The Minnesota Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan—an integral part of Minnesota's Toward Zero Deaths Plan

 

When a traffic safety issue is identified, changing the roadway—including traffic signals, signage or the like—may appear to be the most direct solution. However, a close look at crash data and driver behavior often reveals that engineering is just one component of a complete traffic safety solution—
a solution that includes Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Services.

 

 

 

 

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The Plan

 

The Minnesota Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan was created in a coordinated effort between the Minnesota Departments of Transportation and Public Safety to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Minnesota’s roadway.  Critical strategies address enforcement, education and emergency services in addition to the more traditional engineering improvement (the “Four Safety Es”).  The strategies and partnerships identified in this CHSP present the State of Minnesota the opportunity to achieve the aggressive goal of reducing traffic fatalities to fewer than 500 by 2008 and to take the initial steps in moving Towards Zero Deaths.

 

Order form: (PDF, 26 KB)
The cost is $5.00 plus tax and shipping.

 

Download Complete Report:

Minnesota Stragtegic Highway Safety Plan (PDF 3.48 MB 150 pp)

Minnesota Stragtegic Highway Safety Plan (DOC 5.34 MB 150 pp)

 

Download Sections:

• Cover Sheet (PDF 629 KB 1 p)
• SHSP Introduction and Signature Page (PDF 785 KB, 1 p)
• SHSP Executive Summary (PDF 750 KB, 63 pp)
  
• Appendix (PDF 785 KB, 1 p)
  
  

Application of the Screening Process for the various Area Transportation Partnerships
in Adobe Reader (PDF) or Powerpoint (PPT) Formats

 

Background

CHSP Development
In 2004, the Office of Traffic, Safety and Operations (OTSO), and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) developed a Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (CHSP) designed to implement the vision of Toward Zero Deaths (TZD).  TZD is an aggressive, revolutionary vision to reduce roadway fatalities.  The TZD concept and CHSP have been developed cooperatively with the Department of Public Safety.  Other Mn/DOT transportation partners were involved and briefed about the CHSP.  The CHSP was drafted with input from many stakeholders for the express purpose of providing guidance to ALL jurisdictions for the development of improvement projects and programs which drive Minnesota toward meeting that aggressive safety goal.  The CHSP approach is revolutionary in that it does embrace all levels of roads and because it promotes a combination of both reative/corrective responses to safety issues along with specific, cost-effective proactive strategies.

 

SAFETEA-LU Requirements
With the passage of the most recent federal transportation at update (SAFETEA-LU), all states are required to have a CHSP-like Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) in order to maintain critical levels of federal funding.  Because the current CHSP does not meet all the requirements contained in SAFETEA-LU, an update is necessary; in order for Minnesota to meet the SHSP requirement, the current CHSP must be revised and renamed.

Maintaining CHSP Focus
For Minnesota, SHSP development is fundamentally an update of the CHSP that will build on the change of direction for safety strategy that was contained in the first plan.  The CHSP shifted emphasis toward a broader approach to the implementation of safety projects by concentrating on low cost, system-wide, proactive improvements on all roadways, and this emphasis will continue to be a priority with the SHSP.

While the current CHSP contains most of the necessary documentation required to meet the requirements of SAFETEA-LU for a SHSP, the CHSP will be updated by utilizing more recent data and integrating portions of other related plans such as Mn/DOT’s Heavy Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan and ITS Safety Plan.  A broader outreach effort will also involve a greater number of transportation partners in the SHSP development effort.

Original Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (PDF 3.48 MB, 150 pp)

SHSP Development Effort

• SHSP Work Plan (pdf)
• SHSP Development Timeline (doc)
• SHSP Milestone Schedule (pdf)
• SHSP Task Force (pdf)