Traffic Safety Fundamentals Handbook

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) published the original version of the Traffic Safety Fundamentals Handbook in 2001 and an updated version in 2008. Over 3,500 copies have since been distributed through MnDOT’s education and outreach efforts to practicing professionals in both government agencies and the private sector. In addition, the Handbook has been used as a resource in undergraduate and graduate traffic engineering classes at the University of Minnesota and is available to professionals in other states through the online posting on MnDOT’s website.

In the years since 2001, the field of traffic safety has witnessed a number of important changes. First, federal legislation (SAFETEA-LU) raised the level of importance of highway safety by making it a separate and distinct program and by increasing the level of funding dedicated to safety. In response to this legislation, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provided implementation guidelines that required the states to prepare Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs) and encouraged their safety investments to be focused on low-cost stand-alone projects that can be proactively deployed across both state and local highway systems.