Tribal Transportation Safety Planning

Roadway Safety

Roadway safety is a particularly important issue for Native communities. Unfortunately, American Indian and Alaska Natives are killed or injured in vehicular accidents at much higher rates than other Americans. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), two American Indians or Alaska Natives are killed in motor vehicle accidents nearly every day.

Strategies to develop and maintain safe roadways include a number of options that can range from relatively low-cost improvement projects (e.g., lane-striping, signage, rumble strips, or guardrails), driver safety and awareness education programs, increased law enforcement, and major construction projects. Many safety-related projects can be implemented through the use of Transportation Program Safety Funds that are administered through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

California Tribes may be at a disadvantage when competing for road safety improvement funds due to relatively low population levels and the fewer number of roads associated with small Reservations and Rancherias. Inadequate funding along with road safety implementation methods associated with Public Law 280 have contributed to a roadway crash database that is inconsistent and often lacking for many parts of Indian Country. The lack of accurate crash data on or near Tribal lands hampers the ability of Tribal governments to obtain grant funding necessary to implement safety-related transportation improvements. 

NIJC administers three projects designed to address roadway safety on or near Tribal lands: the Tribal Transportation Safety Planning Project, the Tribal Road Safety Data Project, and the Tribal Injury Prevention Specialist Program.

Tribal Transportation Safety Planning Project

 The Tribal Transportation Safety Planning Project aims to encourage and assist Tribes in the development of both Tribal Transportation Safety Plans and Tribal Transportation Long-Range Plans through the delivery of workshop sessions, training modules, and technical advice and assistance.

In 2018, NIJC will conduct California regional training workshops addressing the development of Tribal Transportation Safety Planning and Tribal Long-Range plans. Training dates and locations will be posted online as soon as plans are finalized. For additional information contact the NIJC transportation safety planning coordinator at:joanharper@nijc.org

Tribal Road Safety Data Project - UC Berkeleys SafeTREC, FWHA – Office of Traffic Safety

The Tribal Road Safety Data Project aims to improve how roadway crash data is collected on or near Tribal lands. The project will analyze roadway crash data collection methods and procedures, identify gaps in how roadway crash data is collected, and provide recommendations to improve roadway crash data collection throughout California Indian Country.

The U.C. Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) has developed an online tool that integrates crash data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) and BIA shapefiles. Tribes can use the online tool to obtain roadway crash safety data to support grant applications and the development of tribal transportation plans. In 2017, NIJC conducted three regional training workshops to assist Tribes in utilizing the online tool. For additional training in accessing the database, please contact the NIJC training coordinator at: tcoord@nijc.org.

To visit the Tribal Crash Data online Tool website go to:
http://www.nijc.org/online-tool-training-manual.html

SafeTREC and the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) Tribal Transportation Safety & Planning Program (TTSPP) invite you to participate in an online survey designed to identify gaps in how crash data is collected. The results of the survey may be used to generate future funding and assistance in Indian Country for the acquisition of equipment, training, software, and data collection, maintenance, and storage needs. 

Please help us with this important project by using the following link to complete the online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TribalRoadSafetyData   

Tribal Injury Prevention Specialist Program

The Tribal Injury Prevention Specialist Program provides transportation safety information, training, and technical assistance to Tribal transportation agencies responsible for roadway safety. The Tribal Injury Prevention Specialist assists tribes and their partners in improving road safety in Indian Country. For additional information click here.