FHWA Proposes Changes to Highway Safety Requirements

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced proposed changes to  the Highway Safety Improvement Program that would require states to include a risk analysis for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users in their highway safety plans. “The FHWA also seeks through these new rules to streamline state reporting efforts while also requiring states to report and evaluate individual projects, programs and countermeasures.”

As Dan Zukowski explains in Smart Cities Dive, “Under the new regulations, the FHWA proposes that states include representatives from underserved communities ‘to ensure that the needs of all road users are represented in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the [Highway Safety Improvement Program].’” The agency also proposed increasing collaboration with public health officials and agencies to highlight the link between transportation and public health.