PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Florida traffic crash data indicate that 20 counties account for 82 percent of the state's population, 86 percent of the state's traffic crashes, and 75 percent of the fatal crashes state-wide. Because of the wide variation in demographics and traffic conditions in these counties, it can be difficult to develop state-wide countermeasure programs that address the unique characteristics of local traffic safety problems. Institutional barriers and funding constraints have seriously limited the ability of local governments to address these growing problems adequately. It has become increasingly apparent that public works and other city, county and state agencies must work in close coordination to contain costs and increase the efficiency of all highway safety program efforts.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of this project, which was set by Florida's Safety Management System, was to establish an active Corridor/Community Traffic Safety Program (C/CTSP) in each of the 20 high crash counties by October 1996, as a means for reducing the level of traffic-related deaths and injuries in these counties. An important objective in reaching this goal was the establishment of quantifiable performance measures by each of the 20 jurisdictions based on their own unique crash problems.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

C/CTSPs are locally-based efforts that include city, county and state representatives from the disciplines of law enforcement, engineering, emergency services and education (4Es), taking a comprehensive, coordinated approach to solve highway safety problems. Working closely with

Florida Community Traffic Safety Program (cont'd)

the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) geographical districts, a strong alliance was created between the FDOT District Safety Engineers and the FDOT Central Office staff managing the State's Highway Safety Program. In 1992, the C/CTSP concept was pilot-tested in Lakeland, Florida. The Lakeland program began with a Corridor Safety Program that dealt with a 10-mile highway segment that was experiencing an unusually high crash rate. The Corridor program was expanded to a county-wide effort and met with significant success. During the period of 1992-1996, a total of 21 county-wide programs were created using a total of 53,402 seed grants to local governments and the FDOT District Offices.

During this time period, two C/CTSP training courses were jointly sponsored by FDOT and NHTSA. Thirty-seven persons representing the 4Es were trained at courses held in Orlando and Tampa. Many attribute the continued success of the C/CTSP program to this training.

RESULTS

This project exceeded its goal by establishing 21 C/CTSPs well before the October 1996 deadline. While each of the 21 projects has successfully met or exceeded its individual performance goals, the most successful outcome of the project has been the improved working relationships and communication among participating agencies and organizations. From the inception of the program in 1992, highway safety leaders throughout the state have acknowledged the importance of these cooperative efforts to the overall traffic safety program.

Within each jurisdiction, this same level of cooperation has been experienced. The C/CTSP teams meet monthly to discuss problems and to jointly develop solutions. This coordinated approach is seen as a vast improvement over earlier, single-agency, narrow-focus traffic safety initiatives.

To further encourage this level of cooperation, a state-wide C/CTSP Coalition has been formed for the purpose of sharing program ideas and promoting traffic safety statewide.