Transportation safety is a key planning area for the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), and as the number of traffic-related fatalities in the United States has increased, local agencies are interested in improving conditions so that all transportation users may arrive at their destinations safely. Roadway fatality and serious injury reduction is receiving elevated attention particularly as the number of interactions among motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians are on the rise with the construction or extension of cycling and walking paths and dedicated bike lanes.

In August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released early estimates of traffic fatalities for the first quarter of 2022. In that period, 9,560 individuals died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the U.S. This figure is an increase of 7 percent compared to the same period in 2021 and the highest number of first quarter fatalities since 2002. The District of Columbia experienced a 62.5 percent increase in estimated fatalities from 2021 to 2022, the State of Maryland had a 49.1 percent increase, and the Commonwealth of Virginia experienced a 71.8 percent increase year to year. As NHTSA documents in its August 2022 Traffic Safety Facts, fatalities increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the trend continuing into 2022.

Approaching Safety from a regional perspective

Even before the recent increase in fatality rates, TPB was taking steps to improve transportation safety conditions in the region. COG kicked off a Regional Safety Study in 2019 to understand the factors contributing to fatal and serious injury crashes and to identify and recommend proven effective solutions for the region. Additional objectives of the study included:

• Determining where concentrations of crashes are occurring.
• Providing the TPB and member jurisdictions suggestions to improve safety.
• Informing TPB staff’s future efforts on roadway safety.

Informed by analysis of how crashes and fatalities relate to equity emphasis areas (EEAs), which are census tracts that have high concentrations of low-income individuals and/or traditionally disadvantaged racial and ethnic population groups, the TPB adopted a safety policy (Resolution R3-2021) in July 2020 with the intent of reducing fatalities and serious injuries on the metropolitan Washington region’s roadways.

The policy states that many TPB member jurisdictions have approved aspirational safety goals for Vision Zero and Towards Zero Deaths and addresses federal metropolitan planning organization (MPO) requirements to set highway safety targets. In addition, the policy states that the TPB finds fatalities and serious injuries unacceptably high. Through the policy, the TPB urges safety measures addressing roadway design and operations with attention to EEAs, and that the TPB condemns discrimination in roadway traffic safety enforcement and safety-related laws.

Specific actions in TPB Resolution R3-2021 include:

• Prioritizing projects, programs, and policies that focus on increasing seat belt use, reducing unsafe vehicle speeds, and reducing impaired/distracted driving).
• Identifying and implementing proven countermeasures.
• Establishing and funding a Regional Safety Program.
• Calling upon member jurisdictions to adopt safety goals consistent with Vision Zero or Towards Zero Death policies.
• Adopting safety policies with equitable impact.
• Calling upon member states to adopt procedures that increase the use of ignition interlock devices for impaired driving offenders.

Putting policy into action through the Regional Roadway Safety Program  

At the same time that that the safety policy was adopted, the TPB approved and funded a Regional Roadway Safety Program (RRSP) that provides short-term consultant services to TPB member jurisdictions. The RRSP provides consultant assistance up to $60,000 for safety-related studies or planning projects (e.g. road safety audits, crash data analysis) and up to $80,000 for design or preliminary engineering (e.g., road diet design, intersection improvements) that address roadway safety concerns.  

Emphasizing equity

As part of the TPB’s commitment to safety and equity, TPB staff are applying findings from Equity Emphasis Areas analyses to the RRSP. In a July 28 COG News Highlight, TPB Transportation Planner Jon Schermann explained that staff pursued an analysis of roadway safety in EEAs as part of the Regional Safety Study. The consultant-led study overlayed crash data with EEA boundaries to determine the number of roadway fatalities in those areas compared to locations outside EEAs. The data show that the number of roadway fatalities within EEAs was significantly higher compared to other tracts in the COG/TPB region.  

These findings have informed the RRSP. To help address this disparity, the RRSP encourages applications for projects that aim to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries in EEAs by making EEAs a scoring criterion. Ten of the 14 projects funded to date are in locations within or adjacent to EEAs.

Recent and current projects

Three rounds of RRSP projects have been funded so far since 2021:

Summer 2021

• Montgomery County: MD 650 High Injury Network Safety Study and Design
   
• Prince George’s County: Roadway Safety Audits and Design Recommendation for County Maintained High Injury Network
   
• City of Laurel: Bowie Road Safety Audit
   
• Arlington County: Arlington School Zone Speed Camera Guidelines
   
• Fairfax County: Herndon Parkway Complete Street Safety Improvements

Winter 2021

• Arlington and Prince George’s Counties: Planting Seeds for Regional Roadway Safety, One Traffic Garden at a Time
   
• City of Alexandria: Improving the Capabilities and Availability of a "Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Analytics Application" (improving near-miss reporting tool and associated smartphone app)
   
• City of Falls Church: South Washington Street Planning Opportunity Area Pedestrian Network
   
• Prince William County: Graham Park Road Safety Improvements Road Diet and Roundabout
   
• Fairfax County: Harrison Lane Corridor Pedestrian Improvements

Summer 2022

• Prince George’s County: Roadway Safety Audits for Wheeler Road & Brooks Drive
   
• Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission/Prince George’s County: Multimodal Upgrades to Walker Mill Road
   
• City of Rockville: Beall Avenue Protected Intersections Feasibility Study
   
• City of Alexandria: Duke Street at S. Patrick and S. Henry Streets Safety Improvements
   

Safety program participants share their perspectives  

Andrea Lasker, Vision Zero Prince George’s County Program Coordinator, and Sam Murrey, Arlington County GIS Transportation Analyst, shared insight on their experience as jurisdictional partners on 2021 RRSP-funded work to propose traffic garden guidance and a design template.

Lasker said, “The Regional Roadway Safety Program is an excellent way to start a meaningful and impactful safety project. The technical assistance is invaluable and allows us to focus squarely on the project and its creative components. Additionally, we are able to collaborate across the region and can learn from all the other jurisdictions that are completing their own projects.”

Providing Arlington County’s perspective, Murrey stated, “Through the RRSP project, MWCOG has demonstrated strong support for projects that clearly benefit safety on a regionally applicable scale. Addressing inequities and fostering community agency also appear to be key objectives for the RSPP program. Therefore, it is a great program to shape a project with direct application to the community.”

Next application round: January 2023

The next application and selection round for FY 2024 projects takes place January – June 2023. Any TPB member jurisdiction is eligible to apply.

Key dates:

January 2023 – March 2023 Application period open

April – May 2023 - Selection panel recommendations

May – June 2023 - TPB approves projects

Summer 2023 - Consultant selection