Implementing the Safe System Approach at Intersections in Utah

This thesis investigates the principles and elements of the Safe System Approach, a new paradigm in roadway safety. A compendium of practice was created to determine recommendations on how to implement the Safe System Approach at intersections and observe how other jurisdictions are implementing it. Several strategies identified include the Safe Systems at Intersections (SSI) methodology, Safe System Alignment Frameworks, Vision Zero communities, incorporating the Safe System Approach into the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) or Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), mandating the Safe System Approach be considered in all projects, and the Organizational Safety Culture Self-Assessment. These policies do not exclusively implement the Safe System Approach at intersections but help organizations to adopt the Safe System Approach and move beyond traditional safety methods. Guidance for Safe System design was also investigated, including the Safe System Roadway Design Hierarchy and the Safe System Approach Framework. Commonly identified physical countermeasures that implement the Safe System Approach at intersections were evaluated. The countermeasures were sorted into tables according to the type of safety impact provided. Commonly identified policies and practices were also organized, although they do not apply specifically to intersections. Based on the results of this research, several recommendations for UDOT include encouraging local communities to become Vision Zero communities, incorporating SSI into the Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) program, institutionalizing the Safe System Approach through the FHWA Organizational Safety Culture Self-Assessment, updating the SHSP, strategic goals, vision, and implementing pilot programs or additional research on various countermeasures and strategies.