New Strategic Highway Safety Plan Signed by TDOT

A new Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) for Tennessee was signed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and its safety partners, pledging to lower the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the state’s roads. In order to achieve zero deaths, the SHSP aims to be proactive. The 2025–2029 plan, which is updated every four years, incorporates the first Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Safety Assessment. VRUs include non-motorized transit users, bicycles, and walkers; because of their heightened susceptibility, certain safety precautions are necessary. TDOT is beginning to make significant strides in addressing traffic safety, particularly with regard to safeguarding VRUs, even though much more work remains. Compared to this time last year, there are 37 fewer pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in 2024. Over the previous five years, TDOT has carried out more than 300 safety initiatives with a total budget of $239 million, using strategies found in the SHSP. Strategies aimed at improving the safety of vulnerable road users have accounted for about 15% of those enhancements.