Maximizing Safety and Efficient Operations for the Highway User

"Transportation is about more than concrete, asphalt, and steel — it is about people." That’s a frequent comment of Rodney E. Slater, formerly as the Federal Highway Administrator and now as Secretary of Transportation. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) seeks to provide for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor-vehicle users a surface transportation system that maximizes safety, mobility, and productivity.

When FHWA was restructured in January 1999, core business units (CBU) and cross-cutting service business units were created. The restructuring was undertaken to emphasize the importance of highway safety and operations in how we do business.

As a restructured agency, FHWA's Office of Highway Safety Infrastructure ensures that the roadway is designed and constructed so that every highway user arrives at his/her destination safely. We know that our mission is not simply to improve mobility and productivity, but to ensure that improved mobility and productivity come with improved safety.

The Operations CBU ensures that Americans enjoy the most efficient highway system in the world. The Operations CBU provides leadership for the management and operations of the Nation’s surface transportation system, including the U.S. Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program and the development of an intermodal approach to freight operations.

We in FHWA have promised to use our talents and resources wisely to produce and maintain the best highway system in the world, and we are ready to be evaluated by our efforts to improve highway safety, mobility, and productivity.

This CD is a compilation of publications that document some of FHWA’s recent research and accomplishments in highway safety and operations. This work reflects our commitment to the American people and our contribution to a highway system that gets people to their destination reasonably quickly, easily, and safely.

Our purpose in producing this CD is to disseminate this information to facilitate the safety and operations efforts of highway officials, engineers, and researchers in the United States and around the world.

The research represented on this CD focuses on the following eleven functional areas:

Specific questions and comments may be directed to the appropriate researchers or to TFHRC.WebMaster@fhwa.dot.gov. We are always eager to hear from people who share our commitment to highway safety, mobility, and productivity.

	Dennis C. Judycki Director of Research, Development, and Technology
Michael F. Trentacoste Director, Office of Safety Research and Development	Dwight A. Horne Director, Office of Highway Safety Infrastructure