AHSO

Arkansas Highway Safety Office

The Arkansas Highway Safety Office (AHSO) at the Division of Arkansas State Police is tasked with the simple but difficult mission to eradicate preventable crash fatalities, serious injuries, and economic losses on Arkansas roadways. Seeking to effectively administer federal highway safety grant funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), AHSO oversees statewide behavioral highway safety programs to save lives and reduce injuries on the State's roads.

Additionally, we provide leadership, innovation and program support to our State's law enforcement agencies in partnership with traffic safety advocates, professionals and organizations. Undergirding all this is a desire to enroll and engage one of our largest group of safety partners, the motoring public with the mission of reducing traffic crash fatalities and serious injuries to zero.

4 Ps of AHSO Primary Purpose

  1. Problem Identification – Pinpointing the number and types of crashes that are occurring in the State of Arkansas, the locations and the main contributing circumstances for driver/pedestrian behavior leading to these crashes, and develop effective solutions or countermeasures based on the crash data.
  2. Public Information and Education – Develop information/education materials, social media, website and coordinate, targeted ad coverage, media events and public awareness/outreach activities with an emphasis on the identified priority problem areas.
  3. Performance Evaluation – Assess the efficiency and effectiveness of approved highway safety programs and monitor projects and legislative initiatives that impact highway safety.
  4. Plan Administration – Manage federal and state highway safety funds, distribute federal funds to identified agencies and prepare the annual Arkansas Highway Safety Plan and Annual Report.

Some of the highway safety program efforts supported by these funds for the State of Arkansas are featured below:

ZERO DEATHS PROGRAM | IMPAIRED DRIVING | OCCUPANT PROTECTION | DISTRACTED DRIVING | SPEEDING

WHAT IS ZERO DEATHS PROGRAM?

Every life is valuable. We at the Arkansas Highway Safety Office don’t want the lives that expired on Arkansas highways this year due to fatal traffic crashes to become just another set of numbers added to our year end statistics. These lives lost in crashes in many cases are 100% preventable. Our goal is Zero Deaths on the roadways of Arkansas and,

The goal for every individual, every family, and every community should be zero deaths on Arkansas roads.

That’s why the Department of Public Safety, Arkansas State Police, Highway Safety Office, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department and the Arkansas Department of Health are working with other partners across the state through the Toward Zero Deaths program to eliminate traffic fatalities.

The ultimate goal of the program is to strive for zero fatalities on Arkansas roadways. This goal supports the Toward Zero Deaths national Strategy on Highway Safety. To reach this goal, the Arkansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) identified key safety areas. The SHSP plan integrates education, enforcement, enrollment, engineering and emergency services. The primary goal of the Arkansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan is to reduce the annual number of roadway fatalities in Arkansas.

The plan is the culmination of joint efforts of various organizations in Arkansas to set the direction of our future collective safety efforts. The plan is not limited or focused on one organization or one area of concern. The plan is applicable to all organizations and all areas that play a part on addressing road safety in Arkansas.

We’re not at zero yet, but we know that by working together we will see a day when there are no traffic fatalities on Arkansas roads.

Last Year: 648 crash deaths occurred on Arkansas roads.*

Year To Date Down 12.5%: This Year 06/01/22 - 217 | Last Year 06/01/21 - 248**

Toward Zero Deaths. One is too many.

*Preliminary Data - Fatalities - DPS Dashboard

With the goal of Zero Deaths in mind, the Arkansas Highway Safety Office coordinates an ongoing statewide behavioral highway safety program making effective use of federal and state highway safety funds and other resources to save lives and reduce injuries on the State’s roads, and provide leadership, innovation and program support in partnership with traffic safety advocates, professionals and organizations. Other priority areas addressing high fatalities on Arkansas roadways are Impaired Driving and Occupant Protection...**For more Arkansas Crash Data https://www.dps.arkansas.gov/dashboard/

OTHER PRIORITY AREAS

IMPAIRED DRIVING

Impaired driving is a choice.

Drivers can choose to drive sober, get plenty of rest and pay attention.

Impaired drivers risk injuring or killing themselves and their passengers. They also expose everyone on the road to unnecessary risks. The best defense against impaired drivers is wearing a seat belt. AHSO's newest social norming messages are 'Buckle Up Cell Down and the Four Ds of Impaired Driving' below:

Impairment is a diminished ability to drive, which can be caused by

  • Drinking and Driving,
  • Distracted Driving,
  • Drugged Driving, &
  • Drowsy Driving.

The four “Ds” of Impaired Driving can be—one more word that starts with a D, deadly. Statistics show a third of traffic crash related deaths are attributable to alcohol. Distracted driving fatalities are increasing annually. While NHTSA and other researchers are studying the best ways to get identifiable and conclusive data on drugged and drowsy driving, both are responsible for thousands of lives lost each year on our nation’s roads. Click here for more on Impaired Driving.

More About Impaired Driving


OCCUPANT PROTECTION

Seat Belts Save Lives

90.3% Seat Belt Use Rate In 2020

14955 Lives Saved By Seat Belts In 2017

2549 additional lives could have been saved in 2017 if everyone had buckled up

Source: Seat Belt Safety | NHTSA

One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 90.3% in 2020. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.

New Saved By The Belt Story Section!

The Arkansas State Police - Highway Safety Office Saved by the Belt story section raises awareness about the importance and responsibility of everyone to buckle up. The traveling public is one of our largest and important safety partners in the efforts to eliminate traffic related fatalities and serious injuries in Arkansas. Everyone can/must do their part to pursue zero fatalities and make it a reality. Click here to read more about 'Saved By The Belt' | Click here for more on Occupant Protection

Simply say, "I'll do it." Make the Life Saving Choice Buckle Up Arkansas!

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