Roadway safety on indian reservations

The need to reduce fatal and injury crashes on Tribal lands has been recognized for years. The U.S. has realized a decline in fatal crashes over the past several years, but fatal crashes continue to increase on Tribal lands. Limited resources, lack of crash data and little coordination across jurisdictions has made it difficult for Native American communities to address their roadway safety concerns. A methodology able to address these challenges has been developed and successfully implemented on the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR). Key to the success of such a process is collaboration among safety stakeholders, namely the State departments of transportation, Tribal leadership, Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and local and Tribal law enforcement.;Strategic Highway Safety Plans are used to assist agencies to determine effective safety improvements to their roadways. Crash data is important to properly identify strategies to accomplish their goals. The WRIR has successfully developed a strategic plan utilizing the available crash data, identified ways to improve reporting, and incorporated their safety improvement program into the strategic plan.;Statistical models have been used to help researches determine related factors and identify countermeasures to improve roadway safety. Many models have been developed for urban applications and intersections, but few have addressed crashes on rural roadways and apparently none have analyzed crashes on Indian Reservations. This study analyzes crash severity for rural highway systems in Wyoming using a multiple logistic regression model. Four rural highway systems were analyzed for crash severity including the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR). Five main effects predictor variables were prevalent in all four crash severity models: crashes involving animals, driver impairment, motorcycles, mean speed and the use of safety equipment. These results validate the concerns of the Tribal communities.;Few resources exist that address the livability and sustainability of rural and Tribal communities. In order to improve transportation safety, and other transportation issues in these communities, they need programs that meet their specific needs and culture. This research presents several programs that address livability and sustainability. It identifies the challenges Tribes face in providing opportunities and quality living options. Each Tribe has different goals and priorities that would affect how they define livability. Transportation is a large factor in improving quality of life and economic opportunities in rural and Tribal communities. Roadway safety is a primary goal among Native Americans in their efforts to improve the quality of life among their people.