| Abstract: | The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) contains safety performance functions (SPFs) that are used in projectlevel decision-making to estimate the average crash frequency by severity level for existing conditions, alternatives to existing conditions, or proposed new roadways. Because most existing HSM SPFs were developed for states other than Texas, SPF calibration is needed to apply for Texas highways. Calibration is conducted to account for differences in crash reporting procedures, thresholds, driver characteristics, animal population, and weather conditions, among others. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) sponsored Research Projects 0-7083 and 0-7067 that derived local calibration factors for the SPFs documented in the HSM Chapters 10, 11, 12, and 18. Researchers also developed new safety prediction models for frontage roads and ramp segments. These projects developed analysis spreadsheet tools to help implement the new models and facilitate analysis of all rural and urban roadway segments and intersections. The researchers developed training workshop and webinar materials to assist TxDOT practitioners and consulting firms in their application of these new resources. The researchers presented these workshops and the webinar to safety stakeholders about the safety prediction methods and usage of spreadsheet tools for estimating the average crash frequency at a particular site and in evaluating different cross-sectional alternatives. This training will help safety professionals in evaluating complex trade-offs between safety, operations, community impacts, and costs that are often necessary when planning and designing highway projects. |
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