Local and Rural Road Safety Briefing Sheets - Promoting the Importance of Road Safety to Local Elected Officials

2014PDFBriefFHWA-SA-14-093Local transportationRural highwaysRural transportationHighway safetyLocal governmentUnited StatesUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of SafetyUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of SafetyFederal Highway AdministrationPromoting road safety should come first and can be incorporated into projects focused on maintenance, mobility and infrastructure condition improvement. Local elected and appointed officials play an important role in supporting highway safety programs through leadership, funding, and political support. Officials participate in identifying and selecting projects, developing safety plans, and establishing priorities. However, in addition to road safety, local officials have many competing priorities. Therefore, promoting the importance of local and rural road safety to decision-makers requires an appreciation of the role these officials play in advancing safety priorities along with an understanding of how to reach these officials with the safety message. This document describes how local and rural road owners can engage local leadership to address road safety issues and provides resources where additional guidance and information can be found. Elected officials at the local level make decisions on funding measures, support programs to educate drivers, and enact legislation enforcing traffic laws. Regular communication with elected officials will help secure policies that benefit safety programs and will establish a relationship with decision makers as partners in successful safety initiatives. Relationships with elected officials should be seen as a two-way street. By cultivating these relationships, local and rural road safety professionals know they have an ally in a decision-making position, and, conversely, safety advocates can be a helpful resource to public officials by providing updates and information about what is happening in the community. Being able to communicate to elected officials the importance of roadway safety improvements to the safe travel of the community is an important step. The best way to convince officials of the importance of safety investments is to highlight the needs of your community and show that the issue has the support of the public. Elected officials will care about improving safety if they know their constituents care about it.93