U S Road Assessment Program us RAP Overview

U. S. Road Assessment Program (us. RAP) Overview

us. RAP Sponsors • Federal Highway Administration – has highlighted us. RAP protocols as data-driven safety tools in Every Day Counts 3 • Roadway Safety Foundation – working with FHWA to encourage use of us. RAP’s protocols and provide technical support to users – Contact: Bruce Hamilton (brucehamilton@roadwaysafety. org)

us. RAP Team MRIGlobal, Kansas City, MO Iowa State University, Ames, IA University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

us. RAP Objectives • Benchmark safety of road segments • Allocate resources based on risks ü Infrastructure ü Enforcement • Inform and provide guidance to motorists • Foster collaboration

us. RAP Objectives • Focus on reducing risk of fatal and serious injury crashes • Assure that highway safety improvement programs are based on rational assessment of risk

“Safer drivers in safer vehicles on safer roads”

ROAD ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS • • 2000 2003 2004 2005 - Euro. RAP Aus. RAP i. RAP

International Road Assessment Program (i. RAP) • i. RAP is a not-for-profit organization based in the U. K. • i. RAP was established in 2005 to help coordinate the Euro. RAP, Aus. RAP, and us. RAP programs • i. RAP also took on a mission to apply RAP protocols in low- and middle-income countries • RAP programs are now active in over 70 countries • i. RAP Global Technical Committee (GTC) assures technical quality of RAP protocols and tools

us. RAP Phase III Star Rating Validation – Washington, Iowa Public Awareness Campaigns – Utah, Michigan

us. RAP Protocols • • Risk Mapping Performance Tracking Star Ratings Safer Roads Investment Plans • NOTE: All based on fatal and serious injury crashes

Risk Maps • us. RAP began developing risk maps in 2004 • Illustrate crash risk levels for road segments using four different risk measures • Roads are color-coded based on crash risk levels • Maps are prepared using data on crash history and traffic volume levels • Focus on fatal and serious injury crashes • Homogeneous road segments • Segment length sufficient to provide meaningful results

Example of us. RAP Risk Map

Star Ratings • Star ratings have been used since the inception of RAP programs • Star ratings are assigned based on presence or absence of road design and traffic control features related to safety • Over 50 safety-related design and traffic control features are considered • Star ratings are in 1 to 5 scale: – 5 -star road (full range of known safety-related design and traffic control features) – 1 -star road (limited safety-related design and traffic control features)

What is a Safer Roads Investment Plan? • Safer Road Investment Plan: A plan that suggests specific safety improvements at specific locations on a selected roadway network • Input Data: Approximately 50 roadway and traffic characteristics for each 300 -ft (100 -m) segment of the roadway network • Processing Software: web-based Vi. DA software • Output: a safety improvement plan for your road network

How Can a Safer Roads Investment Plan Help Your Agency? • Plan focuses attention of the priority locations for safety improvement on your road system and the appropriate type of safety improvement(s) for each location • Requires a 30 -minute investment in coding of on roadway attributes per mile of road • All results are based on benefit-cost analysis— only improvements that meet a minimum benefitcost ratio that you specify are suggested 7

Vi. DA Software • Former us. RAP Tools software (Version 2. 2 model) has been succeeded by Vi. DA software (Version 3. 0 model)

Vi. DA Sotfware • Performs network-level safety planning analysis to develop star ratings and safer roads investment plans • Web-based and easily accessed on-line • Software usage is free for all highway agencies and their consultants • Training is needed to use the software properly • Training is provided at regular intervals free of charge 8

Vi. DA Sotfware • Software uploads and processes input data for most roadway systems within a few minutes • Displays results on-screen and in downloadable Microsoft Excel® files • No detailed site-specific crash data needed • Network-wide crash data is useful for calibration 9

Objectives of This Training Course Learn about Vi. DA Software • A useful supplement to crash-data analysis approaches in identifying infrastructure improvement needs for agencies with good crash data • With proper training, can be used by any highway agency or their consultants • A unique tool for agencies without good crash data: – no crash data available – manual crash reports but no automated data files – automated crash data files, but no location data other than verbal descriptions

Content of This Training Course Learn about Vi. DA Software • Software Overview • Data Acquisition Procedures • Data Coding Manual • Data Management/Quality Assurance • Using the Software • Practical Considerations/Discussion

What Will You Learn? • Application and uses of star ratings • Application and uses of safer roads investment plans • How to use Vi. DA software • Data needed for Vi. DA Tools software • How to obtain data for Vi. DA software • How to assure quality of data and analysis results • How to use analysis results effectively in safety management

Why Are us. RAP Protocols Proprietary? • To assure protocols and software applied in a technically accurate manner – adaptations must be approved • To assure that protocols and software not copied and sold by others • us. RAP protocols and software copyrighted, but are made available free of charge to: – highway agencies – accredited vendors conducting studies for highway agencies

Questions?