ODOT Highway Safety Program
ODOT has one of the largest safety programs in the country. The department dedicates about $72 million annually for engineering improvements at high-crash or severe-crash locations across the state. This funding can be used by ODOT District Offices or local governments to improve safety on any public roadway. A portion of the funding is also used to fund education everymove.ohio.gov and enforcement programs that encourage safer driving. At least 90% of all crashes in Ohio begin with some type of driver error. In addition, ODOT invests millions of dollars more in safety improvements as part of routine resurfacing, bridge repair and major highway improvements.
Prioritizing Safety Locations for Review
Each year, ODOT staff reviews the top safety locations in Ohio. Beginning in SFY2012, the process for selecting these locations has changed.
Ohio is one of the first states in the country to fully implement SafetyAnalyst and use it to prioritize safety locations across Ohio. SafetyAnalyst uses state-of-the-art statistical methodologies to identify roadway locations and safety improvements with the highest potential for reducing crashes. The software systems flags spot locations and road segments that have higher-than-predicted crash frequencies. It also flags locations for review based on crash severity. This methodology is more efficient and cost effective and will allow the department to study fewer locations yet address more crashes each year. Click the logos above for additional information about the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) and SafetyAnalyst. Below is a link to locations with a higher-than-predicted crash frequency by emphasis area based on 2008 to 2010 crash data.
The descriptions of the Lists contained in the “2010 SafetyAnalyst Peak Searching Locations Master File” are as follows: Fatal & Serious Injury Non-Freeway Locations
These locations were selected because they have a higher-than-predicted crash frequency involving fatal or serious injuries for this roadway type. Approximately, the Top 100 locations will be studied.
Fatal & Serious Injury Intersection/Interchange Locations
These locations were selected because they have a higher-than-predicted crash frequency involving fatal or serious injuries for these location types. Approximately, the Top 100 locations will be studied.
ODOT Maintained System Locations
These are ODOT maintained rural non-freeway locations that were selected because they have a higher-than-predicted crash frequency for this roadway type. Approximately, the Top 100 locations will be studied. The ODOT maintained system was determined by a spatial analysis focusing on sites that are outside of the current city boundary files.
Freeway Locations
These locations were selected because they have a higher-than-predicted crash frequency for this roadway type. Approximately, the Top 100 locations will be studied. The remainder of the locations listed have a higher-than-predicted frequency of crashes and can be used as a reference.
Non-Freeway Locations
These locations were selected because they have a higher-than-predicted crash frequency for this roadway type. Approximately, the Top 100 locations will be studied. The remainder of the locations listed have a higher-than-predicted frequency of crashes and can be used as a reference.
Intersection/Interchange Locations
There are no study locations for this list. Intersections / interchanges with a higher frequency of Fatal and Serious Injury crashes were given higher priority and are being studied as described above. This list contains the locations that have a higher-than-predicted frequency of crashes and can be used as a reference.
Each District Office is required to study and address (if possible) any location within the Top 100 of each crash list described above. Each list contains unique locations. The lists may not total exactly 100 as sites were removed when errors in the roadway inventory data or crash data were determined. The selected locations become the Safety Annual Work Plan. Many local governments also identify and study high-crash locations within their own jurisdiction.
To determine the best solutions for fixing these locations, each District Office and local government typically conduct an engineering analysis that includes a review of existing roadway conditions and crash reports. This analysis will help identify common crash patterns and probable causes to determine the best strategies to reduce crashes.
Projects sponsors are encouraged to examine a full range of options from short-term, low-cost strategies, such as new signs, pavement markings and drainage improvements to mid-cost, mid-term strategies such as new traffic signals, turn lanes and realignments.
District Offices or local governments may pay for these improvements through their annual budget or they can seek money each spring (April) and fall (September) through ODOT's Highway Safety Program. The maximum amount of funding available is $5 million per project.
A multi-discipline committee at ODOT headquarters reviews all applications and supporting safety studies. The committee can approve a proposal, select a different safety strategy or request further study before allocating money.
Once funding is secured, safety projects are scheduled for construction. How quickly projects proceed to construction depends on the available funding and complexity of the project. Short-term, low-cost projects can be implemented within a few months, while other projects which require environmental mitigation, complex engineering design and/or utility and right of way relocation may take several years. In all cases, ODOT encourages sponsors to act as quickly as possible. Upon project completion, the department monitors locations to make sure the improvements are reducing crashes as designed.
Protection of Data from Discovery & Admission into Evidence
Section 148(g)(4) stipulates that data compiled or collected for the preparation of safety lists “…shall not be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in a Federal or State court proceeding or considered for other purposes in an action for damages arising from any occurrence at a location identified or addressed in such reports…” This information is also protected by 23 USC 409 (discovery and admission as evidence of certain reports and surveys).