HIGHWAY
SAFETY PROGRAM
GUIDELINE NUMBERS AND TITLES
U.S.
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS
TITLE 23 - HIGHWAYS
CHAPTER II, SUBCHAPTER B, PART 1204, SUBPART B
SECTION 1204.4 HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINES
The Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programsare set forth
in this subpart.
HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NUMBERS AND TITLES
Number:
1. Periodic motor vehicle inspection.
2. Motor vehicle registration.
3. Motorcycle safety.
4. Driver education.
5. Drive licensing.
6. Codes and laws.
7. Traffic courts.
8. Alcohol in relation to highway safety.
9. Identification and surveillance of accident locations.
10. Traffic records.
11. Emergency medical services.
12. Highway design, construction and maintenance.
13. Traffic engineering services.
14. Pedestrian safety.
15. Police traffic services.
16. Debris hazard control and cleanup.
17. Pupil transportation safety.
18. Accident investigation and reporting.
Supplement A - Highway Safety Program Manual - Volume 0 - Planning
and Administration.
Supplement B - Volume 102 - Highway Safety Plan.
Supplement C - (Reserved)
Supplement D - Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants-in-Aid.
Supplement E - Environmental Impact Review Requirements for Annual
State and Community Highway Safety Work Programs (AWP's).
Supplement F - Distribution and Release of Audit Reports on State
Program Administration.
Supplement G - Disposition of External Audit Findings Related to
State and Community Highway Safety Program Management.
Supplement H - Guidelines for the Designation of a State Agency
Responsible for Highway Safety.
Supplement I - Use of Section 402 Funds for Training.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 1
PERIODIC MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION
Each State should have a program for periodic inspection of all
registered vehicles or other experimental, pilot, or demonstration
program approved by the Secretary, to reduce the number of vehicles
with existing or potential conditions which cause or contribute to
accidents or increase the severity of accidents which do occur, and
should require the owner to correct such conditions.
I. A model program would provide, at a minimum, that:
A. Every vehicle registered in the State is inspected either at
the time of initial registration and at least annually thereafter,
or at such other time as may be designated under an experimental,
pilot or demonstration program approved by the Secretary.
B. The inspection is performed by competent personnel
specifically trained to perform their duties and certified by the
State.
C. The inspection covers systems, subsystems, and components
having substantial relation to safe vehicle performance.
D. The inspection procedures equal or exceed criteria issued or
endorsed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
E. Each inspection station maintains records in a form specified
by the State, which include at least the following information:
1. Class of vehicle.
2. Date of inspection.
3. Make of vehicle.
4. Model year.
5. Vehicle identification number.
6. Defects by category.
7. Identification of inspector.
8. Mileage or odometer reading.
F. The State publishes summaries of records of all inspection
stations at least annually, including tabulations by make and model
of vehicle.
II. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State and
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 2
MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
Each State should have a motor vehicle registration program.
I. A model registration program would be such that every vehicle
operated on public highways is registered and the following
information is readily available for each vehicle:
A. Make.
B. Model year.
C. Identification number (rather than motor number).
D. Type of body.
E. License plate number.
F. Name of current owner.
G. Current address of owner.
H. Registered gross laden weight of every commercial vehicle.
II. Each program should have a records system that provides at
least the following services.
A. Rapid entry of new data into the records or data system.
B. Controls to eliminate unnecessary or unreasonable delay in
obtaining data.
C. Rapid audio or visual response upon receipt at the records
station of any priority request for status of vehicle possession
authorization.
D. Data available for statistical compilation as needed by
authorized sources.
E. Identification and ownership of vehicle sought for enforcement
or other operation needs.
III. This program should be periodically evaluated by the State,
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 3
MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
For the purposes of this guideline a motorcycle is defined as any
motordriven vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the
rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in
contact with the ground, but excluding tractors and vehicles on
which the operator and passengers ride within an enclosed cab.
Each State should have a motorcycle safety program to insure that
only persons physically and mentally qualified will be licensed to
operate a motorcycle; that protective safety equipment for drivers
and passengers will be worn; and that the motorcycle meets
guidelines for safety equipment.
I. The program should provide as a minimum that:
A. Each person who operates a motorcycle:
1. Passes an examination or reexamination designed especially for
motorcycle operation.
2. Holds a license issued specifically for motorcycle use or a
regular license endorsed for each purpose.
B. Each motorcycle operator wears an approved safety helmet and
eye protection when he is operating his vehicle on streets and
highways.
C. Each motorcycle passenger wears an approved safety helmet, and
is provided with a seat and footrest.
D. Each motorcycle is equipped with a rear-view mirror.
E. Each motorcycle is inspected at the time it is initially
registered and at least annually thereafter, or in accordance with
the State's inspection requirements.
II. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State for
its effectiveness in terms of reductions in accidents and their end
results, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
should be provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 4
DRIVER EDUCATION
Each State, in cooperation with its political subdivisions,
should have a driver education and training program. This program
should provide at least that:
I. There is a driver education program available to all youths of
licensing age which:
A. Is taught by instructors certified by the State as qualified
for these purposes.
B. Provides each student with practice driving and instruction in
at least the following:
1. Basic and advanced driving techniques including techniques for
handling emergencies.
2. Rules of the road, and other State laws and local motor
vehicle laws and ordinances.
3. Critical vehicle systems and subsystems requiring preventive
maintenance.
4. The vehicle, highway and community features:
a. That aid the driver in avoiding crashes,
b. That protect him and his passengers in crashes,
c. That maximize the salvage of the injured.
5. Signs, signals, and highway markings and highway design
features which require understanding for safe operation of motor
vehicles.
6. Differences in characteristics of urban and rural driving
including safe use of modern expressways.
7. Pedestrian safety.
C. Encourages students participating in the program to enroll in
first aid training.
II. There is a State research and development program including
adequate research, development and procurement of practice driving
facilities, simulators, and other similar teaching aids for both
school and other driver training use.
III. There is a program for adult driver training and retraining.
IV. Commercial driving schools are licensed and commercial
driving instructors are certified in accordance with specific
criteria adopted by the State.
V. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State, and
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 5
DRIVER LICENSING
Each State should have a driver licensing program: (a) To insure
that only persons physically and mentally qualified will be
licensed to operate a vehicle on the highways of the State, and (b)
to prevent needlessly removing the opportunity of the citizen to
drive. A model program would provide, as a minimum, that:
I. Each driver holds only one license, which identifies the
type(s) of vehicle(s) he is authorized to drive.
II. Each driver submits acceptable proof of date and place of
birth in applying for his original license.
III. Each driver:
A. Passes an initial examination demonstrating his:
1. Ability to operate the class(es) of vehicle(s) for which he is
licensed.
2. Ability to read and comprehend traffic signs and symbols.
3. Knowledge of laws relating to traffic (rules of the road) safe
driving procedures, vehicle and highway safety features, emergency
situations that arise in the operation of an automobile, and other
driver responsibilities.
4. Visual acuity, which must meet or exceed State guidelines.
B. Is reexamined at an interval not to exceed 4 years, for at
least visual acuity and knowledge of rules of the road.
IV. A record on each driver should be maintained which includes
positive identification, current address, and driving history. In
addition, the record system should provide the following services:
A. Rapid entry of new data into the system.
B. Controls to eliminate unnecessary or unreasonable delay in
obtaining data which is required for the system.
C. Rapid audio or visual response upon receipt at the records
station of any priority request for status of driver license
validity.
D. Ready availability of data for statistical compilation as
needed by authorized sources.
E. Ready identification of drivers sought for enforcement or
other operational needs.
V. Each license should be issued for a specific term, and should
be renewed to remain valid. At time of issuance or renewal each
driver's record should be checked.
VI. There should be a driver improvement program to identify
problem drivers for record review and other appropriate actions
designed to reduce the frequency of their involvement in traffic
accidents or violations.
VII. There should be:
A. A system providing for medical evaluation of persons whom the
driver licensing agency has reason to believe have mental or
physical conditions which might impair their driving ability.
B. A procedure which will keep the driver license agency informed
of all licensed drivers who are currently applying for or receiving
any type of tax, welfare or other benefits or exemptions for the
blind or nearly blind.
C. A medical advisory board or equivalent allied health
professional unit composed of qualified personnel to advise the
driver license agency on medical criteria and vision guidelines.
VIII. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State,
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary. The evaluation should attempt
to ascertain the extent to which driving without a license occurs.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 6
CODES AND LAWS
Each State should develop and implement a program to achieve
uniformity of traffic codes and laws throughout the State. The
program should provide at least that:
I. There is a plan to achieve uniform rules of the road in all of
its jurisdictions.
II. There is a plan to make the State's unified rules of the road
consistent with similar unified plans of other States. Toward this
end, each State should undertake and maintain continuing
comparisons of all State and local laws, statutes and ordinaces
with the comparable provisions of the Rules of the Road section of
the Uniform Vehicle Code.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 7
TRAFFIC COURTS
Each State in cooperation with its political subdivisions should
have a program to assure that all traffic courts in it complement
and support local and statewide traffic safety objectives. The
program should provide at least that:
I. All convictions for moving traffic violations should be
reported to the State traffic records system.
II. Program Recommendations.
In addition the State should take appropriate steps to meet the
following recommended conditions:
A. All individuals charged with moving hazardous traffic
violations are required to appear in court.
B. Traffic courts are financially independent of any fee system,
fines, costs, or other revenue such as posting or forfeiture of
bail or other collateral resulting from processing violations of
motor-vehicle laws.
C. Operating procedures, assignment of judges, staff and quarters
insure reasonable availability of court services for alleged
traffic offenders.
D. There is a uniform accounting system regarding traffic
violation notices, collection of fines, fees and costs.
E. There are uniform rules governing court procedures in traffic
cases.
F. There are current manuals and guides for administration, court
procedures, and accounting.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 8
ALCOHOL IN RELATION TO HIGHWAY SAFETY
Each State, in cooperation with its political subdivisions,
should develop and implement a program to achieve a reduction in
those traffic accidents arising in whole or in part from persons
driving under the influence of alcohol. The program should provide
at least that:
I. There is a specification by the State of the following with
respect to alcohol related offenses:
A. Chemical test procedures for determining blood-alcohol
concentrations.
B. (1) The blood-alcohol concentrations, not higher than .10
percent by weight, which define the terms 'intoxicated' or 'under
the influence of alcohol,' and
(2) A provision making it either unlawful, or presumptive
evidence of illegality, if the blood-alcohol concentration of a
driver equals or exceeds the limit so established.
II. Any person placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle
while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol is deemed to
have given his consent to a chemical test of his blood, breath, or
urine for the purpose of determining the alcohol content of his
blood.
III. To the extent practicable, there are quantitative tests for
alcohol:
A. On the bodies of all drivers and adult pedestrians who die
within 4 hours of a traffic accident.
B. On all surviving drivers in accidents fatal to others.
IV. There are appropriate procedures established by the State for
specifying:
A. The qualifications of personnel who administer chemical tests
used to determine blood, breath, and other body alcohol
concentrations.
B. The methods and related details of specimen selection,
collection, handling, and analysis.
C. The reporting and tabulation of the results.
V. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State, and
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 9
IDENTIFICATION AND SURVEILLANCE OF ACCIDENT LOCATIONS
Each State, in cooperation with county and other local
governments, should have a program for identifying accident
locations and for maintaining surveillance of those locations
having high accident rates or losses.
I. A model program would provide, as a minimum, that:
A. There is a procedure for accurate identification of accident
locations on all roads and streets.
1. To identify accident experience and losses on any specific
sections of the road and street system.
2. To produce an inventory of:
a. High accident locations.
b. Locations where accidents are increasing sharply.
c. Design and operating features with which high accident
frequencies or severities are associated.
3. To take appropriate measures for reducing accidents.
4. To evaluate the effectiveness of safety improvements on any
specific section of the road and street system.
B. There is a systematically organized program:
1. To maintain continuing surveillance of the roadway network for
potentially high accident locations.
2. To develop methods for their correction.
II. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State and
the Federal Highway Administration should be provided with an
evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 10
TRAFFIC RECORDS
Each State, in cooperation with its political subdivisions,
should maintain a Statewide traffic records system.
A model program would provide, as a minimum that:
I. Information on vehicles and system capabilities should include
(conforms to Motor Vehicle Registration guideline):
A. Make.
B. Model year.
C. Identification number (rather than motor number).
D. Type of body.
E. License plate number.
F. Name and current owner.
G. Current address of owner.
H. Registered gross laden weight of every commercial vehicle.
I. Rapid entry of new data into the records or data system.
J. Controls to eliminate unnecessary or unreasonable delay in
obtaining data.
K. Rapid audio or visual response upon receipt at the records
station of any priority request for status of vehicle possession
authorization.
L. Data available for statistical compilation as needed by
authorized sources.
M. Identification and ownership of vehicles sought for
enforcement or other operational needs.
II. Information on drivers and system capabilities should include
(conforms to Driver Licensing guideline):
A. Positive identification.
B. Current address.
C. Driving history.
D. Rapid entry of new data into the system.
E. Controls to eliminate unnecessary or unreasonable delay in
obtaining data which is required for the system.
F. Rapid audio or visual response upon receipt at the records
station of any priority request for status of driver license
validity.
G. Ready availability of data for statistical compilation as
needed by authorized sources.
H. Ready identification of drivers sought for enforcement or
other operational needs.
III. Information on types of accidents should include:
A. Identification of location in space and time.
B. Identification of drivers and vehicles involved.
C. Type of accident.
D. Description of injury and property damage.
E. Description of environmental conditions.
F. Causes and contributing factors, including the absence of or
failure to use available safety equipment.
IV. There should be methods to develop summary listings, cross
tabulations, trend analyses and other statistical treatments of all
appropriate combinations and aggregations of data items in the
basic minimum data record of drivers and accident and accident
experience by specified groups.
V. All traffic records relating to accidents collected hereunder
should be open to the public in a manner which does not identify
individuals.
VI. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State and
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 11
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
Each State, in cooperation with its local political subdivisions,
should have a program to ensure that persons involved in highway
accidents receive prompt emergency medical care under the range of
emergency conditions encountered. The program should provide, as a
minimum, that:
I. There are training, licensing, and related requirements (as
appropriate) for ambulance and rescue vehicle operators,
attendants, drivers, and dispatchers.
II. There are requirements for types and number of emergency
vehicles including supplies and equipment to be carried.
III. There are requirements for the operation and coordination of
ambulances and other emergency care systems.
IV. There are first aid training programs and refresher courses
for emergency service personnel, and the general public is
encouraged to take first aid courses.
V. There are criteria for the use of two-way communications.
VI. There are procedures for summoning and dispatching aid.
VII. There is an up-to-date, comprehensive plan for emergency
medical services, including:
A. Facilities and equipment.
B. Definition of areas of responsibility.
C. Agreements for mutual support.
D. Communications systems.
VIII. This program should be periodically evaluated by the State
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 12
HIGHWAY DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
Every State in cooperation with county and local governments
should have a program of highway design, construction, and
maintenance to improve highway safety. Guidelines applicable to
specific programs are those issued or endorsed by the Federal
Highway Administrator.
I. The program should provide, as a minimum that:
A. There are design guidelines relating to safety features such
as sight distance, horizontal and vertical curvature, spacing of
decision points, width of lanes, etc., for all new construction or
reconstruction, at least on expressways, major streets and
highways, and through streets and highways.
B. Street systems are designated to provide a safe traffic
environment for pedestrians and motorists when subdivisions and
residential areas are developed or redeveloped.
C. Roadway lighting is provided or upgraded on a priority basis
at the following locations:
1. Expressways and other major arteries in urbanized areas.
2. Junctions of major highways in rural areas.
3. Locations or sections of streets and highways having high
ratios of night-to-day motor vehicle and/or pedestrian accidents.
4. Tunnels and long underpasses.
D. There are guidelines for pavement design and construction with
specific provisions for high skid resistance qualities.
E. There is a program for resurfacing or other surface treatment
with emphasis on correction of locations or sections of streets and
highways with low skid resistance and high or potentially high
accident rates susceptible to reduction by providing improved
surfaces.
F. There is guidance, warning and regulation of traffic
approaching and traveling over construction or repair sites and
detours.
G. There is a systematic identification and tabulation of all
rail-highway grade crossings and a program for the elimination of
hazards and dangerous crossings.
H. Roadways and the roadsides are maintained consistent with the
design guidelines which are followed in construction, to provide
safe and efficient movement of traffic.
I. Hazards within the highway right-of-way are identified and
corrected.
J. There are highway design and construction features wherever
possible for accident prevention and survivability including at
least the following:
1. Roadsides clear of obstacles, with clear distance being
determined on the basis of traffic volumes, prevailing speeds, and
the nature of development along the street or highway.
2. Supports for traffic control devices and lighting that are
designed to yield or break away under impact wherever appropriate.
3. Protective devices that afford maximum protection to the
occupants of vehicles wherever fixed objects cannot reasonably be
removed or designed to yield.
4. Bridge railings and parapets which are designed to minimize
severity of impact, to retain the vehicle, to redirect the vehicle
so that it will move parallel to the roadway, and to minimize
danger to traffic below.
5. Guardrails, and other design features which protect people
from out-of-control vehicles at locations of special hazard such as
playgrounds, schoolyards and commercial areas.
K. There is a post-crash program which includes at least the
following:
1. Signs at freeway interchanges directing motorists to hospitals
having emergency care capabilities.
2. Maintenance personnel trained in procedures for summoning aid,
protecting others from hazards at accident sites, and removing
debris.
3. Provisions for access and egress for emergency vehicles to
freeway sections where this would significantly reduce travel time
without reducing the safety benefits of access control.
II. This program should be periodically evaluated by the State
for its effectiveness in terms of reductions in accidents and their
end results, and the Federal Highway Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 13
TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SERVICES
Each State, in cooperation with its political subdivisions, and
each Federal department or agency which controls highways open to
public travel or supervises traffic operations, should have a
program for applying traffic engineering measures and techniques,
including the use of traffic control devices, to reduce the number
and severity of traffic accidents.
I. The program as a minimum should consist of:
A. A comprehensive manpower development plan to provide the
necessary traffic engineering capability, including:
1. Provisions for supplying traffic engineering assistance to
those jurisdictions unable to justify a full-time traffic
engineering staff.
2. Provisions for upgrading the skills of practicing traffic
engineers, and providing basic instruction in traffic engineering
techniques to subprofessionals and technicians.
B. Utilization of traffic engineering principles and expertise in
the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the public
roadways, and in the application of traffic control devices.
C. A traffic control devices plan including:
1. An inventory of all traffic control devices.
2. Periodic review of existing traffic control devices, including
a systematic upgrading of substandard devices to conform with
guidelines issued or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administrator.
3. A maintenance schedule adequate to insure proper operation and
timely repair of control devices, including daytime and nighttime
inspections.
4. Where appropriate, the application and evaluation of new ideas
and concepts in applying control devices and in the modification of
existing devices to improve their effectiveness through controlled
experimentation.
D. An implementation schedule to utilize traffic engineering
manpower to:
1. Review road projects during the planning, design, and
construction stages to detect and correct features that may lead to
operational safety difficulties.
2. Install safety-related improvements as a part of routine
maintenance and/or repair activities.
3. Correct conditions noted during routine operational
surveillance of the roadway system to rapidly adjust for the
changes in traffic and road characteristics as a means of reducing
accident frequency or severity.
4. Conduct traffic engineering analyses of all high accident
locations and development of corrective measures.
5. Analyze potentially hazardous locations, such as sharp curves,
steep grades, and railroad grade crossings and develop appropriate
countermeasures.
6. Identify traffic control needs and determine short and long
range requirements.
7. Evaluate the effectiveness of specific traffic control
measures in reducing the frequency and severity of traffic
accidents.
8. Conduct traffic engineering studies to establish traffic
regulations such as fixed or variable speed limits.
II. This Program should be periodically evaluated by the State,
or appropriate Federal department or agency where applicable, and
the Federal Highway Administration should be provided with an
evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 14
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Every State in cooperation with its political subdivisions should
develop and implement a program to insure the safety of pedestrians
of all ages. A model program would provide, as a minimum that:
I. There should be a continuing statewide inventory of
pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents, identifying specifically:
A. The locations and times of all such accidents.
B. The age of all of the pedestrians injured or killed.
C. Where feasible, to determine whether the exterior features of
the vehicle produced or aggravated an injury.
D. The color and shade of clothing worn by pedestrians when
injured or killed, and the visibility conditions which prevailed at
the time.
E. The extent to which alcohol is present in the blood of fatally
injured pedestrians 16 years of age and older.
F. Where possible, to determine, the extent to which pedestrians
involved in accidents have physical or mental disabilities.
II. There should be established Statewide operational procedures
for improving the protection of pedestrians through reduction of
potential conflicts with vehicles:
A. By application of traffic engineering practices including
pedestrian signals, signs, markings, parking regulations, and other
pedestrian and vehicle traffic control devices.
B. By land-use planning in new and redevelopment areas for safe
pedestrian movement.
C. By provision of pedestrian bridges, barriers, sidewalks and
other means of physically separating pedestrian and vehicle
pathways.
D. By provision of environmental illumination at high pedestrian
volume and/or potentially hazardous pedestrian crossings.
III. There should be established a Statewide program for
familiarizing drivers with the pedestrian problem and with ways to
avoid pedestrian collisions.
A. The program content should include emphasis on:
(1) Behavior characteristics of the three types of pedestrians
most commonly involved in accidents with vehicles: (i) Children;
(ii) persons under the influence of alcohol; (iii) the elderly;
(2) Accident avoidance techniques that take into account the
hazardous conditions, and behavior characteristics displayed by
each of the three high risk pedestrian groups listed in
subparagraph (1).
B. Emphasis on this program content should be included in:
(1) All driver education and training courses;
(2) Driver improvement courses; and
(3) Driver license examinations.
IV. There should be statewide programs for training and educating
all members of the public as to safe pedestrian behavior on or near
the streets and highways.
A. For children, youths and adults enrolled in schools, beginning
at the earliest possible age.
B. For the general population via the public media.
V. There should be a statewide program for the protection of
children walking to and from school, entering and leaving school
buses, and in neighborhood play.
VI. There should be a statewide program for establishment and
enforcement of traffic regulations designed to achieve orderly
pedestrian and vehicle movement and to reduce vehicle-pedestrian
conflicts.
VII. This program should be periodically evaluated by the States,
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the
Federal Highway Administration should be provided with an
evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 15
POLICE TRAFFIC SERVICES
Every State in cooperation with its political subdivisions should
have a program to insure efficient and effective police services
utilizing traffic patrols: To enforce traffic laws; to prevent
accidents; to aid the injured; to document the particulars of
individual accidents; to supervise accident cleanup and to restore
safe and orderly traffic movement.
I. The program should provide as a minimum that there are:
A. Uniform training procedures in all aspects for police
supervision of vehicular and pedestrian traffic related to highway
safety, including use of appropriate instructional materials and
techniques for recruit, advanced, in-service, and special course
training.
B. Periodic in-service training courses for uniformed and other
police department employees assigned to traffic duties dealing
with:
(1) Administration and management of police, vehicular and
pedestrian traffic services.
(2) Analysis, interpretation and use of traffic records data.
(3) Insurance of prompt reliable post-accident response,
including skilled aid to the injured.
(4) Accomplishing postaccident responsibilities.
C. Procedures for the selective assignment of trained police
personnel to supervise vehicular and pedestrian traffic duties
including enforcement patrols in hazardous or congested areas based
on: time and location of
(1) Traffic volume.
(2) Accident experience.
(3) Traffic violation frequency.
(4) Emergency and service needs.
D. Procedures for investigating, recording and reporting
accidents pertaining to:
(1) The human, vehicular, and highway causative factors in
individual accidents.
(2) The human, vehicular, and highway causative factors of
injuries and deaths, including failure to use safety belts.
(3) The efficiency of the postaccident response.
E. Procedures for recognizing and reporting, to the appropriate
agencies hazardous highway defects and conditions, including:
(1) Condition of drivers;
(2) Operational condition of motor vehicles;
(3) Defective signs, signals, controls, construction and
maintenance deficiencies.
a. Data listed in (3) above should be readily available to the
public.
F. Appropriate agreements by the State and its political
subdivisions regarding primary responsibility and authority for
police traffic supervision, and cooperative responsibilities where
concurrent jurisdictional boundaries and problems exist, and
appropriate participation of each law enforcement agency in the
comprehensive highway safety program of the State and its political
subdivisions.
II. The programs should be periodically evaluated by the State,
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
III. Nothing in this guideline should preclude the use of
personnel other than police officers in carrying out the minimum
requirements in accordance with laws and policies established by
State and/or local governments.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 16
DEBRIS HAZARD CONTROL AND CLEANUP
Each State in cooperation with its political subdivisions should
have a program which provides for rapid, orderly, and safe removal
from the roadway of wreckage, spillage, and debris resulting from
motor vehicle accidents, and for otherwise reducing the likelihood
of secondary and chain-reaction collisions, and conditions
hazardous to the public health and safety.
I. The program should provide as a minimum that:
A. Operational procedures are established and implemented for:
(1) Enabling rescue and salvage equipment personnel to get to the
scene of accidents rapidly and to operate effectively on arrival:
a. On heavily traveled freeways and other limited access roads;
b. In other types of locations where wreckage or spillage of
hazardous materials on or adjacent to highways endangers the public
health and safety;
(2) Extricating trapped persons from wreckage with reasonable
care - both to avoid injury or aggravating existing injuries;
(3) Warning approaching drivers and detouring them with
reasonable care past hazardous wreckage or spillage;
(4) Safe handling of spillage or potential spillage of materials
that are:
a. Radioactive
b. Flammable
c. Poisonous
d. Explosive
e. Otherwise hazardous.
(5) Removing wreckage or spillage from roadways or otherwise
causing the resumption of safe, orderly traffic flow.
B. Adequate numbers of rescue and salvage personnel are properly
trained and retrained in the latest accident cleanup techniques.
C. A communications system is provided, adequately equipped and
manned, to provide coordinated effort in incident detection, and
the notification, dispatch, and response of appropriate services.
II. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State,
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be
provided with an evaluation summary.
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HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 17
PUPIL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
I. Scope. This guideline establishes minimum recommendations for
a State highway safety program for pupil transportation safety
including the identification, operation, and maintenance of buses
used for carrying students; training of passengers, pedestrians,
and bicycle riders; and administration.
II. Purpose. The purpose of this guideline is to minimize, to the
greatest extent possible, the danger of death or injury to school
children while they are traveling to and from school and
school-related events.
III. Definitions.
Bus is a motor vehicle designed for carrying more than 10 persons
(including the driver).
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) are the
regulations of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for
commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce, including buses
with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000
pounds or designed to carry 16 or more persons (including the
driver), other than buses used to transport school children from
home to school and from school to home. (The FMCSR are set forth in
49 CFR parts 383-399.)
School-chartered bus is a 'bus' that is operated under a
short-term contract with State or school authorities who have
acquired the exclusive use of the vehicle at a fixed charge to
provide transportation for a group of students to a special
school-related event.
School bus is a 'bus' that is used for purposes that include
carrying students to and from school or related events on a regular
basis, but does not include a transit bus or a school-chartered
bus.
IV. Pupil Transportation Safety Program Administration and
Operations. - Recommendation. Each State, in cooperation with its
school districts and other political subdivisions, should have a
comprehensive pupil transportation safety program to ensure that
school buses and school-chartered buses are operated and maintained
so as to achieve the highest possible level of safety.
A. Administration. 1. There should be a single State agency
having primary administrative responsibility for pupil
transportation, and employing at least one full-time professional
to carry out these responsibilities.
2. The responsible State agency should develop an operating
system for collecting and reporting information needed to improve
the safety of operating school buses and school-chartered buses.
This includes the collection and evaluation of uniform crash data
consistent with the criteria set forth in Highway Safety Program
Guidelines No. 10, 'Traffic Records' and No. 18, 'Accident
Investigation and Reporting.'
B. Identification and equipment of school buses. Each State
should establish procedures to meet the following recommendations
for identification and equipment of school buses.
1. All school buses should:
a. Be identified with the words 'School Bus' printed in letters
not less than eight inches high, located between the warning signal
lamps as high as possible without impairing visibility of the
lettering from both front and rear, and have no other lettering on
the front or rear of the vehicle, except as required by Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), 49 CFR part 571.
b. Be painted National School Bus Glossy Yellow, in accordance
with the colorimetric specification of National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Standard No. 595a, Color
13432, except that the hood should be either that color or
lusterless black, matching NIST Federal Standard No. 595a, Color
37038.
c. Have bumpers of glossy black, matching NIST Federal Standard
No. 595a, Color 17038, unless, for increased visibility, they are
covered with a reflective material.
d. Be equipped with safety equipment for use in an emergency,
including a charged fire extinguisher, that is properly mounted
near the driver's seat, with signs indicating the location of such
equipment.
e. Be equipped with device(s) demonstrated to enhance the safe
operation of school vehicles, such as a stop signal arm.
f. Be equipped with a system of signal lamps that conforms to
the school bus requirements of FMVSS No. 108, 49 CFR 571.108.
g. Have a system of mirrors that conforms to the school bus
requirements of FMVSS No. 111, 49 CFR 571.111, and provides the
seated driver a view to the rear along both sides of the bus and a
view of the front bumper and the area in front of the bus. Mirrors
should be positioned and adjusted such that when a rod, 30 inches
long, is placed upright on the ground at any point along a traverse
line 1 foot forward of the forward-most point of a school bus, at
least 7 1/2 inches of the length of the rod should be visible to
the driver, either by direct view or by the system of mirrors.
h. Comply with all FMVSS applicable to school buses at the time
of their manufacture.
2. Any school bus meeting the identification recommendations of
sections 1.a-h above that is permanently converted for use wholly
for purposes other than transporting children to and from school or
school-related events should be painted a color other than National
School Bus Glossy Yellow, and should have the stop arms and school
bus signal lamps described by sections 1.e & f removed.
3. School buses, while being operated on a public highway and
transporting primarily passengers other than school children,
should have the words 'School Bus' covered, removed, or otherwise
concealed, and the stop arm and signal lamps described by sections
1.e & f should not be operated.
4. School-chartered buses should comply with all applicable FMCSR
and FMVSS.
C. Operations. Each State should establish procedures to meet the
following recommendations for operating school buses and
school-chartered buses:
1. Personnel. a. Each State should develop a plan for selecting,
training, and supervising persons whose primary duties involve
transporting school children in order to ensure that such persons
will attain a high degree of competence in, and knowledge of, their
duties.
b. Every person who drives a school bus or school-chartered bus
occupied by school children should, as a minimum:
(1) Have a valid State driver's license to operate such a
vehicle. All drivers who operate a vehicle designed to carry 16 or
more persons (including the driver) are required by FHWA's
Commercial Driver's License Standards by April 1, 1992 (49 CFR part
383) to have a valid commercial driver's license;
(2) Meet all physical, mental, moral and other requirements
established by the State agency having primary responsibility for
pupil transportation, including requirements for drug and/or
alcohol misuse or abuse; and
(3) Be qualified as a driver under the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Regulations of the FHWA, 49 CFR part 391, if the driver or
the driver's employer is subject to those regulations.
2. Vehicles. a. Each State should enact legislation that
provides for uniform procedures regarding school buses stopping on
public highways for loading and discharge of children. Public
information campaigns should be conducted on a regular basis to
ensure that the driving public fully understands the implications
of school bus warning signals and requirements to stop for school
buses that are loading or discharging school children.
b. Each State should develop plans for minimizing highway use
hazards to school bus and school-chartered bus occupants, other
highway users, pedestrians, bicycle riders and property. They
should include, but not be limited to:
(1) Careful planning and annual review of routes for safety
hazards;
(2) Planning routes to ensure maximum use of school buses and
school-chartered buses, and to ensure that passengers are not
standing while these vehicles are in operation;
(3) Providing loading and unloading zones off the main traveled
part of highways, whenever it is practical to do so;
(4) Establishing restricted loading and unloading areas for
school buses and school-chartered buses at or near schools;
(5) Ensuring that school bus operators, when stopping on a
highway to take on or discharge children, adhere to State
regulations for loading and discharging including the use of signal
lamps as specified in section B.1.f. of this guideline;
(6) Prohibiting, by legislation or regulation, operation of any
school bus unless it meets the equipment and identification
recommendations of this guideline; and
(7) Replacing, consistent with the economic realities which
typically face school districts, those school buses which are not
manufactured to meet the April 1, 1977 FMVSS for school buses, with
those manufactured to meet the stricter school bus standards, and
not chartering any pre-1977 school buses.
(8) Informing potential buyers of pre-1977 school buses that
these buses may not meet current standards for newly manufactured
buses and of the need for continued maintenance of these buses and
adequate safety instruction.
c. Use of amber signal lamps to indicate that a school bus is
preparing to stop to load or unload children is at the option of
the State. Use of red warning signal lamps as specified in section
B.l.f. of this guideline for any purpose or at any time other than
when the school bus is stopped to load or discharge passengers
should be prohibited.
d. When school buses are equipped with stop arms, such devices
should be operated only in conjunction with red warning signal
lamps, when vehicles are stopped.
e. Seating. (1) Standing while school buses and school-chartered
buses are in motion should not be permitted. Routing and seating
plans should be coordinated so as to eliminate passengers standing
when a school bus or school-chartered bus is in motion.
(2) Seating should be provided that will permit each occupant to
sit in a seat intended by the vehicle's manufacturer to provide
accommodation for a person at least as large as a 5th percentile
adult female, as defined in 49 CFR 571.208. Due to the variation in
sizes of children of different ages, States and school districts
should exercise judgment in deciding how many students are actually
transported in a school bus or school-chartered bus.
(3) There should be no auxiliary seating accommodations such as
temporary or folding jump seats in school buses.
(4) Drivers of school buses and school-chartered buses should be
required to wear occupant restraints whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
(5) Passengers in school buses and school-chartered buses with a
gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less should
be required to wear occupant restraints (where provided) whenever
the vehicle is in motion. Occupant restraints should comply with
the requirements of FMVSS Nos. 208, 209 and 210, as they apply to
multipurpose vehicles.
f. Emergency exit access. Baggage and other items transported
in the passenger compartment should be stored and secured so that
the aisles are kept clear and the door(s) and emergency exit(s)
remain unobstructed at all times. When school buses are equipped
with interior luggage racks, the racks should be capable of
retaining their contents in a crash or sudden driving maneuver.
D. Vehicle maintenance. Each State should establish procedures
to meet the following recommendations for maintaining buses used to
carry school children:
1. School buses should be maintained in safe operating condition
through a systematic preventive maintenance program.
2. All school buses should be inspected at least semiannually.
In addition, school buses and school-chartered buses subject to the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations of FHWA should be
inspected and maintained in accordance with those regulations (49
CFR Parts 393 and 396).
3. School bus drivers should be required to perform daily
pre-trip inspections of their vehicles, and the safety equipment
thereon (especially fire extinguishers), and to report promptly and
in writing any problems discovered that may affect the safety of
the vehicle's operation or result in its mechanical breakdown.
Pre-trip inspection and condition reports for school buses and
school-chartered buses subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations of FHWA should be performed in accordance with those
regulations (49 CFR 392.7, 392.8, and 396).
E. Other Aspects of Pupil Transportation Safety. 1. At least once
during each school semester, each pupil transported from home to
school in a school bus should be instructed in safe riding
practices, proper loading and unloading techniques, proper street
crossing to and from school bus stops and should participate in
supervised emergency evacuation drills, which are timed. Prior to
each departure, each pupil transported on an activity or field trip
in a school bus or school-chartered bus should be instructed in
safe riding practices and on the location and operation of
emergency exits.
2. Parents and school officials should work together to select
and designate the safest pedestrian and bicycle routes for the use
of school children.
3. All school children should be instructed in safe
transportation practices for walking to and from school. For those
children who routinely walk to school, training should include
preselected routes and the importance of adhering to those routes.
4. Children riding bicycles to and from school should receive
bicycle safety education, wear bicycle safety helmets, and not
deviate from preselected routes.
5. Local school officials and law enforcement personnel should
work together to establish crossing guard programs.
6. Local school officials should investigate programs which
incorporate the practice of escorting students across streets and
highways when they leave school buses. These programs may include
the use of school safety patrols or adult monitors.
7. Local school officials should establish passenger vehicle
loading and unloading points at schools that are separate from the
school bus loading zones.
V. Program evaluation. The pupil transportation safety program
should be evaluated at least annually by the State agency having
primary administrative responsibility for pupil transportation.
Return to Top
HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM GUIDELINE NO. 18
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING
I. Scope. This guideline establishes the requirement that each
State should have a highway safety program for accident
investigation and reporting.
II. Purpose. The purpose of this guideline is to establish a
uniform, comprehensive motor vehicle traffic accident investigation
program for gathering information - who, what, when, where, why,
and how - on motor vehicle traffic accidents and associated deaths,
injuries, and property damage; and entering the information into
the traffic records system for use in planning, evaluating, and
furthering highway safety program goals.
III. Definitions. For the purpose of this guideline the following
definitions apply:
Accident - an unintended event resulting in injury or damage,
involving one or more motor vehicles on a highway that is publicly
maintained and open to the public for vehicular travel.
Highway - the entire width between the boundary lines of every
way publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of
the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
Motor vehicle - any vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power
manufactured primarily for use on the public streets, roads, and
highways, except any vehicle operated exclusively on a rail or
rails.
IV. Requirements. Each State, in co-operation with its political
subdivisions, should have an accident investigation program. A
model program would be structured as follows:
A. Administration. 1. There should be a State agency having
primary responsibility for administration and supervision of
storing and processing accident information, and providing
information needed by user agencies.
2. There should be employed at all levels of government adequate
numbers of personnel, properly trained and qualified, to conduct
accident investigations and process the resulting information.
3. Nothing in this guideline should preclude the use of personnel
other than police officers, in carrying out the requirements of
this guideline in accordance with laws and policies established by
State and/or local governments.
4. Procedures should be established to assure coordination,
cooperation, and exchange of information among local, State, and
Federal agencies having responsibility for the investigation of
accidents and subsequent processing of resulting data.
5. Each State should establish procedures for entering accident
information into the statewide traffic records system established
pursuant to Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 10. Traffic
Records, and for assuring uniformity and compatibility of this data
with the requirements of the system, including as a minimum:
a. Use of uniform definitions and classifications acceptable to
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and identified
in the Highway Safety Program Manual.
b. A guideline format for input of data into the statewide
traffic records system.
c. Entry into the statewide traffic records system of
information gathered and submitted to the responsible State agency.
B. Accident reporting. Each State should establish procedures
which require the reporting of accidents to the responsible State
agency within a reasonable time after occurrence.
C. Owner and driver reports. 1. In accidents involving only
property damage, where the vehicle can be normally and safely
driven away from the scene, the drivers or owners of vehicles
involved should be required to submit a written report consistent
with State reporting requirements, to the responsibile State
agency. A vehicle should be considered capable of being normally
and safely driven if it does not require towing and can be operated
under its own power, in its customary manner, without further
damage or hazard to itself, other traffic elements, or the
roadway. Each report so submitted should include, as a minimum,
the following information relating to the accident:
a. Location.
b. Time.
c. Identification of driver(s).
d. Identification of pedestrian(s), passenger(s), or
pedal-cyclist(s).
e. Identification of vehicle(s).
f. Direction of travel of each unit.
g. Other property involved.
h. Environmental conditions existing at the time of the
accident.
i. A narrative description of the events and circumstances
leading up to the time of impact, and immediately after impact.
2. In all other accidents, the drivers or owners of motor
vehicles involved should be required to immediately notify the
police of the jurisdiction in which the accident occurred. This
includes, but is not limited to accidents involving: (1) Fatal or
nonfatal personal injury, or (2) damage to the extent that any
motor vehicle involved cannot be driven under its own power, in its
customary manner, without further damage or hazard to itself, other
traffic elements, or the roadway, and therefore requires towing.
D. Accident investigation. Each State should establish a plan
for accident investigation and reporting which should meet the
following criteria:
1. Police investigation should be conducted of all accidents as
identified in section IV.C.2. of this guideline 18. Information
gathered should be consistent with the police mission of detecting
and apprehending law violators, and should include, as a minimum,
the following;
a. Violation(s), if any occurred, cited by section and
subsection, numbers and titles of the State code, that (1)
contributed to the accident where the investigating officer has
reason to believe that violations were committed regardless of
whether the officer has sufficient evidence to prove the
violation(s); and (2) for which the driver was arrested or cited.
b. Information necessary to prove each of the elements of the
offense(s) for which the driver was arrested or cited.
c. Information, collected in accordance with the program
established under Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 15, Police
Traffic Services, section I-D, relating to human, vehicular, and
highway factors causing individual accidents, injuries, and deaths,
including failure to use safety belts.
2. Accident investigation teams should be established,
representing different interest areas, such as police; traffic;
highway and automotive engineering; medical, behavioral, and social
sciences. Data gathered by each member of the investigation team
should be consistent with the mission of the member's agency, and
should be for the purpose of determining probable causes of
accidents, injuries, and deaths. These teams should conduct
investigations of an appropriate sampling of accidents in which
there were one or more of the following conditions:
a. Locations that have a similarity of design, traffic
engineering characteristics, or environmental conditions, and that
have a significantly large or disproportionate number of accidents.
b. Motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts that are involved in a
significantly large or disproportionate number of accidents or
injury-producing accidents.
c. Drivers, pedestrians, and vehicle occupants of a particular
age, sex, or other grouping, who are involved in a significantly
large or disproportionate number of motor vehicle traffic accidents
or injuries.
d. Accidents in which causation or the resulting injuries and
property damage are not readily explainable in terms of conditions
or circumstances that prevailed.
e. Other factors that concern State and national emphasis
programs.
V. Evaluation. The program should be evaluated at least annually
by the State. Substance of the evaluation report should be guided
by Chapter V of the Highway Safety Program Manual. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be provided with a
copy of the evaluation report.
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