Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) 2019-2023 - Finalize, Track and Update

Since the Decade of Action for Road Safety began in 2011 with the goal of reducing the number of roadway fatalities, the number of annual deaths has risen by 7% worldwide, and by 20% in the United States. During the period covered by Kentucky’s current Strategic Highway Safety Plan, 2015-2019, an average of 775 highway deaths occurred each year, which is an increase over the average of 707 highway deaths per year that occurred during 2010-2014, the time period covered by Kentucky’s previous Plan. Thus, highway fatalities continue to constitute a serious public health and safety concern which demands continuous strategic action. The objective of this two-year project is to produce and implement a fully compliant update to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan that will result in significant reductions in crash loss in the State of Kentucky. As such, KTC and its research partners at the University of Kentucky will generate data and content for a proactive, living, and implementable instrument which will outline actionable SMART goals aligned with KYTC’s mission of providing a safe and efficient transportation system. The Plan will acknowledge areas where positive differences can be made in safety, not just in affecting areas with high numbers of crashes. To achieve these objectives, the Plan should also be a collaborative effort across emphasis areas rather than addressing them individually. It should also be transparent and accessible in order to clearly convey its objectives to practitioners and other stakeholders.