Strategic Highway Safety Plan - Evaluation Process Model

NHTSA · 2013 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety

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Summary

This document presents the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Evaluation Process Model (EPM), a guidance framework developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Cambridge Systematics, Inc. The EPM addresses the need for systematic program evaluation of SHSPs, which were mandated for all U.S. states by federal legislation in 2005. While states had completed SHSP development by 2007, there was a growing need to assess the effectiveness of these plans to ensure safety resources were deployed efficiently. The EPM was created to help states move beyond anecdotal evidence and trial-and-error approaches, providing a structured method to determine whether current SHSP activities require enhancement, revision, or replacement. This evaluation is also necessary to comply with the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), which requires recurring SHSP evaluations to ensure data accuracy and strategy validity. The EPM outlines a comprehensive evaluation framework consisting of four primary components: planning for evaluation, process evaluation, performance evaluation, and using evaluation results. The methodology relies on background information, recommended actions, checklists, and self-assessment questions derived from current evaluation methodologies, technical reviews by FHWA experts, and lessons learned from a multi-state pilot test. The model distinguishes between program evaluation, which assesses the overall SHSP, and project-level evaluation, which examines specific infrastructure changes. The planning phase involves identifying evaluation objectives across three levels: process (management and organizational structure), outputs (implementation of strategies), and outcomes (impact on fatalities and injuries). The process evaluation component assesses management elements such as organizational structure, multidisciplinary collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. The performance evaluation component measures outputs, such as the number of enforcement campaigns or miles of safety infrastructure installed, and outcomes, such as reductions in crash rates or changes in road user behavior. The findings and recommendations within the EPM emphasize that evaluation should be an ongoing process integrated early in SHSP development. The document provides specific tools, including worksheets and checklists, to help practitioners track implementation status, monitor progress toward goals, and interpret data. It highlights that while quantitative outcome data (e.g., crash reductions) are most valuable, states should utilize available data, including proxy measures like observed behavior changes or activity levels, if primary outcome data are insufficient. The EPM also stresses the importance of securing resources, defining roles, and establishing clear reporting processes to ensure evaluation results are actionable. By institutionalizing these evaluation elements, states can identify successful practices, uncover implementation challenges, and validate emphasis areas. The significance of the EPM lies in its role as a practical tool for improving transportation safety through performance-based planning and management. It enables states to recognize successes, identify inefficiencies, and make evidence-based adjustments to their safety programs. By providing a standardized approach to evaluation, the EPM supports the broader goal of reducing fatalities and serious injuries through data-driven priorities and proven effective strategies. The model is designed for SHSP leaders, managers, and stakeholders, offering a pathway to enhance the return on safety investments and ensure that limited resources are focused on the most impactful countermeasures.

Key finding

The Evaluation Process Model provides a structured framework for states to systematically assess SHSP management processes and performance outcomes to improve transportation safety programs.

Methodology

other

Provenance

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Topics

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• regulatory evaluation

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource