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The Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) is a statewide, coordinated, comprehensive, traffic safety plan that provides the framework for reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public streets and highways. It establishes overall goals and objectives as well as objectives and strategies within each of seven key emphasis areas. The Strategic Highway Safety Plan is a working document designed to cover the years 2006 through 2010.

 “Traffic safety is public safety” and, as such, it requires the commitment and effort from a wide variety of stakeholders. Designated as the lead agency in the development of the SHSP, the State Highway Administration (SHA) has worked to achieve broad involvement in the safety planning and implementation processes. An Executive Committee, comprised of state cabinet-level secretaries, federal officials, and the top leaders of public and private sector organizations with a stake in traffic safety, oversees the effort. A Steering Committee, an assembly of representatives from state, local, and federal agencies and safety organizations, provides the hands-on direction for the development of the SHSP and its implementation. These committees selected seven emphasis areas, two of which were further divided into nine subareas. The emphasis areas and subareas are:

• Reduce Impaired Driving
• Improve Information and Decision Support Systems
• Eliminate Hazardous Locations
• Keep Vehicles on the Roadway
• Improve Safety at Intersections
• Create Safer Work Zones
• Make Walking and Crossing Streets Safer
• Increase Occupant Protection
• Improve Driver Competency
• Reduce Distracted Driving
• Enhance Safety for Older Drivers
• Develop Safe Young Drivers
• Improve Motorcycle Safety
• Make Truck and Bus Travel Safer
• Curb Aggressive Driving
• Improve Emergency Response System

Maryland’s overall traffic safety goal, as stated in its SHSP, is to eliminate motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries on its streets and highways. In addition to the individual objectives developed for each of the emphasis areas/subareas, two overall objectives were adopted by the committees:

• To reduce annual motor vehicle fatalities to fewer than 550 by 2010, which would represent slightly more than a 10 percent reduction from the 614 in 2005 and which would meet the national goal of 1.0 fatalities or fewer per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT).
• To reduce annual motor vehicle injuries to fewer than 50,000 by 2010, which would represent nearly a 10 percent reduction from the 55,303 injuries in 2005

Strategic Highway Safety Plan (PDF, 2.08MB)

If you require additional information or need assistance please contact us at mhso@sha.state.md.us