Citation

Simpson CH, Haggerty MP. Transp. Res. Rec. 1980; 753: 21-24.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires that each state file an annual highway-safety work program as a prerequisite for obtaining federal Section 402 safety funds. However, the work program serves as more than a mechanism for obtaining funds; it induces planning, programming, and budgeting of highway-safety projects. The commonwealth of Virginia has endorsed the work program concept and is continually striving to improve its highway-safety planning process. The most recent improvement was the incorporation of the concept of problem identification and management by objectives into the state's highway-safety work program. Local highway-safety commissions and state traffic-safety agencies were asked to complete their annual work program submissions by using this concept, the intent being to enhance the quality of their planned highway-safety activities. The research reported here was an attempt to further implement the concept by offering refinements. Under these refinements, the local commissions and state agencies are not asked to generate much of the problem identification data; the necessary information is provided to them. These data should aid the local commissions and state agencies in identifying problem areas. This approach was well received when first used in preparing Virginia's FY 1977 annual highway-safety work program. However, the methods of compiling and disseminating information proved laborious and time- consuming. Therefore, methods for automating various parts of the information-retrieval, assimilating, and dissemination stages were developed.