Transportation Safety Public Participation and Engagement

You Can Help Shape Transportation Safety in Oregon

The ODOT Transportation Safety Office is working hard to keep everyone safe when they are on the road. But we need your thoughts to do it right.

Take our Traffic Safety Survey
The information you provide by taking the Traffic Safety Survey is very valuable and provides us with information about what people throughout Oregon feel we need to do to improve transportation safety in their communities.

Do you have something to say about safety education and outreach?
We value your input and welcome any ideas or feedback you may have. Feel free to email us at TransportationSafetyInput@odot.oregon.gov. Your thoughts are important to our mission of enhancing transportation safety statewide. Please note: All other questions or comments that are not related specifically to safety education and outreach should be directed to Ask ODOT (or 1-888-ASK-ODOT).

Ask ODOT is available to assist if you have questions, complaints, or reports regarding state highways, roads, bridges, or transportation services in Oregon. Use this service to report hazards like potholes, inquire about construction, check road conditions, or discuss accessibility (ADA) concerns, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..

Project Introduction

Local voice and representation are critical to the effectiveness of community traffic safety programs. Transportation safety practitioners have the obligation and accountability to incorporate the voices of their communities in transportation decision-making. ODOT strives to actively involve the public in various stages of transportation decision-making and to build their organizational capacity to do so. Public involvement from the beginning and throughout a program or project’s lifecycle has the potential to help projects come to life faster and to better meet the needs of the community. This set of promising practices provides a shared definition of meaningful public involvement and promising practices to help address barriers to inclusion in transportation decision-making.

Oregon’s Triennial Highway Safety Plan (3HSP) also serves as the state’s FFY application for federal funds in meeting the requirements of Title 23 CFR Part 1300.

The plan represents a one-year look into the transportation safety program and the State and Federal (NHTSA and FHWA) funds managed by the ODOT-Transportation Safety Office. In addition, every year an Annual Evaluation Report is completed that explains how funds were actually spent, challenges faced, and how ODOT-TSO fared on meeting its annual performance measure targets (December).

The Transportation Safety Office always looks forward to a successful program where many transportation crashes are avoided, and the fatality and injury toll is dramatically reduced. Each and every day, Oregon’s goal is zero fatalities.

Information and Resources

2023 Oregon Highway Safety Program Annual Report

Transportation Safety Office Mission Statement

To prevent transportation deaths and serious injuries in Oregon by positively influencing all road user behaviors through the development and implementation of safety programs with local, county, tribal and state partnerships.

The ODOT Transportation Safety Office (TSO) is asking for YOUR input on the draft Highway Safety Plan (HSP) for the new Triennial HSP (Tri-HSP) requirement under the new BIL/IIJA Act: for grant years FFY2024-2025-2026 (Oct 1 – Sept 30). The purpose of this planning document is to share current trends and problems that are affecting Oregon’s roadway safety efforts, as supported by the most recent data* available. This includes a broad collaboration that takes place in Oregon’s highway safety community. (*Final confirmed crash data available to date was for CY 2020). The HSP outlines the behavioral countermeasures and strategies to TSO’s identified transportation safety problems derived from crash data and other information analyses.
The Highway Safety Plan will now represent a three-year look-ahead (vs. annual) at the state’s highway safety program, including all of the funds controlled by the Transportation Safety Office, and continues to serve as the state’s application for NHTSA funding. [In addition, every year an Annual Evaluation report is completed that explains what funds were spent and how we fared on our annual performance measures; the TSO is then required to submit an updated Annual Grant Application to include updates made to the 3HSP from the prior year’s efforts based on outcomes and data results from FFY2024, and from FFY2025, etc.].
The Highway Safety Plan must be in alignment with the Oregon Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP). The TSAP serves as the foundation for the integration of behavioral and engineering safety practices into all aspects of planning, programming and policy activities throughout Oregon. This is a 5-year plan that is the framework for engaging residents, stakeholders, employers, planners, engineers, enforcement agencies, and emergency medical service providers across the state in improving transportation safety in Oregon; and serves as the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, an FHWA requirement.

Local voice and representation are critical to the effectiveness of community traffic safety programs. Transportation safety practitioners have the obligation and accountability to incorporate the voices of their communities in transportation decision-making. ODOT strives to actively involve the public in various stages of transportation decision-making and to build their organizational capacity to do so. Public involvement from the beginning and throughout a program or project’s lifecycle has the potential to help projects come to life faster and to better meet the needs of the community. This set of promising practices provides a shared definition of meaningful public involvement and promising practices to help address barriers to inclusion in transportation decision-making.

Chart 1 - Meaningful Public Involvement

Figure 1 - https://www.transportation.gov/public-involvement

ODOT is proactively seeking full representation from the community, consideration of public comments and feedback, and incorporating that feedback into its safety program and planning. The impact of community contributions encourages early and continuous public involvement and brings diverse viewpoints and values into the transportation decision-making process. This process enables the community and agencies to make better-informed decisions through collaborative efforts.

On November 15, 2021, the President signed into law the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” (known also as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL), Public Law 117-58. The BIL provides for a once-in-a-generation investment in highway safety, including a significant increase in the amount of funding available to States under NHTSA's highway safety grants.

Summary of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (aka BIL - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)

What is the difference between the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)? | US Department of Transportation

To learn more about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law visit:
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law | US Department of Transportation