Speaking

The Safe System Approach (SSA) has become central to roadway safety efforts across the country. However, many agencies have just begun to scratch the surface on SSA implementation. This presentation shares Clackamas County, Oregon’s experience in translating SSA from “buzzwords” into actionable, agency-wide practices. Supported by a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant and funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation, Clackamas County used the update of its Transportation Safety Action Plan as an opportunity to assess and strengthen its practices for better SSA alignment.

This presentation outlines a practical framework for conducting an SSA readiness assessment, including an overview of how Clackamas County reviewed policies, plans and internal practices for alignment with SSA principles; surveyed staff to understand safety culture and awareness; facilitated workshops and interviews with key personnel and synthesized findings into a readiness assessment and multi-year implementation roadmap. The presentation will also discuss how best practices informed the process and how resulting recommendations were prioritized for action across departments, not solely within transportation project delivery.

The presentation will culminate by showcasing real methods in which Clackamas County has adopted or modified practices to better align with the SSA. Specific focus will be on the rich data-driven analyses used to identify and prioritize locations based on both historical crash frequencies and proactive systemic analyses. The results of this analysis, summarized in a dashboard, form the foundation for decisions within the County and provide a robust framework for where to spend resources and funding to effectively eliminate severe crashes.