Local Road Safety Practices and Perceptions in North Dakota

Annually, many injuries and fatal crashes happen on local rural roads in North Dakota. The local road safety program (LRSP) strategy has been proven effective in reducing crashes on these roads. It relies on state engagement with local stakeholders to collectively reduce crash injuries in their communities. The LRSP presents a framework for stakeholders to identify, analyze, and prioritize traffic safety improvements for their roadways. In this study, local road managers were surveyed about road safety activities with special emphasis on the western counties in the oil impact region. The results reflect current practices in local government road management. It will be a resource for growing program participation and activities by providing best practices and peer knowledge sharing. One in five counties reported applying for LRSP projects over the past five years. Comparison to a previous survey shows a notable expansion in counties adopting low-cost safety strategies. The benefits of federal and state support in instituting local road safety practices were evident in funding sources and planning activities reported by counties. Several opportunities to carry this forward in proactive safety opportunities for individual counties with specific crash-type prevention strategies and for systemwide site-based safety countermeasures were evident. The survey investigation can inform other states by providing insight regarding LRSP practices and perceptions, with regard to improvements in local road safety and the potential to grow local agencies as champions in the effort.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=1140
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/72428
• Summary URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/72896
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States 

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  North Dakota Department of Transportation

  Bismarck, ND  United States  58505
• Authors:
  • Vachal, Kimberly
  • Ebrahimi, Sajad
  • Bengtson, Kelly
• Publication Date: 2023-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 75p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Local government; Rural highways; Safety programs; Surveys; Traffic safety
• Geographic Terms: North Dakota
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01898474
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC 22-450, MPC-602
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 9 2023 9:18AM