Strategic Highway Safety Plan - Arrive Alive
|
Read the plan (PDF, 7MB) |
Virginia relies on a transportation system that delivers people, goods and services safely.
Committing to transportation safety saves the lives of friends and loved ones.
The Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) identifies effective strategies and actions to reach "zero deaths" and serious injuries on our roads and highways.
Virginia’s motto is “Arrive Alive,” a goal for every road user when they drive, walk or ride.
In the past four years, traffic-related fatalities increased, rising by eight percent from 2016 to 2019.
On the positive side, during the same years, serious injuries decreased by 11 percent.
Crashes in the commonwealth take more lives than heart disease, cancer, homicide, accidental drug overdoses or diabetes.
Toward Zero Deaths
The plan is needed to deliver data-driven solutions that address safety needs and ultimately achieve the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) vision on the transportation network.
Reaching a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries is not as impossible as it may sound. It's the goal we set for ourselves, our families and friends every day.
To engage the TZD culture and actions at a personal, local or regional level, visit www.TZDVa.org.
Plan Overview
The Arrive Alive SHSP has been Virginia’s document guiding us Toward Zero Deaths since 2006.
The plan is:
- A multi-agency, comprehensive, data-driven approach to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on public roads.
- A coordinated framework for addressing the most serious traffic safety problems.
- An approach that includes statewide goals and critical emphasis areas developed in consultation with federal, state, regional, and local stakeholders who represent the 4 Es of safety – engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency medical services.
Virginia’s Critical Safety Problems
The SHSP identifies and supports behaviors and attitudes that promote a positive safety culture and provide solutions for Virginia’s most serious traffic safety problems.
It identifies eight areas:
In addition, the plan also identifies three special areas, which are essential to meet our goals and objectives:
Leadership
Several agencies participate on a SHSP committee, lending their expertise, resources and time toward lowering fatalities and serious injuries.
Leadership and oversight for the plan comes from the Executive Committee, Steering Committee, and Emphasis Area Teams.
Executive Committee: Virginia’s executive leaders support the SHSP by:
- Overseeing its development and implementation
- Encouraging collaboration
- Aligning agency goals to support safety
- Communicating safety information
- Sharing progress on safety initiatives
Each agency head signed the plan charter, committing to these responsibilities.
Steering Committee: Virginia’s leaders:
- Manage the SHSP update process
- Report back to their executive leaders
- Meet quarterly to ensure the plan’s strategies and actions are executed and evaluated
Emphasis Area Teams: Highway safety and transportation-related staff at Virginia’s agencies and stakeholders regularly implement the strategies and action in the SHSP and meet quarterly to discuss progress and challenges.
Results
Virginia is committed to tracking progress. View the status of safety performance and implementation activities at our Dashboard. Further, an annual summary report of progress is available.
VDOT Resources
- VDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program
- Virginia Pedestrian Safety Action Plan
- VDOT MPO Crash Tool
- VDOT crash mapping
- Virginia crash data
Additional Resources
For More
Stephen Read, P.E.
HSIP Planning Manager
Stephen.Read@VDOT.Virginia.gov
807-786-9094
