Safety Considerations for Rural Transportation Programs

Safety is a key consideration for implementing, operating, and maintaining transportation systems and programs in rural areas. It is important to create a culture of safety in daily activities and operations by developing plans, policies, and practices that protect employees and passengers.

Best practices for safety management in rural transit systems include:

• Implementing a Safety Management System (SMS) to manage safety risks
• Ensuring strong executive leadership that establishes a culture of safety and security within the program or system
• Designating and training a Chief Safety Officer to oversee daily safety functions
• Establishing policies and procedures to meet safety goals, including procedures for emergency response
• Supporting identification of safety risks
• Evaluating safety measures and performance
• Training employees and community safety information to establish a culture of safety

Rural programs will also need to ensure program compliance with any applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

Many rural communities are using the Safe System Approach — a model that layers multiple strategies to prioritize the safety of all road users. The objective of the Safe Systems Approach is to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries within transportation systems. For more information on the Safe System Approach and other safety models, see Motor Vehicle Injury and Traffic Crash Prevention Models in our Rural Unintentional Injury Prevention Toolkit.

Resources to Learn More

Transit Manager's Toolkit
Document
Provides information for rural transit organizations about program administration, operations — including safety and security, planning, compliance, and tribal transit. Supports compliance with federal regulations for entities receiving Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5311 funding.
Organization(s): National RTAP
Date: 3/2024