Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Guidance
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Summary
This document provides updated guidance from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regarding the requirements for State Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs). Issued in March 2016, the guidance clarifies mandates established under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act and continued under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The primary motivation is to ensure States comply with federal regulations to obligate funds under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), codified at 23 U.S.C. 148. The guidance details specific requirements for SHSP features, update cycles, approval processes, and penalties for non-compliance. The SHSP is defined as a comprehensive, data-driven transportation safety plan that must be developed through a consultative approach involving a broad range of stakeholders, including the Governor’s highway safety representative, regional planning organizations, traffic enforcement officials, and nonmotorized user representatives. The plan must provide strategic direction for other State safety plans, such as the Highway Safety Plan and Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan, ensuring coordination across State, local, and tribal entities. Key features include a data-driven problem identification process that analyzes crash, roadway, and traffic data to identify emphasis areas, considering factors like rural roads, rail-highway grade crossings, and cost-effectiveness. The SHSP must adopt a performance-based approach, establishing multi-year goals and objectives consistent with FHWA safety performance measures, which align with annual HSIP targets. Implementation strategies must prioritize proven countermeasures that significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries, incorporating the "4 Es" of safety: engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency services. States are required to describe implementation processes, often through emphasis area action plans that specify actions, responsible agencies, resources, and timeframes. The SHSP must also include a process for regular evaluation to monitor progress toward goals and assess strategy effectiveness. Special rules require States to define "High Risk Rural Roads" and address older driver and pedestrian safety if fatalities or serious injuries in these categories increase. States must update their SHSPs no later than five years from the previous approved version. To receive approval, States must submit the updated plan and a detailed description of the update process to the FHWA Division Administrator, demonstrating consistency with federal statutes. Failure to have an approved, updated SHSP by August 1, 2017, results in a penalty: the State becomes ineligible for additional formula obligation limitation during the annual redistribution of Federal-Aid Highway Program funds. This penalty persists for each fiscal year until the State secures an approved plan by August 1. The guidance aims to standardize safety planning, enhance coordination among transportation agencies, and ensure the effective use of federal funds to improve highway safety outcomes.
Key finding
The document establishes that states must develop and update Strategic Highway Safety Plans using a consultative, data-driven, and performance-based approach to remain eligible for specific federal highway safety funding.
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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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