The Safe System Approach has changed the conversation on roadway safety in recent years, and safety plans now routinely include strategies for safe roads, safe speeds, and safe people. But those plans often fail to address the other two elements of a safe system: safe vehicles and post-crash care. While vehicle design and crash response may fall outside the realm of what a city or state transportation agency can directly control, Safety Practice Lead Angie Byrne sees tremendous, untapped potential for agencies to influence these elements.
Director of Planning Alia Anderson recently sat down with Angie to discuss these overlooked elements of the Safe System Approach and all the ways that local and state governments can tap into their power to take a truly systemic approach. Watch their full conversation, and read a summary of Angie’s key takeaways below.
How are agencies currently using the Safe System Approach?
The Safe System Approach is a radical shift in how we do safety, and as a country we’re still learning how to put the full approach into practice. While I was reviewing thousands of Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) safety action plans at USDOT, nearly every plan said it used a Safe System Approach, yet very few strategies touched on vehicles or post-crash care. I saw the same pattern in state Strategic Highway Safety Plans. Roads, speeds, and road users get the most focus, largely because they echo the old E’s of safety: education, enforcement, and engineering.
City and state governments don’t design cars. What can they do to address vehicle safety?
When I’m asked that question, I usually answer with another question: how many vehicles are in your fleet? Agencies do control how they select and operate fleet vehicles, what data informs those choices, and how the built environment shapes what gets purchased. Over time, those choices can influence the broader market. (See Angie’s article on fleet vehicle safety for more on this topic!)
What kinds of vehicle safety technologies are you excited about?
There are so many new technologies launching every day, but I like to focus on proven, well-studied tools that are readily available right now. One is intelligent speed assistance (ISA), which is often discussed as a reactive fix for super speeders but has great potential to work proactively, keeping fleet drivers from speeding in the first place. New York City and Washington, DC, are already using it this way. ISA could also be a smart tool for parents of new teen drivers, to keep teens from speeding in the first place.
I’m also a big fan of telematics data. Telematics refers to all the data from a vehicle’s onboard computer: speed, seatbelt use, routes, and hard braking or acceleration. Many agencies have this data but use only a fraction of it. I also love recommending truck side guards. They’re low-tech, but they keep people walking and biking from going under a large vehicle’s rear wheels in a crash.
With vendors multiplying fast, try not to get distracted by every shiny new gadget. Choose tools that address your most serious safety challenge, and use them to their full capability.
Does post-crash care just mean ambulances and trauma care?
Those are big pieces, but they’re not the whole story. Post-crash care also covers crash detection and notification (critical in rural areas with limited cell service), 911 call routing, scene safety, traffic incident management, responder safety, crash investigation, and data quality. It also extends to long-term recovery for survivors and their families, and to supporting the responders who face these traumatic scenes again and again.
Police and emergency response teams handle crashes. Where do transportation agencies fit in?
Response time is a top concern for first responders, so keep reference markers current, use signal preemption, and consider design details like mountable curbs. EMS data can also fill gaps in crash databases, especially for people walking and biking, whose crashes often never reach a police report. Remember that SS4A is a safe system grant program, not just an infrastructure grant program. So bring post-crash care partners into safety and funding conversations.
What changes when a community treats all five elements as interconnected?
Everything! Countries that have fully embraced all elements of the Safe System Approach see fewer deaths and serious injuries on their roads. They’re achieving this simple goal: more people at the dinner table. Safer streets also invite more walking, biking, and transit use, contributing to more vibrant public spaces. Plus, there are economic benefits to be gained: every crash carries costs for emergency response, vehicles, medical care, trauma recovery, and potential liability.
If an agency hasn’t done much yet on safer vehicles or post-crash care, where should it start?
Be curious, ask questions, then act on what you learn. This is a long game. As I mentioned in my recent presentation at the AASHTO Safety Summit, radical change is hard and should feel uncomfortable. But when it feels overwhelming, shift your focus to what you can control, and use the influence you didn’t realize you had.
