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Transportation Safety Public Participation and Engagement

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.

Help Us Improve

Thank you for taking the time and energy to attend this year’s Transportation Safety Conference. To improve upon our next Transportation Safety Conference, and/or the Public Engagement and Input Workshop on the Transportation Safety Highway Safety Plan proposals, please take a moment to share your thoughts about the March 14 and 15 event that was held at the Spirit Mountain Conference Center. The survey takes about two minutes, and you also can choose to write down more information. We had tried to make it as convenient as we can for you. To access the conference evaluation survey please visit the site at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BNLSYDC. If you have further input or ideas, please feel free to also send us an email to: TransportationSafetyInput@odot.oregon.gov. 

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 annual Highway Safety Plan 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.

Submit Your Highway Safety Plan Input

There are multiple options available for providing your input.

  • Click on the blue ‘Submit your Highway Safety Plan Input’ button on this page. The email address TransportationSafetyInput@odot.oregon.gov provided is strictly for this purpose and is monitored closely by ODOT-TSO staff.
  • Contact the Transportation Safety Office directly.
  • Participate at an annual Transportation Safety Conference.
  • Attend a Governor's Advisory Safety Committee meeting. (See Public Comment instructions listed on any of the linked GAC committee webpages.

Information and Resources



  • The ODOT-DMV 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; for years 2 and 3 (FFY2025 and 2026), the TSO is then required to submit an updated annual HSP to include updates made to the Tri-HSP 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​


Rule by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Public Law 117-58):




Project Leaders

Traci Pearl, Manager
DMV - Transportation Safety Office

Colleen O'Hogan
Evaluation and Data Specialist,
Roadway Safety and Safety Corridors Programs Manager,
Work Zone Safety Program Manager,
Vehicle Equipment Safety Standards Program Manager

Walt McAllister
Safe Communities Program Manager,
Transportation Safety Action Plan,
Traffic Records, and ACTS Committee

Kristin Twenge
Law Enforcement and Judicial Programs Manager,
Traffic Law Enforcement, Speed, LETS Committee, and Judicial Education

Project Team Email 
TransportationSafetyInput@odot.oregon.gov