CHEYENNE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY INITIATIVE
Distracted Driving Campaign 2011
Transportation Safety Management Plan
The Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has taken a leadership role as one of the first MPOs in the country to develop a regional Transportation Safety Management Plan. To develop the plan, the MPO organized regional safety stakeholders and transportation professionals to engage in a discussion focused on developing solutions to reduce roadway crashes in the region. The Cheyenne MPO identified emphasis areas based on fatal and injury crash factors in the region where concentrated efforts can make effective positive impacts.
Cheyenne Safety Summit, January 2008
Transportation Safety Advisory Committee Members
- Cheyenne MPO
- Cheyenne Planning and Development Department
- City Engineer’s Office
- Cheyenne Police Department
- Cheyenne Fire Department
- Cheyenne Planning Department
- City/County Health Department
- Laramie County Sheriff’s Department
- Laramie County Planning Department
- Laramie County Public Works Department
- Laramie County Senior Services
- Laramie County School District #1
- Wyoming DOT - Highway Safety Department
- Wyoming DOT - Driver Services Division
- Wyoming Highway Patrol
EMPHASIS AREAS
The following emphasis areas were selected for focus in the Transportation Safety Management Plan based on significant numbers of fatal and injury crashes involving these factors. Efforts undertaken by the Cheyenne Transportation Safety Initiative seek to reduce serious crashes in involving these factors.
Safety Belts
Wearing a safety belt is the single Several successful efforts have been undertaken in this area, including the “Battle of the Belts” targeting increased safety belt use by high school students and a legislative summit highlighting the benefits of a primary safety belt law in Wyoming.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is an increasing concern, particularly as more people rely on electronic devices in their daily life. In Cheyenne in 2008, 181 crashes involved some form of distraction.
Impaired Driving
Driving while under the influence of alcohol is a major problem in Wyoming. From 2004 to 2008 in Cheyenne, 9 people were killed and 389 were injured in crashes involving alcohol.
Young Drivers
In Cheyenne, young drivers are involved in more than one third of all fatal and injury crashes. It is widely known that novice drivers do not have sufficient experience to handle the complex task of driving when they are first licensed. However, t he opportunity exists for young drivers to become the standard for society of good driving behavior.
Intersections
From 2004 to 2008, 13 fatal crashes and nearly 1,400 injury crashes occurred at intersections in Cheyenne. Many of these crashes also involved behavioral factors. The City and MPO are working to both improve driver behavior and make safety improvements at intersections. In 2009 the MPO conducted an engineering study of Cheyenne intersections with the largest numbers of crashes to determine potential improvements that can be made to improve safety.
Older Drivers
In Cheyenne from 2004 to 2008, drivers over age 65 were involved in 4 fatal crashes and 330 injury crashes. The Cheyenne safety initiative seeks to help older drivers stay safe and mobile for as long as possible.
III RESOURCES
Cheyenne
2008 Annual Crash Report for the Cheyenne Urban Area
State
Wyoming DOT Traffic Safety Data
National Traffic Safety Highway Administration
Transportation Safety Planning Working Group
Transportation Planner’s Safety Desk Reference
Awards
The Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization was recently honored with a 2010 Transportation Planning Excellence Award for its Transportation Safety Planning and Implementation initiatives. The Transportation Planning Excellence Awards Program, a biennial awards program, developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration ( FTA) and co-sponsored by the American Planning Association, provides a unique opportunity to recognize and celebrate the outstanding transportation planning practice performed by planners and decision makers in communities across the country. Over 80 projects were nominated for this year’s Excellence Awards. An independent, expert panel of judges reviewed each nomination, and identified 11 Award Winning projects that went well beyond standard practice to demonstrate an exceptional level of innovation and creativity.
In 2008, the Cheyenne MPO was honored with a National Award for Innovative Practice in Metropolitan Transportation Planning by the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) for its Transportation Safety Management Plan.
I’d like to be informed about this study as it progresses
