Humans make mistakes. A Safe System Approach to transportation safety ensures that those mistakes are not fatal. Cities worldwide acknowledge that preventing fatal crashes is a shared responsibility across industries and governmental levels.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation established a National Roadway Safety Strategy and adopted a Safe System Approach as the guiding paradigm for addressing roadway safety. U.S. DOT’s Safe System Approach has five objectives: safer people, safer vehicles, safer roads, safer speeds, and post-crash care.
NACTO focuses on:
- Safer Roads: Safe streets are designed to encourage slower vehicle speeds and provide ample, protected space to walk, bike, and roll.
- Safer Speeds: Safe speeds can be achieved through street design and lower speed limits
- Safer Vehicles: Motor vehicle technology and design play a crucial role in minimizing the risk of a fatal crash.
Vehicle Design
NACTO and its members advocate for better vehicle design to help us solve the safety crisis on North American streets.
Safe Speeds
NACTO helps cities slow speeding drivers through multimodal street design, lower speed limits, and automated enforcement.
MUTCD and National Design Standards
NACTO works to integrate city design principles into national standards and guidance documents.
Design Guide
City Limits
Setting safe speed limits on urban streets.
Photo Credits: Man and son in shared use path via City of New Orleans; pedestrian demonstration via Seattle Department of Transportation