High Risk Rural Roads Program

3M products and expertise help agencies develop low-cost solutions and on-target funding requests for improving safety on rural roads.

Why Rural Roads Now?

Introduction (video)
Congress put funding in the current federal highway bill (“SAFETEA-LU” or Safe,
Accountable, Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) because of serious national concern for safety on rural roads. The High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) provides $360 million with the goal to cut traffic deaths and injuries on public roads by 20 percent by 2008.

Federal funding is earmarked for low-cost solutions that improve rural driving safety. The funding is available now through 2009 to help states correct or improve hazardous road locations or features in a rural setting.

Safety Concerns

Hear from an Expert (video)
Rural roads are the most dangerous roads in America.

• About 60 percent of fatalities nationwide are on rural roads.¹
• For every ten vehicle miles traveled, fatalities are 2.75 times higher on rural roads than on other roads.²
• In 2003 alone, 25,136 people died as a result of run-off-road crashes.¹
• The cost of each death is more than $1.1 million and each disabling injury is nearly $50,000 - that's the cost for each individual, not each crash.³
• Drivers are three times as likely to be involved in an accident during rainy or wet pavement conditions.⁴

Low-cost engineering improvements such as attention-getting signage, highly visible road markings, traffic calming devices and other positive guidance measures help reduce risk and costly crashes. HRRRP helps communities make rural roads safer and support solutions with federal funds.

• HRRRP Memorandum
• Federal Highway Administration
• A Pocket Guide to Improve Traffic Control and Mobility for Our Older Population (PDF 1.48 MB)
• Low Cost Traffic Engineering Improvements: A Primer (FHWA)

Assessing Risk
HRRRP guidelines suggest two steps¹ for determining high risk situations qualifying for federal funds:

1. Identify eligible roadways with crash rates that exceed the statewide average for that type of road
2. Analyze the safety problem with available tools and information

¹ Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
² merginet.com
³ National Safety Council (NSC)
⁴ Development of Human Factors Guidelines, FHWA-RD-99-130, December 1999