Traffic safety engineering

Highway Safety Engineering uses crash data to guide the development of statewide safety programs and initiatives focused on significantly reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Texas public roadways. These efforts ultimately allow for the design and implementation of safety improvements that save lives and reduce the number of crashes and their severity. Key initiatives include the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Highway Safety Improvement Program and the Systemic Widening Program which are managed by the Traffic Safety Division at TxDOT.

The mission of the Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) is to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries on all public roadways across the state. As a required component of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), the Texas SHSP provides a comprehensive, data-driven framework to identify the State's most critical roadway safety challenges and prioritizes strategies with the greatest potential to save lives. The SHSP uses crash data and other safety information to analyze trends, identify contributing factors, and establish emphasis areas that guide investment and action. Development and implementation of the SHSP follow a collaborative, multidisciplinary process that engages partners across engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services to align goals, leverage resources, and support coordinated safety solutions on state and local roadways.

HSIP is a federal program administered by the TxDOT Traffic Safety Division that uses a data‑driven, strategic approach to improve safety on all public roads. HSIP funds the construction of safety projects on and off the state highway system, with a focus on improving safety performance and achieving significant reductions in traffic fatalities and serious injuries statewide. The Traffic Safety Division issues an annual HSIP program call that allows Districts, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and local government agencies to submit safety improvement projects for eligibility review and approval.

The 2026 HSIP program call is complete. The 2027 HSIP program call will be issued during the 2027 fiscal year, and related guidance and documentation will be published on this site.

The State Systemic Widening (SSW) program is a State funded program focused on widening narrow, high-risk highways on the state highway system. Narrow pavement widths and limited recovery space increase the likelihood and severity of single vehicle run-off-road and head-on crashes. By increasing lane and shoulder width and adding safety features such as centerline and edgeline rumble strips, SSW projects aim to reduce the risk of preventable severe crashes. Projects are evaluated and prioritized using lane and shoulder width, traffic volumes and crash data.

Crash data is used to support the development and implementation of statewide safety programs focused on significantly reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roadways. This data is obtained from the Crash Records Information System application. The AASHTOWare Safety Tool further supports safety analysis by providing data visualization and analytical capabilities to assist with informed decision-making. All Texas MPOs and Local Governments may request access to this tool. For access or any questions related to CRIS or the AASHTOWare Safety tool, please contact the Crash Data team.