ANNUAL REPORT. April Working Together Toward Highway Safety... To Save More Lives. STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN

Transcription

1 STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN ANNUAL REPORT 2017 April 2018 Working Together Toward Highway Safety... To Save More Lives. Submitted to: Lisette Lugo Colón, PE Traffic Engineering and Operations Area Deputy Director - PRHTA PO Box San Juan, PR Submitted by: CSA Architects and Engineers, LLP 1064 Ponce de León Ave. Suite 400 San Juan, PR T: F:

2 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 3 I. Introduction... 4 II. SHSP Organizational Structure... 5 III. SHSP Implementation... 6 Communication strategies... 6 Webpage... 6 Newsletters... 6 SHSP Integration Support... 7 Strategic Communications Platform Initiative... 7 Emphasis Areas... 7 Traffic Records and Information Systems... 7 Emergency Medical Response... 8 Occupant Protection Alcohol Impaired Driving Aggressive Driving Young Drivers Vulnerable Road Users Roadway Departure Intersections Collaborative Efforts Internal Partners External Partners IV. Progress in Achieving Safety Outcomes and Performance Targets General Highway Safety Trends Safety Performance Targets Older Drivers and Pedestrians Special Rule V. Progress in Completing SHSP s Action Plan Project Tracking Tool VI. Effectiveness of Improvements Before and After Studies

3 AC AC AC AC (PR-52) AC (PR-53) AC (PR-53) AC (PR-60) AC Project Effectiveness VII. MIRE Fundamental Data Elements VIII. Work Plan

4 Annual Report 2017 Executive Summary Puerto Rico has had a formal Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) since The progress in the implementation of the SHSP for Puerto Rico has been documented through the years by the SHSP team. This document summarizes the progress of the SHSP by measuring the performance in terms of highway safety projects, collaboration efforts, and new federals regulations, among others. This is the second annual report since the beginning of the implementation of the SHSP. Furthermore, this was the first year that the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) submits the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) report, corresponding to the calendar year The HSIP is responsible for managing 25% of the federal funds allocated to Puerto Rico under the ZP-30 Fiscal Management Information System (FMIS) program for highway safety improvement projects. This program does not have any subprograms. The SHSP is a key element of the HSIP in Puerto Rico, as it coordinates with internal and external partners from all sectors. In terms of programmed funds, Puerto Rico allotted $27.2 Million distributed in six (6) highway safety improvement projects. Of these projects, 22.5% addressed systemic safety improvements, including signing, pavement marking, traffic signals, and guardrails. The other 77.5% were targeted for hot spots approach procedure. The PRHTA performed engineering studies (assessments and road safety audits), crash data analysis, and others, to identify potential countermeasures. Finally, there are no funds allocated for local or tribal roads or for non-infrastructure projects. Carrying out projects and initiatives that are not related to infrastructure has been possible with the support of other federal agencies, local government and non-governmental organizations. These include NHTSA 1, FMCSA 2, ACAA 3, Puerto Rico Police, Puerto Rico Emergency Medical Services (CEMPR), AARP, MAPFRE Foundation, CIAPR 4, ITE 5, Decade of Action, UPR 6 and MAVI 7, among others. This report also presents the analysis of a historical reduction in fatal crashes in the roads of Puerto Rico. The year 2016 represented the first time that Puerto Rico reported less than 300 fatalities in one year with the final number in 279. The combined efforts made by all safety stakeholders contributed to the reduction in fatalities in Puerto Rico. 1 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations 3 Administración de Compensaciones por Accidentes de Automóviles 4 Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico 5 Institute of Transportation Engineers 6 University of Puerto Rico 7 Movimiento para el Alcance de Movimiento Independiente 3

5 I. Introduction During fiscal year 2017, Puerto Rico faced the challenge of continuing to reduce the number of fatalities due to traffic crashes after achieving a historical reduction in 2016 (279 fatalities). In addition, it faced other important events that challenged the traffic safety goals in Puerto Rico, especially the impact of two (2) hurricanes of catastrophic proportions, including one (1) of the worst in the history of Puerto Rico. The main issues that SHSP faced during 2017 were identification of urban/rural roads, fundamental road elements and accomplishing the definition of suspected serious injury as per the KABCO 8 injury classification system, among others. The objectives of this annual report include: Analyze the SHSP emphasis areas performance measures. Highlight the importance of collaborative efforts. Discuss the safety trends and performance targets as part of the SHSP for Puerto Rico. Present the results of the Before and After Studies, to evaluate the effectiveness of highway safety improvement projects. Identify the need to comply with new federal regulations. The SHSP considers the participation and contribution of the safety stakeholders everywhere as one of the key elements for its implementation. Puerto Rico is thankful to all the safety educators, emergency medical responders, law enforcement personnel, engineers, planners, and other hard workers that demonstrate each day their serious commitment with traffic safety in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico SHSP provides a communication and coordination platform between the participating entities. As established by the Puerto Rico SHSP slogan, Working together toward HIGHWAY SAFETY... TO SAVE MORE LIVES", the SHSP team believes that united collaboration will positively change the highway safety culture in Puerto Rico. 8 KABCO Injury Scale - The KABCO scale for crash severity defines levels of injury severity. 4

6 II. SHSP Organizational Structure The PRHTA manages a HSIP focused on the development of safety improvement projects, and as part of this program it implemented a SHSP in With this implementation, forming an organizational structure was necessary, based on the recommendations made in the Case Study Report. Since then, it has been subjected to minor modifications such as the inclusion of Alianza para la Accesibilidad, Movibilidad y Seguridad en Nuestras Vías Públicas (ALIANZA) in The most important achievement of this organizational structure is the inclusion of all safety stakeholders from all types of organizations, entities, and agencies that aim to improve road safety in Puerto Rico. These include Federal, State, and Municipal agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations. The figure below depicts the Puerto Rico SHSP organizational chart. Figure 1. Puerto Rico SHSP Organizational Structure In the case of the PRHTA, several internal offices and external entities have played important roles in pursuing the SHSP goals. Some of the internal partners or PRHTA offices collaborating with the SHSP are the Planning and Programming Area, Design Area, and Traffic Engineering and Operations Area, among others. Additionally, external partners within the state government include the Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission (PRTSC), Puerto Rico Police, Puerto Rico Emergency Medical Services (PREMS), ACAA, and the Health Department. Another important group of external partners comes from the third sector; the CIAPR, AARP, UPR, Decade of Action, MAPFRE Foundation, ITE, MAVI, RUeDa (cyclists organization) and Ana G. Méndez System, among others. In addition, municipalities have been an effective partner with ideas and as part of the MPO in reducing fatalities and injuries due to traffic crashes in Puerto Rico. 5

7 III. SHSP Implementation Communication strategies Several strategies were employed to engage a wide range of stakeholders in highway safety: Webpage The webpage was one of the communication strategies defined since the beginning of the Puerto Rico SHSP, and is one of the best public outreach tools because it connects the public to the SHSP initiatives. This webpage also includes newsletters, updated statistics of traffic fatalities, and access to the Project Tracking Tool, among others. In addition, the web page promotes highway safety activities from different stakeholders, such as Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission, UPR- FIESTA, and Decade of Action-Puerto Rico. This year the studies carried out by safety partners were shared, as shown in the figure below. Newsletters The newsletters are designed to maintain the safety stakeholders awareness of the SHSP s progress and educate about different highway safety topics. During this year, two informative and educational newsletters were created and shared through . In addition, these were uploaded to the SHSP webpage. 6

8 SHSP The purpose of SHSP s address, shsp@carreterasegurapr.com, is to receive observations and/or recommendations, doubts, and information requests (i.e., data), among others, about highway safety from the safety stakeholders and the public. Integration Support The integration support consists of unifying efforts and bringing a concise message about highway safety to the public. This is achieved through visits to highway safety delegates to determine their needs, such as coordinating meetings with agencies, where they can request information, such as the availability of data and latest statistics. In addition, it provides technical support for the creation of proposals, presentations and recommendations for activities. Strategic Communications Platform Initiative At the end of the year, the initiative to create a strategic communication platform was proposed, where all delegates can share the dates of their campaigns and activities with the purpose of unifying efforts and maximizing the impact of the message they want to give to the different sectors of our society. This initiative was approved and will be carried out in Emphasis Areas A total of nine emphasis areas were selected for the 2014 Puerto Rico SHSP. They were selected based on the trends and contributing causes of traffic crash related fatalities, and other factors associated with them. For each of the emphasis areas, a performance goal was established to measure the improvements of these areas. Below you will find a summary of what happened during this year for each of these areas. Traffic Records and Information Systems Create a data warehouse integrating traffic record system and improve the accessibility, timeliness and uniformity of the crash system (SHSP 2014). Since a data-driven process defines all emphasis areas, and all crash analysis needs data, this emphasis area is fundamental. It presents the results of the timeliness in crash data entry for the crash data since 2014 to The timeframe of the crash data entered by the Accidents Analysis Office (AAO) increased to 416 days in Nevertheless, a reduction of 41 days was reflected in 2016, because the crash data entry took 375 days. In addition, the rate of reports entered per day increased to 47 in comparison with 2015; this mean that more reports were entered in less days. 7

9 Table 1: Traffic Records and Information Systems: Progress from 2014 to 2016 Year Time (days) Reports 145, , ,744 Rate (reports/day) Database: Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) The numbers are based on a defined period to enter all the traffic crashes (fatal, injury, and PDO since 2014). According to the PRTSC, it is possible that the 2015 timeframe includes the time to enter crash data from For that reason, it is very important to determine the real time consumed to enter the crash data for each year. It is important to reduce the timeframe for the crash data entry, in order to achieve the goal established for year 2018 in the SHSP and determine the behavior on roads through continuous analyses. These continuous analyses will help make the appropriate adjustments to attack the problems at the moment, and not a year later. The goal established is reduce the average time for crash data entry from 775 days to 400 days (SHSP 2014). The data entry for 2017 began on May 3, Emergency Medical Response Decrease the Puerto Rico EMS Annual Average Response Time to Crash Scene to less than min within the next 5 years. (SHSP 2014). Since the Puerto Rico SHSP is focused on reducing fatalities and serious injuries, this Emphasis Area is targeted to reducing the CEMPR average response time to crash scenes. This, because the PREMS operates Type III ambulances, which are the minimum required to respond in a severe injury crash. The most recent results for this performance measure indicate an increase in one (1) minute and eleven (11) seconds in the average response time, or from 15:03 min in 2014 to 16:14 min in It is important to highlight that, during year 2015, PREMS operated with one less station (59) respect to 2014, because of the lack of personnel available to operate it. The difference in average response time to crash scene between 2015 and 2016 was 10 min. In 2016, CEMPR had to close the Hormigueros s service station or base, but the personal was reallocated near to this zone to continue give it the services. A similar situation happened in 2017 with the Loíza and Fajardo s service stations. Although the CEMPR had to closes theses service stations, they continue give it the service to all these zones. After the hurricanes Irma and Maria, the agency affront one of the more difficult times because the personal is moving to USA. 8

10 Table 2: Emergency Medical Response: Progress from 2014 to 2016 PREMS Annual Average Response Time to Crash Scene :03 min 16:14 min 16:04 min Database: PREMS The CEMPR, together with the PRHTA and Metropistas, are working to improve the location of ambulance stations, to gain access to expressways and freeways in less time. This measure will help decrease the average response time, since they would have more mobility and accessibility to get to crash scenes. On the other hand, there is the Highway Service Patrol (HSP), also known as the Unified Free Emergency Response and Operation Service (SEGURO, by its acronym in Spanish). This road incident system was implemented on April 2017 and is managed by the Traffic Management Center (TMC) of the PRHTA. The TMC was implemented on February 2016 and is composed of a center by a group of persons using CCTV cameras, where incidents and crashes are monitored. The objective is identifying them as soon as possible and provide the corresponding first response in the shortest possible time. SEGURO operators notify the need for cranes, provide assistance to drivers who are stranded on the road, and request emergency response to agencies, such as the Police, Emergency Medical Corps or Fire Department, if necessary. Figure 2 shows a flowchart of the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) process in Puerto Rico. Figure 2: TIM Stakeholders Communication 9

11 The efficiency of TIM process is measured with the incident timeline presented in Figure 3. The most important are response and incident clearance times. Measure Calculation Definition Response time T4-T2 Time between the incident being verified and the first responder arriving at the scene. Incident Clearance Time between the first recordable awareness of the incident by a responsible agency T6-T1 Time (ICT) and the time at which the last responder has left the scene. Source: As mentioned previously, the TMC was Figure implemented 3. Incident on February Timeline 2016 and SEGURO on April In the As mentioned previously, the TMC was implemented in February 2016 and SEGURO in April In the following table, it is possible to see the benefits of the SEGURO implementation. Since SEGURO has been operating, the TMC average response time is less, and an increment in the average assisted incidents was seen. While SEGURO assisted 1,742 average incidents, the average response time was 1.39 min; in most cases, it is the operator who identifies the incidents. Table 3. TMC and SEGURO Performance Measure Measure TMC SEGURO Average Incidents 40* 90* 1742 Average Response Time (min) * Incidents detected by TMC before the first responders arrived at the scene. The SEGURO patrols currently operate in the following roads: PR-18, PR-26, PR-30, and PR-52, while the TMC has monitoring systems in these and other roads on the Island (after hurricanes Irma and María, the TMC has only four cameras for incident monitoring). The roads with the most incidents detected by TMC are PR-26, PR-18, PR-22 and PR-52. The following figure shows the average number of incidents per roadway assisted by SEGURO, and as may be observed, the roadways with more incidents reported are PR-52 and PR-26, with 623 and 465 incidents, respectively. 10

12 NUMBER OF INCIDENTS NUMBER OF INCIDENTS Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report ROADWAY Figure 4: Average Number of Incidents Assisted by SEGURO per Roadway The events classification of these incidents is shown in Figure 5, where disabled vehicles is the recurrent roadways event, with 1,298 incidents. Some disabled vehicle situations were water for the radiator, battery failure, no gasoline, and problems with tires, among others EVENTS CLASIFFICATION Figure 5: Average Number of Incidents per Events Classification 11

13 Occupant Protection Reduce the 5-year rolling average of unrestrained occupant fatalities from 124 to 118 for (SHSP 2014) Even though Puerto Rico is highly ranked in the USA and Worldwide in the usage of these occupantprotecting devices, it is important to keep promoting occupant protection, and more importantly, reducing the remaining number of fatalities and serious injuries associated to the lack of use of occupant protecting devices. According to the results shown in the following table, the five-year rolling average in occupant protection fatalities have decreased, from 103 in 2015 to 96 in As a result, a performance goal for this emphasis area was achieved before This mean that the efforts have had good results, and if all stakeholders continue working together, a historic statistic is possible. Table 4. Five-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities 5-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities In addition, an observational survey of seat belts was conducted by PRTSC, to determine the percentage of safety seat belt usage. A road selection for this survey followed the Uniform Criteria for State Observational Surveys of Seat Belt Use, approved by NHTSA on May 30, Observations were conducted from August 16, 2017, to September 14, 2017, for a total of 6,800 vehicle observations. Figure 6 shows the use of seat belt by region and the results is that in the Metropolitan Area and North region belt use is higher, 95% and 93.1%, respectively. 100% 90% 93% 84% 79% 78% 95% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Source: Puerto Rico Observational Survey of Seat Belt Use, 2017 Figure 6. Observed Belt Use by Region 12

14 Otherwise, differences were observed by road type. The following figure shows how the belt use is greater in primary road with 98% of observation. 100% 98% 95% 89.7% 90% 85% 83.6% 80% 75% Primary Secondary Local Source: Puerto Rico Observational Survey of Seat Belt Use, 2017 Figure 7. Observed Belt Use by Road Type Alcohol Impaired Driving Reduce the 5-year rolling average of alcohol impaired driver fatalities from 103 to 92 within the next 5 years. (SHSP 2014) Since the implementation of the Puerto Rico SHSP, the efforts of this Emphasis Area have been led by the PRTSC. Their educational campaigns, law enforcement mobilizations, and trainings have become important allies in reducing the number of alcohol-impaired drivers in Puerto Rico. Figure 8 illustrates the restrictions or limits to driving with Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). 13

15 Figure 8. Legal BAC Limits by Driver Age or Vehicle Type in Puerto Rico Table 5 and Figure 9 represents the trend of the five-year rolling average for alcohol impaired driving fatalities, from 2011 to According to this, a constant reduction was observed, from 115 to 108 in 2011 to 2014, respectively. In 2015, it increased to 109, and then decreased to 107 in The NHTSA generates these numbers based on the reported number of fatalities associated to illegal BAC numbers. Table 5. Five-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities 5-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities

16 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Database: FARS Figure 9. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average for Alcohol Impaired Driving Traffic Fatalities Aggressive Driving Ending Year for 5-Year Period Reduce the 5-year rolling average of speeding related fatalities from 144 to 129 within the next 5 years. (SHSP 2014) The 50.4% of fatal and injury crashes occurred in 2016 was related to aggressive driving behavior, representing 10,411 crashes (Database: CARE). In other words, from all the risk driving behaviors, this is one of the worst in Puerto Rico. Aggressive driving behavior involves: Disregarding traffic controls Exceeding speed limit Failure to obey signals Failure to yield Following too closely Improper lane change, passing, and turning Street racing According to the trends shown below in the Table 6 and Figure 10, a constant reduction has been observed in the 5-year Rolling average of speeding related fatalities, which represents a 5% average reduction. As a result, a performance goal for this emphasis area was achieved before the current year of This indicates that the efforts made up to date have had good results, and if all stakeholders continue to work together, a historic statistic can be achieved. 15

17 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Table 6. Five-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities 5-Year Moving Average in Traffic Fatalities Database: FARS Figure 10. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average for Alcohol Impaired Driving Traffic Fatalities Young Drivers Ending Year for 5-Year Period Reduce the 5-year Rolling average of young driver (15-20yrs) fatalities from 20 to 17 and serious injuries from 378 to 327 within the next 5 years. (SHSP 2014) The focus of this emphasis area is preventing novice drivers and future drivers from becoming part of traffic crashes statistics. In 2016, there was a drastic increase in fatal crashes involving young drivers, as can observed in Table 7 below. For this reason, we must increase efforts to keep it in a constant reduction to reach the established goals, and avoid the loss of lives. Figure 11 shows a reduction since 2015 in the 5-year Rolling average of a fatal crash with respect to the previous year. 16

18 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Table 7. Young Driver Fatalities Performance Measure from 2011 to 2016 Year Fatalities year Rolling average Database: FARS Ending Year for 5-Year Period Figure 11. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average of Young Drivers Traffic Fatalities Although there has been a reduction in the 5-year rolling average since 2011, we cannot ignore that the crashes with serious injuries since 2014 are increasing when we considered all crashes. In the following table, there is the trend in young driver serious injuries performance measure. This may be observed in the following table and figure, so it is important to intensify efforts as mentioned above. Table 8. Young Driver Serious Injuries Performance Measure from 2011 to 2016 Year Serious Injury year rolling average

19 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Database: FARS Figure 12. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average of Young Driver Serious Injuries Vulnerable Road Users Ending Year for 5-Year Period Reduce vulnerable road user fatalities and serious injuries using 5-year rolling average from 117 to 105 and 758 to 554 within the next 5 year, respectively. (SHSP 2014) The Vulnerable Road Users emphasis area includes pedestrians and cyclists. This emphasis area represents more than 30% of the fatal crashes per year in Puerto Rico. For this reason, it is imperative to educate all road users about the rights and responsibilities of these vulnerable road users, and especially show the importance and obligation of sharing the road. In Table 9, a constant reduction in the 5-year rolling average of fatal crashes may be observed, but the fatal crashes per year have variations in both reduction and increment. It is important to work to achieve a constant reduction, and create awareness about the importance of life in our roads. Figure 13 illustrates the progress of this performance measured up to year Table 9. Vulnerable Road Users Fatalities Performance Measure from 2011 to 2016 Year Fatalities year Rolling Average

20 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Database: FARS Ending Year for 5-Year Period Figure 13. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average for Vulnerable Road Users Fatalities In the case of serious injury crashes, these generally show a constant reduction (see Table 10 and Figure 14), exceeding the strategic goal of the Puerto Rico SHSP by This does not mean that the efforts must cease or be reduced; but that the efforts have had good results, and if the trend continues, a historic statistic may be achieved. Table 10. Vulnerable Road Users Serious Injury Performance Measure from 2011 to 2016 Year Serious Injury year Rolling Average

21 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Ending Year for 5-Year Period Database: FARS Figure 14. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average for Vulnerable Road Users Serious Injuries 20

22 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Roadway Departure Reduce fatalities involving roadway departure using 5-year moving average from 134 to 124 within the next 5 years. (SHSP 2014) This emphasis area was showing an ascending trend in traffic fatalities, when the Puerto Rico SHSP was defined in Since then, highway safety projects and emergency medical response actions have been leading the efforts to change the ascending trend. This ascending tendency is visible in Figure 15 and Table 11, but is possible to observe too that since 2014 (Puerto Rico SHSP implementation) a reduction in the 5-year rolling average is shown. In addition, the strategic goal was achieved before 5 years of implementation of the Puerto Rico SHSP. This reduction means that the efforts can lead to a historic statistic in next years. Table 11. Five-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities 5-Year Moving Average in Traffic Fatalities Ending Year for 5-Year Period Database: FARS Figure 15. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average for Roadway Departure Traffic Fatalities 21

23 5-Year Rolling Average Fatalities Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report Intersections Reduce fatalities occurring at intersections using 5-year moving average from 47 to 42 within the next 5 years. (SHSP 2014) This emphasis area was selected because the amount of fatal and serious injury crashes occurring at the intersections in Puerto Rico. The crash data included in Figure 16 and Table 12 shows a constant 5-year rolling average until year 2016, when a reduction of nine percent occurred. This reduction represents having reached the Puerto Rico SHSP strategic goal before 5 years of implementation. In others words, good results have been achieved, and if they continue, a historic statistic may be reached. Table 12.Five-Year Rolling Average in Traffic Fatalities 5-Year Moving Average in Traffic Fatalities Ending Year for 5-Year Period Database: FARS Figure 16. Trend of the 5-Year Rolling Average for Intersections Traffic Fatalities 22

24 Collaborative Efforts As mentioned in the organizational structure, the SHSP has many safety stakeholders, and these are divided into internal and external partners. A summary is included below. Internal Partners The PRHTA Office Directors have held several meetings to coordinate the selection and integration of their programs using a data driven process. Some of the internal partners are Planning and Programming Area, Design Area, and Traffic Engineering and Operations Area, among others. Currently, Puerto Rico is participating in the FHWA s Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative, where data-driven safety analysis is one of the recommended initiatives to identify and select highway safety projects in the PRHTA. As part of the EDC Program Action Plan, the PRHTA will provide training and workshops of the Highway Safety Manual and data-driven safety analysis methodologies. Next year, a data-driven process may be used to select highway safety projects. Besides this, the Puerto Rico Highway Performance Monitoring System Office (HPMS) continues working together with the FHWA to fix the matching of the Puerto Rico Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) because of an internal problem with the HPMS reporting software. External Partners Some external partners have had the opportunity to assist to emphasis area teams meetings of the Puerto Rico SHSP (i.e., roadway departure, vulnerable road users, and intersections) in March In these meetings, they discuss and participate in the decision-making processes of the highway safety improvement projects (i.e., Road Safety Audits, among others) and Action Plan The PRHTA coordinates with PRTSC and ACAA the crash data used to establish performance measures and the data-driven highway safety improvement projects. The PRTSC is responsible for managing the Puerto Rico FARS data through the Planning Area. It is also responsible for the CARE software, created to access and analyze the Puerto Rico crash data, which was developed by the University of Alabama, and is managed by the UPR. The ACAA provides the number of injured people that were transported in an ambulance because of a car crash. Nevertheless, a new federal regulation requires the use of the definition for Suspected Serious Injury (A), included in the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC), 4 th Edition, for reporting serious injuries starting in The MMUCC uses the KABCO injury classification scale. The PRP s (PPR-93) current crash report injury classification scale does not comply with the new federal regulation. The PRP is working with an updated version of the PPR-93, which will include the KABCO injury classification scale as one of the fields. In addition, during this year, the SHSP team held meetings with ACAA to find an alternative to incorporate the KABCO injury classification scale in its regulations. The purpose is to comply with the new federal regulation and start collecting data as possible. The ACAA database was chosen since, according to previous analysis, this database is similar to the CARE database. 23

25 In addition, the PRHTA coordinated with the PRP, municipalities, and the PRTSC, among others, the use of the SHSP s High Crash Location Report (HCLR), where the roadways with more crash incidents in Puerto Rico are identified. This will help organize their enforcement activities and police patrol plans, educational campaigns, project planning, and road maintenance activities, respectively. Also, based on the HCLR, the PRHTA held meetings with Metropistas and PREMS, to analyze the alternative of relocating some service stations to have more mobility and accessibility to attend emergencies. The SHSP team brings support to the PRTSC, with the statistics and data needed to realize his 2018 Highway Safety Plan. Moreover, the PRTSC, PRHTA, PRP, and PREMS, among others, were an essential part of implementing and working with Action Plan It should be noted that the third-sector, composed of non-profit organizations and the academia, have an important role in Puerto Rico roadway safety. In order to establish a formal coalition to enhance their capabilities in promoting public policies and educational campaigns towards improvements in mobility, accessibility, and safety, five non-profit organizations have joined efforts. These are AARP Puerto Rico, MAPFRE Foundation, the Puerto Rico Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), MAVI (organization for people with disabilities), and RUeDa (cyclists organization), whom have founded ALIANZA (name in Spanish of the coalition). On the other hand, meetings were also held with the academy to learn about their researches to provide our resources and help identify the need of Puerto Rico with issue of road safety. The HSIP promotes this alliance by encouraging them to unite efforts and providing technical references for their studies (i.e., statistical crash analysis and profile of pedestrian crashes). IV. Progress in Achieving Safety Outcomes and Performance Targets The SHSP established several safety performance targets, based on the crash data available in This section presents the progress achieved until the year 2016, and the 2018 safety performance targets determined with the new federal regulation (FHWA 23 CFR 490). General Highway Safety Trends This section presents the trends of fatal and serious injury crashes in Puerto Rico from 2013 to According to Table 13, the trend of deaths due to traffic crashes has been reduced from 344 in 2013 to 279 in It is important to emphasize this is the first time in the history of Puerto Rico when less than 300 fatal crashes occur. The number of serious injuries reflects a constant increment from 3,705 in 2013 to 4,267 in Figure 17 illustrates this. 24

26 Table 13. General Highway Safety Trends in Puerto Rico ( ) Performance Measure * Number of Fatalities Number of Serious Injuries 3,705 4,040 4,199 4,267 Fatality Rate (per HMVMT) Serious Injury Rate (per HMVMT) Number Non-Motorized Fatalities Number of Non-Motorized Serious Injuries Database: ACAA and FARS *The VMT were estimated by linear regression ,705 4,040 4,199 4, Number of serious injuries Number of fatalities 100 Figure 17. Trends of Traffic Fatalities and Serious Injuries ( ) 25

27 In terms of the fatality and serious injury rate, the results shows two important trends, which may be observed in Figure 18: Fatality rate was reduced dramatically in 2014 to 1.69, with a slight increment in 2015, while achieving afterwards the lowest rate in 2016, with The Serious Injury rate has had a constant increment, which can be seen below Serious injury rate (per HMVMT) Fatality rate (per HMVMT) Figure 18. Trends of Fatality and Serious Injury Rate ( ) Other two important trends were observed in the following figure in terms of the non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries: Non-motorized fatalities have had a constant increase from 98 in 2013 to 112 in 2015, and then in 2016 had an abrupt decrease to 98. Non-motorized serious injury had an increment in 2014, and then achieved a constant significant reduction to register 369 non-motorized serious injuries in

28 Number of non-motorized serious injuries Number non-motorized fatalities Figure 19. Trend of Fatalities and Serious Injuries Non-Motorized Safety Performance Targets 2018 The current federal regulation (FHWA 23 CFR 490) came into force in December 2016, and this year, the SHSP team applied it to determine the 2018 safety performance targets. The regulation establishes that the State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and the Metropolitan Planning Offices (MPOs) shall determine the safety performance targets for the following five performance measures, reported in 5-year rolling averages: 1. Number of fatalities 2. Rate of fatalities per HMVMT 3. Number of injuries 4. Rate of serious injuries 5. Non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries (pedestrians and cyclists) The following table summarizes the trends of each performance measure and safety targets established by the PRHTA and PRTSC. These targets were reported in the HSIP 2017 (FHWA) and HSP 2017 (NHTSA). To obtain the 2018 projected safety performance target, several trend line options (i.e., exponential, linear, logarithmic, polynomial, and power) were analyzed and used. The databases used to establish these targets were from ACAA for all related to serious injuries, FARS for fatalities, and HPMS when the performance measure involved VMT. In general, the years considered for the analysis were from 2007 to

29 Performance Measures Table 14. HSPS Highway Safety Trends and Targets 5-Year Rolling Average Target Number of Fatalities Rate of Fatalities per HMVMT Number of Serious Injuries 6, , , , , , ,074.0 Rate of Serious Injuries Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries (Pedestrians and Cyclists) The followings figures illustrate the projections and equations used to determine these targets, as mentioned above Number of Fatalities in Puerto Rico (5-Yr Rolling Average) Projections to 2018 y = x x R² = Projected

30 Rate of Fatalities in Puerto Rico (5-Yr Rolling Average) Projections to 2018 y = ln(x) R² = Data not official Projected 10,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 - Number of Serious Injuries (ACAA) in Puerto Rico (5-Yr Rolling Average) Projections to 2018 y = x R² = Data not official Projected 29

31 Serious Injury Rate (ACAA) in Puerto Rico (5-Yr Rolling Average) Projections to 2018 y = x R² = Data not official Projected 1, , Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries (5-Yr Rolling Averages) Projections to 2018 y = x R² = Projected As the 2017 HSIP Report was submitted on August 31, 2017, the MPO shall inform its decision before February 27, 2018, on whether it accepts the measures established by the SHSP or if it commits to new objectives. 30

32 Older Drivers and Pedestrians Special Rule The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century Act (MAP-21) created a new Special Rule for older drivers and pedestrians under 23, USC 148(g)(2). It was continued under the Fixing America s Surface Transportation Act (FAST). This guidance supersedes guidance FHWA issued on February 13, 2013, related to the Older Drivers and Pedestrian Special Rule under MAP-21. This Special Rule began with the 2017 HSIP annual report, and the requirements to apply it are: If traffic fatalities and serious injuries per capita for drivers and pedestrians over the age of 65 in a State increases during the most recent 2-year period for which data are available, that State shall be required to include, in the subsequent Strategic Highway Safety Plan of the State, strategies to address the increases in those rates, taking into account the recommendations included in the publication of the Federal Highway Administration entitled 'Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians' (FHWA-RD ), and dated May 2001, or as subsequently revised and updated. The SHSP team will evaluate the Puerto Rico crash data to identify any increase in fatalities or serious injuries for drivers and pedestrians over the age of 65. V. Progress in Completing SHSP s Action Plan 2017 The Action Plan is composed of an action list, to be performed during each Federal Fiscal year since Puerto Rico s SHSP implementation for each of the nine emphasis areas, toward meeting or exceeding the goals of the Puerto Rico SHSP. It should be noted that an Action Plan is a living document that can be modified as deemed necessary in the best interest of having a successfully executed Puerto Rico SHSP. Bearing this in mind, the 2017 Action Plan was developed with the emphasis area teams, with the purpose of continuing to implement Educational, Enforcement, Emergency Response and Engineering (4E s) actions, to advance in the goal of saving lives. With this plan, continuity was provided to the actions of last year and, in addition, new actions were included to benefit highway safety. In the QR Code below, the Action Plan 2017 may be accessed for more details. Figure 20. Action Plan 2017 QR Code 31

33 Actions (%) Puerto Rico SHSP Annual Report In Figure 21, the summary of completed and/or started actions by emphasis area may be observed for Action Plan If the data entry were made progressively, a deeper analysis could be made of the direct effect of each of these actions in reducing or increasing road crashes by emphasis area. It should be noted that several efforts to complete some actions were affected by the passing of hurricanes Irma and María on the island. The preliminary data on fatalities due to fatal crashes on the roads of Puerto Rico is % 90% 88% Completed Started 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 44% 50% 60% 0% 13% 31% 25% 57% 58% 21% 25% 61% 28% 14% 69% 36% 9% Figure 21. Percent of Actions Completed and Started by Emphasis Area Project Tracking Tool Emphasis Areas A Project Tracking Tool (PTT) was designed to track the highway safety initiatives (projects), as part of the Puerto Rico SHSP. This tool was developed and published in 2015, with the purpose to keep stakeholders and the public informed about the progress in developing of Puerto Rico SHSP s actions. The QR Code presented below, brings the opportunity to access the guest view of the PTT. Figure 22. Project Tracking Tool Logo and QR Code 32

34 VI. Effectiveness of Improvements Before and After Studies This section includes a summary of the results of the Before and After Studies, performed to safety improvement projects developed previous to the implementation of the Puerto Rico SHSP. The data used to evaluate the projects was taken from CARE. The before and after periods considered varies according to the construction dates (project beginning and ending dates). For this process, the period considered three natural years of crash data, including fatal and injury crashes. Property Damage Only (PDO) crashes were included for informational purposes only, when available. From 2009 to date, the only available PDO data is for years 2014 onward. The projects included in the evaluation were designed to reduce fatal and injury crashes associated to roadway departure, aggressive driver, among other emphasis areas. It is important to highlight that these projects were selected from the list of highway safety projects performed by the PRHTA, which meet the following available criteria: 1. At least three (3) natural years of crash data for the before and after periods (as shown in Figure 23). 2. Specific countermeasure(s) defined by project plans or contract documents. Figure 23: Years of Crash Data used for Before and After Studies The methodology used to develop the Before and After Studies applies two site specific (SS) factors: Crash Cost Factor Rate (CCFR) and Crash Modification Factor (CMF). Since the CMF is associated to specific countermeasures, it is important to have them for the projects considered for the Before and After Studies. The term SS indicates that the factor applies to the specific project or location. The CCFR(SS) represents the proportion of the average severity of crashes after the project ends, related to the average severity before the project begins; using up to three (3) years of crash data. The CCFR(SS) depends on the number of crashes and their severity and the societal crash cost assumptions for each severity (see Table 15). In the other hand, the CMF (SS) represents the proportion of the average number of crashes before and after the project was in place. Equations 1 and 2 illustrate the process used to compute the CCFR(SS) and the CMF(SS), respectively. 33

35 CCFR(SS) = (CCF after) ave (CCF before ) ave Equation 1 Where: (CCF x ) ave = CCF x number of years, And CCF x = CC y N observed,y CC y = Crash cost for crash severity, y N observed,y = Number of crashes by severity, y CMF(SS) = Ave Crashes after Ave Crashes before Equation 2 Where: Ave Crashes x = F+I Crashes number of years Table 15. Societal Crash Cost Assumptions Severity Cost (CC y ) Fatal $4,008,900 Injury $82,600 Property damage only (PDO) $7,400 34

36 A summary of the results of eight (8) safety improvement projects selected by PRHTA are presented in Table 16. In addition, the reader can find a little explanation of these results below. For the analysis, we use the site crash statistics respect to each project and Table 4-7 of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM 1ts Edition). Table 16: Summary of the Before and After Studies Performed Project Description Traffic Signal System Installation and Pavement Markings on Intersection PR-100 with Plan Bonito Installation of Milled Shoulder Rumble Strips on Highway PR-22 from Km 11.4 to Km 84.3 Geometric Improvements at Diamond Interchange on Highways PR-22 with PR-167 Installation of Milled Shoulder Rumble Strips on Highway PR-52, from Km 82 to Km 107 Installation of Milled Shoulder Rumble Strips on Highway PR-53, from Km 81 to Km 94 Installation of Milled Shoulder Rumble Strips on Highway PR-53, from Km 0 to Km 40 Installation of Milled Shoulder Rumble Strips on Highway PR-60, from Km 0 to Km 2.9 Geometric Improvements of Intersection on Highways PR-1 with PR-765 Project Code Ave. Crashes (Per Year) Before After CCFR (SS) CMF (SS) AC AC AC AC AC AC AC AC Detailed information for each of the Before and After Studies performed is included in Appendix A. AC The calculated CMF for this project was 2.8. Under base condition, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that there was an increase in the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a -1.8 CRF and a 2.8 CCFR in the project. This mean that an increment in traffic crashes and his severity was reflected in after period. AC The calculated CMF for this project was Under base conditions, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be The results showed that the treatments implemented reduce the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.25 CRF and a 0.67 CCFR in the project. In other words, the improvement implemented had a positive impact reducing crashes in the area (358 injury and 10 fatal crashes less). 35

37 AC This project had a reduction of 60 injury crashes and the calculated CMF was Under base condition, with no changes in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that the treatments implemented reduced the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.52 CRF and a 0.63 CCFR for the project. This mean that the project had a positive impact reducing crashes in the area. AC (PR-52) A reduction of 67 injury and two (2) fatal crashes was reflected in the analysis. The calculated CMF for this project was 0.89 and under base conditions, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that the treatments implemented reduced the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.11 CRF and a 0.84 CCFR in the project. In conclusion, the project had a positive impact to reducing crashes in the area. AC (PR-53) A reduction of 15 injury and one (1) fatal crashes was reflected in the analysis. The calculated CMF for the project was Under base condition, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that the treatments implemented reduced the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.18 CRF and a 0.54 CCFR. In other words, the project had a positive impact reducing crashes in the area. AC (PR-53) The analysis performed to evaluate the benefit of the improvements implemented in the project showed an impact of 18.18% reduction in crashes. The calculated CMF for the project was Under base condition, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that the treatments implemented reduce the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.18 CRF and a 1.14 CCFR. Even when the statistics reflect a reduction in traffic crashes the CCFR was 1.14, this is because the CCFR depends on the number of crashes and their severity and the societal crash cost assumptions for each severity. And it is possible noted that the severity of crashes was major after project than before it. AC (PR-60) The analysis performed to evaluate the benefit of the improvements in the project showed an impact of 96.43% reduction in the crashes. The calculated CMF for the project was Under base condition, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that the treatments implemented reduce the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.96 CRF and a 1.73 CCFR. Even when the statistics and traffic crashes report reflect a 100% reduction in injury crashes, a CCFR was This is because the CCFR depends on the number of crashes and their severity and societal crash cost assumptions for each severity. In after period was reported one fatal crash, and the fatal crashes implies a high societal crash cost, for this reason the CCFR was greater. 36

38 AC A reduction of four (4) injury crashes was reflected in the analysis after the improvements. The calculated CMF for the project was Under base condition, with no change in the site, the CMF value shall be However, the results showed that the treatments implemented reduced the estimated average crash frequency in comparison to the base condition. This is equivalent to a 0.20 CRF and a 0.20 CCFR. This mean that the project had a positive impact reducing crashes in the area. Project Effectiveness Currently, the PRHTA maintains a Project Tracking Tool (PTT), to continuously evaluate the progress of the highway safety improvement projects and keep safety stakeholders informed. In addition, PRHTA performs before and after studies for qualified highway safety improvement projects, both discussed in the section above. Moreover, the methodology developed to determine HCL did not consider urban-rural roads classifications, because the crash data available did not include this element. In addition, as part of the HSIP, the PRHTA had to evaluate the need to identify High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) within the highway system of Puerto Rico. For this, the HRRR Special Rule 23 U.S.C. 148 (g) was used. The rule establishes the definition of high-risk rural roads, provides different examples on how to establish the methodology to determine significant safety risks in each jurisdiction, and presents the HRRR reporting requirements. Furthermore, two (2) Road Safety Audits (RSA) were developed with the purpose of having a better outlook about the needs and safety on these roads, to give better recommendations and solutions for new projects in the respective areas. VII. MIRE Fundamental Data Elements Model Inventory Roadway Element (MIRE) is a recommended listing of roadway inventory and traffic elements critical to safety management. MIRE is intended as a guideline to help transportation agencies improve their roadway and traffic data inventories 9. The most recent federal requirement, federal register Vol. 81 No. 50 March 15, 2016, is related to the roadway system: States must incorporate specific quantifiable and measurable anticipated improvements for the collection of MIRE fundamental data elements into their Traffic Records Strategic Plan by July 1, 2017, and have access to the complete collection of the MIRE fundamental data elements by September 30, Since the PRHTA and the PRTSC became aware of this requirement, they started searching how to accomplish it with the Puerto Rico Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC). As technology evolves and new data is required, these agencies are moving forward to create an updated database to warehouse and manage not only the crash database, but also other associated databases that include all the necessary data to achieve the MIRE Fundamental Data Elements (FDE) for year The term of FDE is 9 FHWA Roadway Safety Data Program 37

39 referred to specific roadway elements in the MIRE list. There are 202 elements that comprise the MIRE listing, according to the FHWA. To achieve the required MIRE FDE for year 2026, an Action Plan was prepared. This plan was submitted in July 1, 2017, as part of the Puerto Rico TRCC Strategic Plan The MIRE FDE Action Plan took into consideration current internal resources and needs. In addition, it considered the importance of meeting this plan to improve highway safety in the island. The Puerto Rico SHSP is promoting and supporting the implementation of this action plan. During 2017, representatives from different offices within PRHTA (Roadway System, GIS, HPMS, and Data Collection and Analysis) met with the PRTSC Traffic Records coordinator, to discuss the progress of the MIRE FDE Action Plan and its approve. VIII. Work Plan 2018 The SHSP is a living plan. During 2018, the works and projects that began in 2017 will be continued. In addition, new actions, projects, among others, going to be develop with the aim of reducing traffic crashes on the roads. This will be possible with the union of all safety stakeholders, as say the slogan of the SHSP WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD HIGHWAY SAFETY TO SAVE MORE LIVES. Below, you will find in the Figure 24 a summary of the work plan established for

40 Figure 24. Summary of Work Plan