Transportation Performance Management

State Highway Safety Report (2018) - Alabama

The following provides a summary of the Highway Safety Improvement Program's (HSIP) safety performance measures and State safety performance targets. As per the Safety PM Final Rule, States are required to set annual safety performance targets in the HSIP annual report for the number of fatalities, rate of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), number of serious injuries, rate of serious injures per 100 million VMT, and number of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries. The safety performance targets are based on 5-year rolling averages. States have the flexibility to use the methodology they deem most appropriate when establishing safety performance targets. FHWA encourages States to review data sets and trends and consider factors that may affect targets. The safety performance targets should be data-driven, realistic, and attainable and should align with the performance management framework and legislative intent.

A State Department of Transportation (DOT) has met or made significant progress towards meeting its safety performance targets when at least four of the five safety performance targets established under 23 CFR 490.209(a) have been met or the actual outcome is better than the baseline performance. The baseline performance is the 5-year average ending with the year prior to the establishment of the target.

The Basis for Target and Additional Comments are provided by the State in their HSIP Annual Report and have not been edited by FHWA. Any questions about individual State reports should be directed to the respective State DOT. For additional information about each State's HSIP, the complete reports are available at https://highways.dot.gov/safety/hsip/reporting.

More information and resources on Safety Performance Management are available at https://highways.dot.gov/safety/hsip/spm/safety-performance-management-safety-pm-overview.

All State data used to populate the State Highway Safety Reports for 2021 are available for download at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tpm/reporting/state/tpm_dashboard_data.zip.

• 

  Number of Fatalities

• Number of Fatalities	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
  Annual	865	853	820	850	1,083	948	953
  5-Year Average					894.2	910.8	930.8
  Target (5-Year Average)							1,010.0	932.0	964.0

• Basis for Number of Fatalities Target

  • 2018 Target
  • 2019 Target
  • 2020 Target

  Performance targets were determined through an analysis of Alabama employment, unemployment, economic activity, and younger individual employment rates to determine trends that effect the occurrence of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. The targets support the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term crash trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for fatalities, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the fatality trend line plus a 1.7% increase associated with GDP correlated with the currently observed trends of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term fatality trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the 5-year moving average for fatalities, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the 5-year moving average plus a 1.7% increase associated with increasing GDP correlated with the currently observed trend of fatalities in Alabama. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, investment, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term fatality trends.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Fatalities: 2012-2017 Final FARS, 2018 FARS Annual Report File
  Targets: 2017-2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Fatality Rate (per 100 million VMT)

• Fatality Rate (per 100 million VMT)	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
  Annual	1.33	1.31	1.25	1.26	1.56	1.34	1.34
  5-Year Average					1.342	1.344	1.350
  Target (5-Year Average)							1.490	1.330	1.350

• Basis for Fatality Rate Target

  • 2018 Target
  • 2019 Target
  • 2020 Target

  Performance targets were determined through an analysis of Alabama employment, unemployment, economic activity, and younger individual employment rates to determine trends that effect the occurrence of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. The targets support the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term crash trends.

  This performance target was developed using the fatality trend line plus a 1.7% increase associated with GDP and an estimated vehicle miles traveled (VMT) growth of 1%. The target represents the projected fatalities as a ratio to 100 million VMT. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term fatality rate trends.

  This performance target was developed using the fatalities and an estimated 1% growth in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) from the previous year. The target represents the projected fatalities as a ratio to 100 million VMT. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term fatality rate trends.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Fatalities: 2012-2017 Final FARS, 2018 FARS Annual Report File
  VMT: 2012-2018 FHWA Highway Statistics Series, VM-2 Table
  Targets: 2017-2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Number of Serious Injuries

• Number of Serious Injuries	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
  Annual	9,266	8,564	7,960	8,540	8,152	7,480	6,990
  5-Year Average					8,496.4	8,139.2	7,824.4
  Target (5-Year Average)							8,369.0	8,469.0	8,143.0

• Basis for Number of Serious Injuries Target

  • 2018 Target
  • 2019 Target
  • 2020 Target

  Performance targets were determined through an analysis of Alabama employment, unemployment, economic activity, and younger individual employment rates to determine trends that effect the occurrence of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. The targets support the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term crash trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for serious injuries, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the fatality trend line plus a 1.7% increase associated with GDP correlated with the currently observed trends of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term serious injury trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for serious injuries, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the 5-year moving average plus a 1.7% increase associated with increasing GDP correlated with the currently observed trend of serious injuries in Alabama. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, investment, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term fatality trends.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Serious Injuries: 2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Report
  Targets: 2017-2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Rate of Serious Injuries (per 100 million VMT)

• Rate of Serious Injuries (per 100 million VMT)	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
  Annual	14.26	13.17	12.12	12.70	11.78	10.58	9.82
  5-Year Average					12.806	12.070	11.400
  Target (5-Year Average)							12.420	12.080	11.025

• Basis for Serious Injury Rate Target

  • 2018 Target
  • 2019 Target
  • 2020 Target

  Performance targets were determined through an analysis of Alabama employment, unemployment, economic activity, and younger individual employment rates to determine trends that effect the occurrence of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. The targets support the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term crash trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for serious injuries, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the fatality trend line plus a 1.7% increase associated with GDP correlated with the currently observed trends of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term serious injury trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for serious injuries, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the 5-year moving average plus a 1.7% increase associated with increasing GDP correlated with the currently observed trend of serious injuries in Alabama. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, investment, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term fatality trends.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Serious Injuries: 2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Report
  VMT: 2012-2018 FHWA Highway Statistics Series, VM-2 Table
  Targets: 2017-2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries

• Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
  Annual	417	387	370	381	382	378	348
  5-Year Average					387.4	379.6	371.8
  Target (5-Year Average)							390.0	394.0	384.0

• Basis for Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries Target

  • 2018 Target
  • 2019 Target
  • 2020 Target

  Performance targets were determined through an analysis of Alabama employment, unemployment, economic activity, and younger individual employment rates to determine trends that effect the occurrence of fatal, serious injury, and non-motorized crashes. The targets support the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term crash trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries trend line plus a 1.7% increase associated with GDP correlated with the currently observed trends of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries trends.

  This performance target was developed through a trend line analysis of the five-year moving average for non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries, Alabama unemployment rate trend, and Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trend. This analysis determined the non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries 5-year moving average plus a 1.7% increase associated with increasing GDP correlated with the currently observed trend of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries. This target supports the SHSP by helping Alabama focus its strategy, investment, and making decisions on allocating its resources to reduce long-term non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries trends.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Fatalities: 2012-2017 Final FARS, 2018 FARS Annual Report File
  Serious Injuries: 2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Report
  Targets: 2017-2019 Alabama HSIP Annual Reports

Additional Comments

N/A

Safety Performance Target Assessment

PLEASE NOTE: Each State’s safety performance target assessment is based on its own State-specific target methodology and program philosophy. Therefore, conclusions should not be drawn based only on the information in the Safety Performance Target Assessment Summary table. For example, the State may have set aggressive targets, and not met those targets, while another State may have set more easily attainable targets, and met those targets. FHWA understands that each State’s safety program is unique and therefore does not prescribe a methodology for States to set targets. States have the flexibility to use the methodology they deem most appropriate when setting their safety performance targets.