In transportation safety, the term "countermeasure" is generally used to describe a safety program or approach to address a specific type of crash. This term may be used interchangeably with "treatment" or "intervention." While some agencies focus on infrastructure countermeasures (e.g., traffic calming, bike lanes) or behavioral countermeasures (e.g., enforcement, safety campaigns), it is ideal for agencies to take a comprehensive approach of multiple countermeasures to address more complex problems.

Countermeasure effectiveness is usually evaluated by a change in the number of crashes. When crash data are not available, researchers and practitioners may consider changes in road users' knowledge or behavior, such as speed or yielding rates, to determine countermeasure effectiveness, however, there is little research about how this type of evaluation correlates to safety. Before and after countermeasure studies to measure effectiveness are preferred since it can be challenging to infer safety results from cross-sectional studies. The effectiveness of any countermeasure can vary across geographies, as factors such as roadway design, public perception, law enforcement activities, lighting conditions, and more, are context specific. For a more advanced evaluation, with high quality data for multiple installations, researchers can calculate a Crash Modification Factor that estimates the safety effect.

Resources

Countermeasures That Work, 11th edition
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Provides an overview of behavioral strategies and countermeasures in road safety topic areas and provides resources for a deeper look.

FHWA Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) Studio
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Provides resources, design guidance, research, and best practices for practitioners to identify appropriate countermeasures for improved pedestrian safety.

PEDBIKESAFE
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Describes the process for selecting and implementing countermeasures and each includes an interactive selection tool and case studies.

Proven Safety Countermeasures in Rural Communities
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Identifies safety countermeasures tailored for rural communities.

Low-Cost Pedestrian Safety Zone Approach
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Introduces an approach for rapid, low-cost pedestrian safety improvements in high-risk areas.

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Examples

Road Diet Case Studies
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Summarizes case studies from nine different agencies and features projects that use a variety of pedestrian and bicycle safety countermeasures.

Separated Bike Lanes—Making Roads Safer for Bicyclists
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Describes how separated bike lanes are making roads safer for bicyclists and impacts of these efforts in Richmond, VA.

Enhancing Bike and Pedestrian Safety in Pittsburgh
StreetLight Data
Provides a case study of how analysts use transportation data to identify the areas most needing safety improvements, and plan what to implement in specific locations.

Designing and Implementing Maintainable Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Identifies best practices for designing pedestrian safety countermeasures for year-round maintainability.

How Quick Builds Are Bringing Innovation to Safe Streets Implementation
Transportation for America
Reports on the effectiveness of quick builds for making safety improvements.

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