The need to reduce fatal and injury crashes on tribal lands has been recognized for years. The United States has realized a decline in fatal crashes over the past several years, but fatal crashes continue to increase on tribal lands. Little progress has been made in improving safety on tribal lands. Limited resources, lack of coordination across jurisdictions, the rural nature of many of the roadways, and lack of crash data have made it difficult for tribes to implement an effective safety improvement program. A methodology that can address these challenges is presented in this paper. The proposed methodology has been implemented successfully in the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Collaboration among safety stakeholders—state departments of transportation, tribal leadership, the Local Technical Assistance Program, the Tribal Technical Assistance Program, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and local and tribal law enforcement—is key to the success of such a process.
Recent transportation legislation contains language indicating that state departments of transportation (DOTs) will be required to address safety on local and rural roads. It is important for state, county, and city officials to cooperate in developing a comprehensive plan to improve roadway safety. This legislation provides an opportunity to implement a more cohesive and comprehensive approach to local road safety in Wyoming. The Wyoming Technology Transfer Center–Local Technical Assistance Program coordinated an effort in cooperation with the Wyoming DOT, the Wyoming Division of FHWA, as well as Wyoming counties and cities to identify low-cost safety improvements on high-risk rural roads in the state. In the past few years, low-cost safety projects were implemented in several Wyoming counties. These projects included pavement markings, advance warning signs, guardrails, and shoulder widening. The Wyoming DOT approved the Wyoming Rural Road Safety Program (WRRSP) and recommended statewide implementation in 2008. In addition, the Wyoming DOT and the FHWA division office approved the WRRSP for eligibility to receive funding from the High Risk Rural Road Program. Implementation of the WRRSP has resulted in better cooperation between local governments, the Wyoming DOT, and FHWA to address safety on rural roadways in Wyoming. Before the WRRSP was approved, no counties in Wyoming were applying for safety funding. Now more than half of the counties have received road safety improvement money. The WRRSP has developed a step-by-step procedure to receive funding and expertise in roadway safety. The Wind River Indian Reservation has implemented a similar program, which has led to the funding of low-cost safety improvements on the Indian reservation road network.
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