Safety Data Forum

As part of its Safety Data Initiative, on June 14, 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) convened the Safety Data Forum to engage a diverse group of stakeholders in discussion about opportunities to leverage data analytics tools to predict and prevent transportation fatalities and injuries. The forum was attended by representatives of data and technology firms, universities, national safety organizations, and all levels of government.

The forum included remarks and presentations from DOT leaders and staff on Safety Data Initiative pilot projects, the announcement of the Solving for Safety: Visualization Challenge, presentations from several state and local government participants on their organizations' safety data integration and visualization efforts, and breakout sessions to collect feedback and discuss next steps on data-driven approaches to safety.

Keynote Speeches

Derek Kan, Under Secretary for Policy

Heidi King, Deputy Administrator, NHTSA

Forum Resources

• Safety Data Forum Summary Report

Pilot Projects

DOT staff presented on four pilot projects undertaken as part of the Safety Data Initiative. These presentations are available here:

• Crowdsourced Data Pilot Project
• Rural Speed Pilot Project
• Pedestrian Fatality Risk Pilot
• Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Visualization

Lightning Talks

DOT invited six participants to present on federal, state, and local initiatives using data integration, data visualizations, and predictive analytical tools to gain new insights into addressing surface transportation challenges. These presentations are available here:

• Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Naturalistic Driving Study: Safety Countermeasures from Big Data – James Pol, PE, PMP, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
• Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) Prototype – Cheryl Croft, MITRE Corporation
• Integration of Traffic Records Data in Maryland – Timothy Kerns, PhD, University of Maryland School of Medicine
• Safety Data Integration and Uses in Tennessee – Patrick Dolan, Tennessee Highway Patrol
• Vision Zero in San Francisco: Leading with Data to Save Lives and Advance Equity – Megan Wier, MPH, San Francisco Department of Public Health
• Analyzing Crash Data to Reduce Fatalities and Serious Injury Crashes – Cory Hutchinson, PhD, Louisiana State University Highway Safety Research Group