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HSM-related projects, funded and administered by the National Academies as part of their National Cooperative Research Highway Program started in 2002:

NCHRP Project 17-18(4): Development of a Highway Safety Manual

Draft Table of Contents for the Highway Safety Manual.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program's (NCHRP), Development of a Highway Safety Manual, documents and presents the results of a study to develop the preliminary contents of the first edition of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM). Resources included are the Annotated Outline for a First Edition of the HSM (Appendix A), Work Plan for Completing the First Edition (Appendix B) and Prototype Chapter on Two-Lane Roads (Appendix C).

Posted as of 6/2004. Please note that items posted on this website are subject to change. It should also be emphasized that the prototype chapter (Appendix C) has been accepted by the HSM Task Force in terms of format only. The Task Force is currently assessing the technical content.

NCHRP Project 17-25: Crash Reduction Factors for Traffic Engineering and ITS Improvements - Start July 2003

The objective of this project is to develop reliable crash reduction factors (CRFs) for traffic engineering, operations, and ITS improvements.  CRFs (also known as accident reduction factors or accident modification factors) provide a computationally simple and quick way of estimating crash reductions. Typically, these factors are computed using before-and-after comparisons, although later research also has suggested the use of cross-sectional comparisons.

NCHRP Project 17-26: Development of Models for Prediction of Expected Safety Performance for Urban and Suburban Arterials Start - July 2003

There is a significant need and opportunity for improving the explicit consideration of highway safety in making decisions on roadway planning, design, and operations. The objective of this project is to develop a methodology that predicts the safety performance of the various elements (e.g., lane width, shoulder width, use of curbs) considered in planning, design, and operation of non-limited-access urban and suburban arterials.

NCHRP Project 17-27: Prepare Parts I and II of the Highway Safety Manual - Start 2004

An extensive and ground-breaking initiative is underway to develop a Highway Safety Manual (HSM). The purpose of the HSM will be to provide the best factual information and tools in a useful and widely accepted form to facilitate the explicit consideration of safety in decision making. The objective of the research is to prepare Parts I (Chapter 2) and II (Chapters 3-7) of the Highway Safety Manual.

For more information on this project, view an overview PowerPoint presentation

NCHRP Project 17-29: Safety Prediction Models for Rural Multilane Highways for Use in the Highway Safety Manual - Start 2004

There is a significant need to improve the explicit consideration of highway safety in making decisions on roadway planning, design, and operations. To receive appropriate consideration, safety needs to be dealt with quantitatively in the design process; many other design factors are already estimated in quantitative terms, but safety is often dealt with only in a qualitative sense. The objectives of this research are to develop a methodology to predict the safety performance of rural multilane highways and to prepare a chapter on rural multilane highways for inclusion in the Highway Safety Manual. The methodology shall apply to both highway segments and at-grade intersections but does not include full access-control highways.

For more information on this project, view an overview PowerPoint presentation

NCHRP Project 17-34 (4) and (5): Prepare Parts IV and V of the Highway Safety Manual

An extensive and ground-breaking initiative is underway to develop a Highway Safety Manual (HSM). The purpose of the HSM will be to provide the best factual information and tools in a useful and widely accepted form to facilitate the explicit consideration of safety in decision making. The objective of the research is to prepare Parts IV and V of the Highway Safety Manual.

For more information on this project, view an overview PowerPoint presentation

NCHRP Project 17-36: Production of the First Edition of the Highway Safety Manual

An extensive and ground-breaking initiative is underway to develop a Highway Safety Manual (HSM). Development of the HSM was initiated by a Transportation Research Board Joint Subcommittee (now Task Force) and supported by 6 NCHRP projects totaling more than $3 million. The objective of this project is to prepare the first edition of the HSM in a form ready for publication in both printed and electronic format.