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glossary
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A

AAA

American Automobile Association
A non-profit membership of private automobile drivers.
 

AADT

Average Annual Daily Traffic
Estimate of typical daily traffic on a road segment that considers all days of the week over the period of one year.
 

AAMVA

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
An international association of motor vehicle officials and other related governmental representatives.
 

AASHTO

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
A member organization for state department of transportation chief administrative officials. The AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan addresses infrastructure, driver, occupant, vehicle, and post-crash strategies.
 

Access Management

A process for providing access to land development, while preserving the safety and capacity of the transportation system.
 

Accident

An unexpected event causing loss or injury, which is not due to any fault on the part of the person injured. The term “accident” often refers to a situation resulting from carelessness or ignorance, which may have been prevented and may be referred to as a mishap or event. Current highway practice is to use the term “crash” and current transit practice is to use the term “incident.”
 

A-Injury

An “incapacitating” injury suffered by a person in traffic-related crash; a major injury in the KABCO injury severity scale.
 

Airbag

A supplemental restraint system that automatically inflates a bag in front of driver and front-seat passengers to cushion crash forces. A three-point harness (seat belt and shoulder restraint) must be used at all times to provide proper protection. Some vehicles are now being manufactured with side air bags to protect front and rear seat occupants.
 

AMF

Accident Modification Factor
The percent reduction in expected accidents (crashes) due to the implementation of a countermeasure. AMFs are used in the accident prediction algorithm to represent the effects on safety of specific geometric design and traffic control features. The AMF for the nominal or base value of each geometric design traffic control feature has a value of 1.0.
 

ANSI

American National Standards Institute
 

ANSI D16.1

Manual on Classification of Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents
 

ANSI D20.1

Data Element Dictionary for Traffic Record Systems
 

Apportionment

Congressional division of Federal funds among States based on predetermined formula. Highway Safety funds are apportioned on the basis of a formula that uses the States’ population and roadway miles.
 

Appropriation

Congressional action making funds available for obligation and expenditure. Under the Highway Safety Act, appropriation places a limitation on funds previously authorized and apportioned.
 

APTA

American Public Transportation Association
Promotes advocacy, innovation, and information sharing to strengthen and expand public transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services, and by improving those services to meet national energy, environmental, and financial concerns. http://www.apta.com/
 

AR

Annual Report
The report submitted each year (90 days after the end of the Federal fiscal year [December 31]) by each state highway safety office which addresses State progress in meeting highway safety goals and use of performance measures identified in the Performance Plan. See 23 CFR Part 1200.33.
 

Authorization

Congressional action providing an agency (e.g., FTA, FHWA, FMCSA, NHTSA) the authority to carry out a program and at the same time place an upper (fiscal year) limitation on funds that can be appropriated. Generally, several fiscal years are included in a single authorization. Examples: ISTEA, NHS, and TEA 21.
 

AVI

Automatic Vehicle Identification
Identifies vehicles using light, microwave, or radio frequencies, combining roadside receivers with on-board transponders to automatically identify vehicles.
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B

BAC (BAL)

Blood Alcohol Concentration (Or Blood Alcohol Level)
A percent weight of alcohol (measured in milligrams) in a volume of blood (measured in milliliters). Most state laws declare a BAC reading of 0.10 percent to constitute intoxication. As of the year 2000, 17 states and the District of Columbia had lowered the legal BAC to.08.
 

B-Injury

A “non-incapacitating” injury; a minor injury in the KABCO injury severity scale.
 

Bivariate Analysis

also Multivariate Analysis
Analysis of subgroups using more than a single characteristic (e.g., time of day, day of week, age of person analysis).
 

Black Spots

High-accident locations; also referred to as hot spots.
 

BTS

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 established the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) for data collection, analysis, and reporting and to ensure the most cost-effective use of transportation-monitoring resources. BTS is one of the 12 modal administrations in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). http://www.bts.gov/
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C

C/CTSP

Community/Corridor Traffic Safety Program
A traffic safety program process within a locality having diverse counter-measures that ideally address a variety of problem areas having the total support of the local’s Chief Executive. This program was a forerunner to the “Safe Communities” programs.
 

CARE

A law enforcement program that typically targets the three summer holiday weekends. In some parts of the country, Thanksgiving is also included.
 

Carry Forward Funds

Federal highway safety funds, which a state has programmed but not expended by the end of the fiscal year in which they were apportioned. These funds can be reprogrammed to the next fiscal year. The “Common Rule” requires those funds to be closed out for that fiscal year and carried forward to be combined with the succeeding year’s program, within three months of fiscal year end.
 

CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A Federal agency that provides direction and education to health care practitioners on the prevention and transmission of disease and injury.
 

CDL

Commercial Drivers License
A license issued by a state or other jurisdiction, in accordance with the standards contained in 49 CFR 383, to an individual which authorizes the individual to operate a class of commercial motor vehicle.
 

CDLIS

Commercial Driver License Information System
System containing important driver data, such as name, date of birth, and social security number, that “points” to the complete driver record including restrictions, crashes, and convictions, kept by the state issuing the CDL; connected to the 51 licensing jurisdictions in the United States by AAMVAnet, a national electronic communications network.
 

CDS

Crashworthiness Data System
A database maintained by NHTSA that provides detailed crash investigation data on a representative, random sample of minor, serious, and fatal crashes.
 

CFR

Code of Federal Regulations
The codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
 

C-Injury

A “possible” injury; used in the KABCO injury severity scale to indicate the injury severity of a person when a person doesn’t have any outward signs of injury.
 

CODES

Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System
Probabilistic linkage techniques that make it possible for states to link large data files in a very short amount of time at relatively low cost. From the linked data, the states identify the expected medical and financial outcome for specific vehicle, crash, and person characteristics.
 

Collision Diagram

A graphical depiction of the paths of vehicles involved in a traffic crash relative to major roadway features
 

Collision Typology

Characterizing crashes by a series of pre-collision circumstances, initiating events, and/or the characteristics of drivers, vehicles, and the roadway environment (e.g., late night, single vehicle crashes with young drivers).
 

Conformity

Transportation conformity (“conformity”) is a way to ensure that Federal funding and approval goes to those transportation activities that are consistent with air quality goals. Conformity applies to transportation plans, transportation improvement programs (TIPs), and projects funded or approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in areas that do not meet or previously have not met air quality standards for ozone, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, or nitrogen dioxide. These areas are known as “nonattainment areas” or “maintenance areas,” respectively.
 

Countermeasure

An action taken in to reduce crash frequency or severity; may be targeted at the vehicle, driver, or roadway.
 

CPS

Child Passenger Safety http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/
 

Crash

Crashes are caused by more errors than just an accident and can be prevented. The term “crash” is used throughout the highway community rather than Accident.
 

Crash Rate

The measure of the propensity of crashes to occur, expressed as number of crashes per a unit of exposure.
 

CSS

Child Safety Seat
A generic term for a device designed to protect an infant or child passenger from injury in an auto collision. “Infant car safety seat” and “Convertible car safety seat” are neutral and non-technical. Refer to FMVSS 213 for the regulations governing child safety seats.)
 

CVISN

Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks
Information systems and communications networks owned and operated by state governments, motor carriers, and other stakeholders to support safety information exchange, electronic screening, and credentials administration; a major FMCSA-sponsored ITS/CVO deployment program.
 

CVO

Commercial Vehicle Operations
 

CVSA

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
Non-profit organization of Federal, state, and provincial enforcement agencies of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; major focal point for bringing together government officials and members of the truck/bus industry.
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D

DMV

Department (or Division) of Motor Vehicles
Refers to state agencies responsible for driver licensing, vehicle registration, vehicle registration requirements, and data regarding driver histories. Sometimes called the MVA (for Motor Vehicle Administration) or The Registry.
 

DOT

Department of Transportation
DOT refers to state agencies responsible for road construction, maintenance, and operations. Many DOTs also collect and maintain databases on crashes, roadway and roadside characteristics, etc.
 

DUI

Driving Under the Influence
Driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while having an alcohol or drug concentration above the permitted limit as established by each state.
 

DWI

Driving While Intoxicated or Driving While Impaired
Generic term used in reference to alcohol- or drug-involved driving offenses. Sometimes equivalent to DUI, sometimes a more severe charge than DUI. In some states the acronym OWI is used for operating while intoxicated.
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E

Earmarked Funds

Set aside funds for specific programs. Examples of previous earmarking of funds have been 55 mph compliance, child passenger protection and safety belt encouragement, traffic records, and school buses, youth alcohol and Safe Communities.
 

EB E

Empirical Bayesian Estimation
Statistical method of estimating the expected number of crashes at a site. It uses a weighted combination of actual crashes at the site and a safety performance function (i.e., a predictive equation) developed for a group of similar sites.
 

ED

Emergency Department
 

EMS

Emergency Medical Services
 

ENA

Emergency Nurses Association
ENA's mission is to provide visionary leadership for emergency nursing and emergency care. ENA offers smarter information, education, networking, and representation. It is an international, action-orientated organization ready to support the profession with access to important scientific information and the latest research; networking opportunities with key governmental, academic, and professional contacts; and monitoring of government activities affecting the profession. http://www.ena.org/
 

ENCARE

Emergency Nurses Cancel Alcohol-Related Emergencies
An organization of emergency room nurses who provide impaired driving prevention programs to youth.
 

Evaluation

An assessment of the accomplishment or worth of an activity or countermeasure. Evaluations are predominantly of two types, 1) administrative evaluation which measures the actual activities, tasks, dollars against those planned; 2) impact evaluation which measures an activity against a specific goal, e.g., a reduction of fatalities, injuries.
 

Exposure

The amount of risk or opportunity for crashes that travelers experience when they use the transportation system; typically the denominator in crash rate calculations (e.g., VMT).
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F

FARS

Fatality Analysis Reporting System
A database maintained by NHTSA that is intended to be a census (i.e., 100 percent sample) of all highway-related crashes that involve at least one fatality. It is updated annually.
 

Fatality Rate

The number of traffic fatalities per number of vehicle miles travel (VMT) in a given year. The rate is usually expressed in terms of fatalities per 100 million VMT: sometimes also expressed as a rate per 100K population or number of licensed drivers.
 

FHWA

Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a part of the Department of Transportation and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with field offices across the United States. The FHWA aims to create the best transportation system in the world for the American people through proactive leadership, innovation, and excellence in service. They provide expertise, resources, and information to continually improve the quality of the nation’s highway system and its intermodal connections. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov
 

FMCSA

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was established as a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000, pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999. FMCSA’s mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov
 

FSHRP

Future Strategic Highway Research Program
The Future Strategic Highway Research Program (F SHRP) focuses on renewal, safety, reliability, and capacity of the nation’s highway system. http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/newshrp.nsf
 

FTA

Federal Transit Administration
FTA is the Federal agency which helps cities and communities nationwide provide mobility to their citizens. Through its grant programs, FTA provides financial and planning assistance to help plan, build, and operate rail, bus, and paratransit systems. The agency also assists in the development of local and regional traffic reduction. http://www.fta.dot.gov/
 

FY

Fiscal Year
Any 12-month accounting period, but generally used to differentiate from a calendar year. The Federal government fiscal year is October 1 through September 30.
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G

GES    

General Estimates System
A database maintained by NHTSA that is a statistical sample of all crashes that occur in the Nation in a given year. Expansion of the sample provides statistical estimates of the total number of police-reported crashes that occur nationwide.
 

GHSA

Governors Highway Safety Association
The states’ voice on highway safety. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit association represents the highway safety programs of states and territories on the human behavioral aspects of highway safety. Such areas include occupant protection, impaired driving and speed enforcement, as well as motor carrier, school bus, pedestrian and bicycle safety. GHSA’s mission is to provide leadership in the development of national policy to ensure effective highway safety programs. http://www.ghsa.org/
 

GIS     

Geographic Information System
GIS is a computer system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information; that is, data identified according to location. Practitioners also define a GIS as including the procedures, operating personnel, and spatial data that go into the system.
 

Goal   

A benchmark established to correct an identified problem, generally viewed from a long-range vantage of two to five years.
 

GPS    

Global Positioning System
A constellation of navigation satellites called Navigation Satellite Timing And Ranging (NAVSTAR), maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense. A handheld GPS receiver can be an accurate tool for determining their location on the terrain. The GPS receiver helps determine locations on the Earth’s surface by collecting signals from three or more satellites through a process called triangulation. Identifying a location on the Earth is more useful when the surrounding topographic conditions also are known. Using a topographic map with the GPS receiver provides important information about features of the surrounding terrain and can help plot an effective route from one location to another.
 

GR

Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety
Highway safety program managers, appointed by the governors of the 50 states and the territories, make up the membership of GHSA. These members are responsible for developing and implementing highway safety programs, maintaining fiscal oversight of the programs, and evaluating the programs’ impact on highway safety problems.
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H

Haddon Matrix          

A two-dimensional (3 x 3) matrix displaying basic concepts that can be used in safety analysis and countermeasure development. The dimensions are the road system (human, vehicle, and roadway) and crash timeline (pre-crash, during crash, and post-crash). read more
 

HazMat or HM           

Hazardous Materials
A chemical substance that may pose an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported. Transportation of such materials is regulated by the U.S. DOT and subject to state and local regulations.
 

HERS  

Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) Model
A model maintained by FHWA that provides estimates of highway investment needs. It simulates the development of improvement projects and keeps track of user impacts, including delay, emissions, and safety.
 

HGN   

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus
A scientifically reliable test for alcohol impairment involving a jerking of the eyes when the pupils move horizontally. The greater the impairment, the earlier the onset and the more severe the jerking.
 

HSM

Highway Safety Manual
An effort being by the Transportation Research Board similar in scope to the Highway Capacity Manual but focused on safety. The purpose is to provide the best factual information and tools, in a useful and widely accepted form, to facilitate roadway design and operational decisions based upon explicit consideration of their safety consequences.
 

Highway Trust Fund  

An account established by Congress into which user fees and motor fuel taxes are deposited to fund highway initiatives.
 

HSIP   

Highway Safety Improvement Program
Federal Grant Funding Program priorities: high-accident locations, roadside obstacle mitigation, rail crossings.
 

HSIS   

Highway Safety Information System
A database maintained by FHWA compiled from state databases of crashes, roadway characteristics, and traffic. Nine states are currently represented.
 

HSP    

Highway Safety Plan
A state document that describes the projects and activities the state plans to implement to reach the identified performance goals.
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I

IACP    

International Association of Chiefs of Police
An association of law enforcement executives.
 

ICD-9-CM

International Classification of Diseases, Volume 9, Clinical Modification
 

IHDSM           

Interactive Highway Design Safety Model
A model under development by FHWA that is intended to provide highway designers with estimates of the safety impacts of their alternative highway designs.
 

IIHS    

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
A nonprofit research and communications organization funded by auto insurers. For over 30 years the IIHS has been a leader in finding out what works and doesn’t work to prevent motor vehicle crashes in the first place and reduce injuries in the crashes that still occur. The Institute’s research focuses on countermeasures aimed at all three factors in motor vehicle crashes (human, vehicular, and environmental) and on interventions that can occur before, during, and after crashes to reduce losses. http://www.highwaysafety.org/
 

Illegal per se  

In any given state, the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above which it is unlawful in and of itself to operate a motor vehicle. An illegal per se law removes the need for the prosecution to prove that the defendant was intoxicated or impaired in order to convict of a drinking-driving offense.
 

Incident          

Refers to the collection of safety-related events, such as robberies, murders, and personal attacks. The term “incident” is often used by the transit industry professional to refer to a transit situation, such as the events noted above or derailment.
 

IPTM   

Institute of Police Traffic Management
An Institute that specializes in management and traffic courses for police officers.
 

ISS      

Injury Surveillance Systems
 

ISTEA  

Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act of 1991
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act (ISTEA) of 1991 sought to establish a national intermodal transportation system that was economically efficient and environmentally sound, provided the foundation for the nation to compete in the global economy, and would move people and goods in an energy-efficient manner. This Act, viewed as a revolutionary approach to national transportation planning, focused on intermodal transportation with seamless connections between highway, rail, air, and marine modes.
 

ITE      

Institute of Transportation Engineers
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international individual member educational and scientific association and one of the largest and fastest-growing multimodal professional transportation organizations in the world. Members include traffic engineers, transportation planners and other professionals who are responsible for meeting society’s needs for safe and efficient surface transportation through planning, designing, implementing, operating and maintaining surface transportation systems worldwide. http://www.ite.org/
 

ITS      

Intelligent Transportation Systems
Management and operations transportation strategies that involve the use of advanced technologies to monitor system conditions, adjust traffic control, and provide feedback to users in real time or near real time.
 

IVI       

Intelligent Vehicle Initiative
As part of the U.S. DOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program, the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) program aims to accelerate the development, and commercialization of vehicle-based driver assistance products that will warn drivers of dangerous situations, recommend actions, and assume partial control of vehicles to avoid collisions. IVI automotive technologies address three driving conditions where there is the greatest opportunity to improve safety, including normal driving conditions, degraded driving conditions, and imminent crash situation. http://www.its.dot.gov/ivi/ivi.htm
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J
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K

KABCO           

Injury Severity Scale
Named for the initials of its five severity levels: Killed, A-injury, B-injury, C-injury, nO injury.
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L

LOSS   

Levels of Service of Safety
An emerging concept that uses qualitative measures to characterize safety of a roadway segment in reference to its expected performance.
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M

MADD

Mothers Against Drunk Driving
A citizen’s activist group comprised primarily of people whose family members have been killed or seriously injured by drunk drivers. The group was formed in 1981 and has been recognized for having the greatest influence in strengthening DWI laws and increasing DWI convictions over the last decade.
 

MCMIS           

Motor Carrier Management Information System
National central repository for safety data maintained by the FMCSA.
 

MCSAP           

Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program
A Federal grant program conducted by the FMCSA that provides financial assistance to states to reduce the number and severity of accidents and hazardous materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles.
 

MMUCC          

Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria
A minimum set of crash data elements with standardized definitions that are relevant to injury control, highway, and traffic safety.
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N

NAS    

National Academies of Science
A private, non-profit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. The Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the Federal government on scientific and technical matters. http://www4.nationalacademies.org/nas/nashome.nsf
 

NASS  

National Automotive Sampling System
A program maintained by NHTSA that includes the GES, CDS, and SCI.
 

NCHRP           

National Cooperative Highway Research Program
A shared state DOT research initiative administered by AASHTO and TRB
 

NCHRP 8-44   

Incorporating Safety Into Long-Range Transportation Planning
An ongoing NCHRP project to develop improved methods for “Incorporating Safety into Long-Range Transportation Planning.”
 

NDR   

National Driver Register
 

NGA   

National Governors’ Association
 

NHTSA           

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Established under the U.S. DOT by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 as the successor to the National Highway Safety Bureau, to carry out safety programs under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway Safety Act of 1966. NHTSA investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, helps states and local communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigates odometer fraud, establishes and enforces vehicle anti-theft regulations and provides consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics. NHTSA also conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety, to develop the most efficient and effective means of bringing about safety improvements. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
 

NORPASS

North American Preclearance and Safety System
Nationally deployed mainline highway screening system at weigh stations.
 

NPRM

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
The NPRM is published in the Federal Register to allow for comments on draft rulemaking by the Federal government.
 

NSA

National Sheriffs’ Association
An association of county-level law enforcement executives.
 

NSC

National Safety Council
Non-governmental public service organization that provides safety services to meet the needs of industry, insurance safety services, government, schools, and community organizations.
 

NUTI

Northwestern University Traffic Institute
Specializes in management and traffic courses for police officers. Sometimes called The Traffic Institute.
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O

Obligation      

The Federal government’s legal commitment (promise) to pay or reimburse a state or other entity for the Federal share of a project’s cost. (follows on: apportionment, appropriate, authorization).
 

Occupant Protection  

Any device(s) installed in a vehicle designed to prevent an occupant from crashing into the vehicle’s interior or to reduce the severity of injuries for that occupant. Safety belts, child safety seats, air bags, padded interiors, and side door beams are all occupant protection devices.
 

OIG

Office of the Inspector General
An Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for performing all audit functions, evaluating the effectiveness of programs, ensuring policies and procedures are followed, and maintaining a system to review and resolve audit findings.
 

OOS

Out-of-Service
Truck is taken off the road for serious safety violation(s).
 

OS/OW

Oversize/Overweight
Truck requiring special permit to transport a very large and/or heavy load.
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P

PAR

Police Accident Report
The form used by police officers to collect information about a traffic crash.
 

PBCAT

Pedestrian-Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool
A crash typing software product intended to assist with improving walking and bicycling safety.
 

Performance Measure           

A quantifiable measure of projected results of a program, often compared to conditions existing prior to the program start-up (e.g., numerical or percentage increase in DWI arrests).
 

PID

Problem IDentification
A process of analysis (generally data) to isolate specific causes or locations of traffic accidents.
 

Project Agreement    

A contractual written agreement between the State Highway Safety Agency and a sub-grantee or contractor under which the state agrees to provide Federal highway safety funds in exchange for the subgrantee’s or contractor’s performance of one or more projects.
 

Provisional License    

A driver’s license issued to young people, which requires that the licensee gain driving experience over a period of time before full license is granted.
 

PSA

Public Service Announcement
A television, newspaper, or radio message that is broadcast free of charge by the network or station as a public service.
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R

R&T

Research and Technology
A formal process that TRB uses to develop prioritized research agendas.
 

Regression-to-the-Mean       

A statistical phenomenon that occurs whenever a nonrandom sample is taken from a distribution to estimate the mean. Subsequent samples from the same distribution will show a tendency to be closer to the true mean of the distribution, indicating that the original sample was a biased estimate of the true mean. In crash analysis, this means that care must be taken in using crash statistics to identify sites with a high number of crashes.
 

RID

Remove Intoxicated Drivers
A national organization dedicated to minimizing impaired driving.
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S

SADD

Students Against Destructive Decisions
Groups formed by students to combat drinking and driving among their peers. Their emergence as activists is most prominent during graduation/prom weeks.
 

Safe Community

A concept that adopts a comprehensive injury control approach to address traffic injury problems within the context of all injuries, primarily in a local community. Has four defining characteristics: data linkage, expanded partnerships, citizen involvement and input, a comprehensive injury control program. Sometimes called Safe Communities.
 

Safe Routes to School           

A program to encourage walking and bicycling to school through a combination of four approaches: encouragement, education, engineering, and enforcement of traffic laws.
 

SAFER

Safety and Fitness Electronic Records
National safety information exchange system maintained by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC) for the FMCSA.
 

SafetyAnalyst           

The name of an integrated software package developed by FHWA that provides the most recent statistical methods for identifying highway sites experiencing safety problems, tailoring countermeasures to those problems, and estimating the benefits and costs of implementing the countermeasures.
 

SCI      

Special Crash Investigations
A program maintained by NHTSA that routinely investigates in depth crashes involving factors of high interest, especially rapidly changing technologies.
 

SCP     

Safety Conscious Planning
A comprehensive, system-wide, multimodal and proactive planning process that’s goal is to prevent the human and economic consequences of transportation-related conflicts that affect all road users by integrating safety into the planning processes.
 

SFST

Standard Field Sobriety Test
Testing of a DWI suspect at the site of apprehension, usually an assessment of coordination, balance, speech, and horizontal gaze nystagmus to determine if suspect is impaired.
 

SHSO

State Highway Safety Office
The state agency that administers and manages the State and community Highway Safety Grant Program at the state level.
 

SMS

Safety Management System
A process for monitoring safety conditions and performance, and developing safety improvements to address safety problems.
 

SPF     

Safety Performance Function
A statistically developed relationship, usually in equation form, that is used to predict crash experience as a function of traffic and highway design features.
 

STEP

Selective Traffic Enforcement Program
Selective traffic enforcement program focusing on specific areas of concern (e.g., speed, DWI, safety belts).
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T

TEA 21

Transportation Equity Act for the 21St Century
PL 105 178, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21), was signed into law on 9 June 1998. It authorized highway, highway safety, transit, and other surface transportation programs for the next six years. Subsequent technical corrections in the TEA 21 Restoration Act were also signed into law and both Acts and the two are jointly referred to as TEA 21. The legislation built on initiatives established in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). The new Act combined the continuation and improvement of earlier programs with new initiatives to meet the challenges of improving safety. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/index.htm
 

TFHRC

Turner-Fairbanks Highway Research Center
An FHWA research facility in McLean, Virginia that conducts research and development related to new highway technologies, including safety technologies.
 

TIP

Transportation Improvement Program
A prioritized program of transportation projects to be implemented in appropriate stages over several years (i.e., three to five years). The projects are recommended from transportation systems management and the long-range element of the planning progress. TIP is required for a locality to receive Federal transit and highway grants.
 

Traffic Monitoring Guide       

Guidance document published by FHWA that provides information on the development of traffic monitoring programs and traffic data collection.
 

Traffic Safety Digest 

Documents and highlights the accomplishments of noteworthy state and community highway safety initiatives funded through Federal highway safety programs. NHTSA selects nominated noteworthy projects and periodically publishes brief descriptions of the projects throughout the year.
 

TRB

Transportation Research Board
A division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the Federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance. TRB is supported by state transportation departments, various departments of the USDOT, other Federal agencies, industry associations, organizations, and individuals interested in the development of transportation. http://gulliver.trb.org/
 

TRCC   

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (sometimes called STRCC: Statewide Traffic Records Coordinating Committee)
 

TSI      

Transportation Safety Institute
An Agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, TSI is dedicated to transportation safety training and education. Much of NHTSA-sponsored training is coordinated through TSI.
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V

VIN     

Vehicle Identification Number
 

VMT

Vehicle-Miles-Traveled
A measure of highway usage, calculated as the number of miles traveled by all vehicles over a given segment or system. It is commonly used as the denominator (i.e., “exposure” metric) in developing highway crash rates.
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W
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X
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Y
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Z
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402

Highway Safety Grant Funding Program ... read more
 

403

Research and Demonstration Funds ... read more
 

405

Occupant Protection Incentive Grant ... read more
 

406

Incentive Grants to Support Increased Safety Belt Use Rates ... read more
 

408

State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Grants ... read more
 

410

Alcohol Incentive Grant Program ... read more
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