Application of the AASHTO

Highway Safety Manual (HSM)

Karen Dixon, Ph.D., P.E.
Email: k-dixon@tamu.edu

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HSM Overview

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 Integrate Safety
Need into Decision
Processes

3
 Safety Trade-Offs?

Costs
Environment
Safety Right-of-Way

What Do You Do? 4

Highway Safety has Two
Dimensions

Nominal
Safety Substantive
Safety

Standards Expected or Actual

Compliance Crash Frequency
and Severity
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 Design Exception Insights
Nominal Safety is
an ABSOLUTE
Greater
CRASH RISK

Substantive
Safety is a
CONTINUUM

Greater
DESIGN DIMENSION
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 HSM Vision Akin to HCM
Definitive; represents

1 quantitative ‘state-of-the-
art’ information

Widely accepted within

2 professional practice of
transportation engineering

3 Science-based; updated
regularly to reflect research

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 Common Impacts for
Project Level Decisions?
• Traffic Noise • Traffic • Cost Models
Design
Models Operations / • Real Estate
Criteria
• Air Quality Models Microscopic Appraisals
(nominal
• 3-D Visualization Simulation • DOT
More Quantitative

safety)
• Environmental • Construction Databases

Greater Weight
Assessments Plans

The HSM

Substantive Safety
Safety Environmental Traffic Right-of-Way Costs
Impacts Impacts Operations

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 Design

Existing Conditions Alternative 1

>> 0
Alternative
>> 1
2 >> 2 >>
Alternative
3
3
>> 4
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>>
Vol. 1 (Part A) Vol. 3 (Part D)
Introduction
Crash Modification
Human Factors
Factors (CMFs)
Fundamentals

Vol. 1 (Part B)
Roadway Safety Vol. 2 (Part C)
Management Predictive Method
Process
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 SPFs
• Calibrate SPFs for LOCAL conditions
• Weight with EB Method

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 Crash Expected Crashes
Modification = CMF x
Factor (base condition crashes)

CMF You can remember it as

“M is for multiply”

Expectedaverage crash frequency with condition' b'

CMF 
Expectedaverage crash frequency with condition' a'

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 CMF Example
CMF = 0.90 Represents a 10%
Reduction in Crashes

Expected crashes
= CMF x (base condition crashes)
= 0.9 x (base condition crash frequency)

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Snapshot of How HSM
Works

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 The Value of the HSM
• Provides proven and vetted science-based
approach to quantifying safety effects of
decisions and actions we contemplate
• Provides common knowledge base, language
and basis for reasoned safety judgments
• Allows incorporation of safety to same level of
importance as other factors
• Does not increase risk of tort liability

It does not force or require you to

do anything, it merely helps you do
a better job
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 Measuring Safety
SUBJECTIVE SAFETY OBJECTIVE SAFETY
• Perception • Quantifiable
• Values vary among • Independent of the
observers observer

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 The HSM uses crashes
as a measure of
safety

What is
Safety?

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 Crashes

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>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>
 Random Events

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>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>
 Rare Events
Relative Proportion of Crash Events

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K
A
Crash Severity
B Categories in the HSM

C
O 21
K K crash

A One or more persons died

within 30 days of the crash
B
C
O 22
K A crash

A Incapacitating injury

B
C
O 23
K B crash

A Non-incapacitating evident injury

B
C
O 24
K C crash

A Possible injury

B
C
O 25
K O crash

A No injuries - reportable
property damage resulted from
B crash

C
O 26
K Crash Severity

A Most severe injury controls

level of crash severity

B
C
O 27
 Available Tools and
Resources to Help Apply

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29
Diamonds represent data needs
Squares represent assessment tools
Circles represent assessment methods

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 Companion Software
HSM Part Supporting Tool
Part B: SafetyAnalyst
Roadway Safety
Management Process www.safetyanalyst.org

Part C: IHSDM
Predictive Methods www.ihsdm.org
Part D: FHWA CRF/CMF
Crash Modification Clearinghouse
Factors www.cmfclearinghouse.com
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HSM Part C Self-Calculating
Spreadsheets at
highwaysafetymanual.org

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Evaluating Options (example
application)

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Evaluating Options (continued)

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 Evaluating Options (continued)

Total Crashes per Year FI Crashes per Year

Intersection Segment Predicted Intersection Segment Predicted

Alternative
Crashes Crashes Crashes Crashes Crashes Crashes

17.14 10.31
Existing 12.80 4.34 7.94 2.37
(say 17) (say 10)

11.20 5.82
Alternative 6.66 4.54 3.33 2.49
(say 11) (say 6)
FI = fatality and injury

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 Companion Resources &
Documents
• AASHTO Site: highwaysafetymanual.org
• HSM Online Overview Course (FHWA-NHI
380106)
• Application of Crash Modification Factors (NHI
380093) workshop
• FHWA CMF Clearinghouse
(cmfclearinghouse.org)
• ITE Integration of Safety in the Project
Development Process and Beyond: A Context
Sensitive Approach
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HSM Is Not Just for
Safety Experts!

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 What‘s Next?
• First Edition Published in 2010
• Resources and Tools Continue to be
Developed
• Next Edition of the HSM Expected in 2019 or
2020
• Production Contract for HSM V2 Signed Last
Week (Team of Kittelson & Associates and
Texas A&M Transportation Institute)

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Questions & Discussion

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