SPECIAL REPORT 289 Building the Road Safety Profession in the Public Sector SPECIAL REPORT 289 Since the 1960s, the number of fatalities per mile driven in the United States has fallen by 75 Building the percent because of a combination of public and private actions to improve driver perfor- mance, motor vehicles, the highway environment, and postcrash emergency response and medical care. Yet even with this progress, more than 40,000 people are killed each year on the nation’s roadways. This report examines the growing need for experts at all levels of govern- Road Safety ment to develop and implement systems and science-based approaches that will continue to effect improvements in road safety. The report’s authoring committee notes that the lack of professional recognition and of comprehensive education and training opportunities in road safety is threatening the ability Building the Road Safety Profession in Public Sector Profession in the of public agencies to build a knowledgeable and skilled road safety workforce that can make advances. To address this need, the committee recommends the creation of a broad-based alliance of public, private, and educational organizations to champion the road safety pro- fession and suggests several tasks for the alliance to pursue in advancing comprehensive Public Sector instruction and training for road safety professionals. Also of Interest State DOT Crash Reconstruction Practices—National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 369, ISBN 978-0-309-09786-4, 32 pages, 8.5 x 11 paperback, 2007, $34.00 Preventing Teen Motor Crashes: Contributions from the Behavioral and Social Sciences: Workshop Report—National Academies Press, ISBN 0-309-10401-7, 76 pages, 6 x 9 paperback, 2007, $18.00 Driver Behavior, Older Drivers, Simulation, User Information Systems, and Visualization— Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1980, ISBN 0-309-09990-0, 142 pages, 8.5 x 11 paperback, 2006, $52.00 Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement—TRB Special Report 287, ISBN 0-309-09423-2, 71 pages, 6 x 9 paperback, 2006, $26.00 Core Competencies for Highway Safety Professionals—NCHRP Research Results Digest 302, 22 pages, 8.5 x 11 paperback, 2006, $15.00 The Workforce Challenge: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Qualified Workers for Transportation and Transit Agencies—TRB Special Report 275, ISBN 0-309-08563-2, 186 pages, 6 x 9 paperback, 2003, $23.00 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD ISBN 978-0-309-10442-5 OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES SPECIAL REPORT 289 Building the Road Safety Profession in the Public Sector Committee for a Study of Supply and Demand for Highway Safety Professionals in the Public Sector TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES Transportation Research Board Washington, D.C. 2007 www.TRB.org Transportation Research Board Special Report 289 Subscriber Categories IA planning and administration IVA highway operations, capacity, and traffic control IVB safety and human performance Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publi- cations directly from the TRB Business Office, through the Internet at www.TRB.org or national-academies.org/trb, or by annual subscription through organizational or indi- vidual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (telephone 202-334-3213; fax 202- 334-2519; or e-mail [email protected]). Copyright 2007 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the pro- cedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. This report was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and by the Transportation Research Board. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Building the road safety profession in the public sector / Committee for a Study of Supply and Demand for Highway Safety Professionals in the Public Sector. p. cm.—(Transportation Research Board special report ; 289) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Traffic safety—Vocational guidance. TE192.B84 2008 363.12'502373—dc22 2007041727 ISBN 978-0-309-10442-5 The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the au- thority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meet- ing national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the re- sponsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of med- ical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the sci- entific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide lead- ership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org Committee for a Study of Supply and Demand for Highway Safety Professionals in the Public Sector Kam K. Movassaghi, C. H. Fenstermaker and Associates, Inc., Lafayette, Louisiana, Chair John H. Daly, Genesee County Road Commission, Flint, Michigan T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, North America Make Roads Safe Campaign, Washington, D.C. Susan B. Herbel, Cambridge Systematics, Inc, Heathrow, Florida Paul P. Jovanis, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Lowell M. Porter, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Olympia H. Douglas Robertson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (retired) Thomas J. Songer, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Peter F. Sweatman, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Ann Arbor Richard Tay, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada Thomas M. Welch, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames Transportation Research Board Staff Thomas R. Menzies, Jr., Study Director Preface In April 2002, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Office of Safety hosted a workshop in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss topics re- lated to workforce development for the road safety community. The workshop was cosponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the Transportation Research Board (TRB), and