SHSP Task Team Workshop--February 13, 2008 mattmontgomery  at:  2/15/2008   SCENES FROM THE STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN (SHSP) TASK TEAM ACTION PLAN WORKSHOP The Governor's Strategic Highway Safety Plan Task Team Leaders met on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 to update their respective Action Plans. Task Team Leaders represented all of the SHSP highway safety areas: Risk Analysis & Evaluation Traffic Records TIME Task Force Trauma/EMS Occupant Protection Young Adult Driver Older Driver Serious Crash Type Non-Motorized Impaired Driver Aggressive/Super Speeder SHSP Marketing Operations Manager Member and visitors present included:   Alvin Shultz, GOHS Amy Edwards, GOHS Amy Goodwin, GDOT Andrew Turnage, GTIPI Dana Robbins, FHWA Elaine Armster, GDOT Jason Berry, GOHS Katie Fallon, GOHS Lokesh Hebbani, FHWA Marie Williams, GDOT Mike Smith, GOHS Norm Cressman, GDOT Randy Clayton, GOHS Renee Morgan, DHR Scott Zehngraff, GDOT Vernon Ryle, Bibb Co. The all-day meeting format followed the prepared agenda and power point presentation. SHSP Operations Manager, Randy Clayton facilitated the meeting. The meeting had two main goals. The first goal was to consider each Task Team's quantified, life saving goals to develop a new statewide goal expressed by number rather than by vehicle miles traveled fatality rate. The current VMT rate goal is 1.0 by 2010. The second meeting goal was to begin developing Action Plans for each of the highway safety area Task Teams. Each Task Team's current recommendations and Action Plans will be aligned to be integrated into the comprehensive SHSP. The Action Plan recommendations will be developed and tracked in the Operations Manager Task Team Action Plan tracker. The Action Plan tracker format may be modified according to each Task Team's unique specifications. An electronic software program is available through various project management companies. A SHSP specific program is available through Cambridge Systematics and is being considered for Georgia's SHSP. The meeting was convened by having all present provide a self introduction. The Leaders reviewed the Daily Fatality Report produced by GDOT. The 2007 highway fatalities number as of Monday February 11 was 1,585. It was explained that historically a six or seven percent increase in the December 31st fatality number usually is experienced before the calendar year fatality certification is complete in May or June of the following year. So for 2007, Georgia may experience an annual fatality total of about 1,650, which is down from 2006's total of 1,703. It is important to further develop evaluation methodologies to identify, as much as possible, the positive contributing factors of the highway fatality decreases. And likewise, an evaluation methodology could begin identifying the contributing factors that increase fatalities. Each Task Team leader and co-leaders provided Task Team updates. The progress updates allowed all Teams to evaluate and compare planning progress. The planning progress reports identified many opportunities for the Task Teams to recognize and combine highway safety strategies across the various safety areas. Some of the Task Team leaders invited others to join in their respective Team meetings to assure the four safety E's were systematically involved. For example, law enforcement is needed to continue regular input into the engineering heavy” Serious Crash Typed Task Team. And likewise, all Task Teams need to maintain consistent safety E's participation within all the areas. The Georgia SHSP planning organization is modeled according to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's (NCHRP) Integrated Safety Management Process (ISMP). The ISMP has 10 key organizational components. Marketing and media are key components of the Georgia SHSP. Marketing includes establishing a highway safety vision statement type slogan and branded logos. Georgia's SHSP vision statement slogan is “Every Life Counts.” The SHSP logo incorporates the Georgia state borders image, SHSP initials, and four safety E's spelled out around a circle. The marketing effort includes multi-agency exposure within federal, state, local, and private safety partners' organizations. In addition to an Every Life Counts” newsletter, communications marketing strategies include logo patches, print media, and public information contacts. The slogan, logo and “Safety Leader are featured on an embroidered patch and applied to an inexpensive, light weight, uniform type, three-button shirt. A SHSP shirt was provided to each Task Team Leader to promote the Georgia SHSP process along with their involvement representing their respective organizations as well as their professions. The Task Team leaders engaged in a lengthy discussion to develop a new statewide highway safety goal expressed by a fatality reduction number. A rate goal is the number of highway fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The basis to consider and convert the Georgia goal is to align the goal with the national goal established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) goal. The national goal was changed from reducing the fatality rate to 1.0 between 1998 and 2008 to reducing highway fatalities by 1,000 per year. The current Georgia statewide goal is 1.0 between 2005 and 2010. The Leaders considered the Georgia contribution to achieving the national goal. Georgia fatalities of 1,703 in 2006 are about 3.8 % of the national fatalities of 42,642 in 2006. Georgia would need to continually reduce highway fatalities by 38 to provide an equitable contribution to reducing the national fatality number. Also, the annual Georgia VMT is about 3.7 % of the national VMT. Further consideration addressed the simple number statewide goal cannot be justified without considering the annual fatality fluctuations. For example, data was provided showing the annual highway fatalities. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN, VISIT THE SHSP WEBSITE AT: HTTP://WWW.GAHIGHWAYSAFETY.ORG/SHSP TO VIEW OTHER GOHS NEWS ITEMS, CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE GOHS HOME PAGE, CLICK HERE