Each federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Traffic Safety Division - Behavioral Traffic Safety Section (TRF-BTS), develops a state Highway Safety Plan (HSP) to qualify for federal highway safety funding. The HSP includes:

After Texas Transportation Commission approval has been obtained, TRF-BTS submits the HSP to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for approval in accordance with 23 C.F.R. Part 1300, Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs. NHTSA regional offices are required to determine if the HSP is in compliance with Chapter 4 of Title 23 U.S.C. as amended by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), and Part 1300 - Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Programs, and provide “best” practice recommendations to support program progress.

Once the HSP is approved, NHTSA sends TxDOT a letter acknowledging the State’s submission of the Performance Plan, HSP, Certificates and Assurances, and Cost Summary comply with all federal requirements. The HSP is due on July 1 annually, and is submitted to NHTSA for review and approval.

Significant changes pertaining to the HSP were made in interim federal regulations as a result of the passage of MAP-21 on July 6, 2012. A consolidated application process for the Section 402 program and six national priority safety programs, codified into a single section as the Section 405 program, was established effective with the Fiscal Year 2014 application year.

This section provides an overview of the traffic safety program planning and development process used by TRF-BTS to develop the annual HSP, which is the foundation of the State’s highway safety program.