s Data Task Force

15. TRB Data Requirement Workshop Workshop participants were diverse 23 Federal Agencies 9 State Agencies 5 MPO and Transit 14 Private Sector 8 Universities and Research 3 Congressional Staff 62 Total

16. TRB Data Requirement Workshop Workshop discussion summary • Propose a post-authorization conference to deal collectively with data initiatives in the final reauthorization legislation. • Information sharing vs. recommendations • Broad participation, including regulation writers and Congressional staff • Attention to data system interoperability • Timing: soon after reauthorization (tentatively scheduled for December 2005)

17. TRB Data Requirement Workshop Workshop discussion summary(Cont’d) • Post-authorization conference agenda will be built around the matrix

18. Safety Data Trackof the Post-Authorization Conference • Dick Paddock is the organizer • Focuses on addressing potential impacts on state and local safety data systems, depending on the final content of the reauthorization • Views from different perspectives will be presented: • FMCSA • NHTSA • FHWA • State and local

19. Reauthorization of Transportation Bill • February 2003 – Presidents’ budget & reauthorization proposal to Congress • September 30, 2003 – TEA-21 expired • October 2003 – New legislation was to have been enacted • November 2003 – TRB Workshop on Data Requirements in Transportation Reauthorization Legislation • July 2004 – TEA-21 has expired for 300 days, extended four times, and no new bill • December 2005 – Post-Authorization Conference

20. Input to Dick Paddock Traffic Safety Analysis Systems & Services, Inc. (614)539-4100 rpaddock@tsass.com Pat Hu Oak Ridge National Laboratory (865)946-1349 Hups@ornl.gov