Federal Highway Administration February 29, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The goal of the Rural Safety Innovation Program is to improve rural road safety by assisting rural communities in addressing highway safety problems and by providing rural communities the opportunity to compete for project funding to address these problems. The program will encourage States and rural communities to develop creative, locally crafted solutions to roadway safety problems, document their efforts and outcomes, and share the results with other communities across the country. Through the Rural Safety Innovation Program, the Department aims to heighten awareness and interest in rural safety issues, and promote the benefits of rural safety countermeasures which can reduce rural crashes and fatalities nationwide. By providing technical assistance and best practice guidance from the program we will give States and rural road owners better tools to improve road safety in their communities. The primary objectives of the Rural Safety Innovation Program are to: i. Improve safety on local and rural roads with innovative approaches in which rural communities develop and design local solutions to their roadway safety problems. ii. Provide best practices and lessons learned on innovative safety technologies to assist local and rural road owners and operators in the development and implementation of infrastructure-based rural safety countermeasures that complement behavioral safety efforts. iii. Promote national awareness and interest in addressing rural safety issues. iv. Promote the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies to improve safety on rural roads.