Transportation Industry

Putting the pieces together: Washington State's safety management system helps communities to reduce crash rates and save lives

Public Roads, March-April, 2003 by Dan Sunde

WSDOT's system is intended to help communities prevent crashes, reduce property damage, and, most importantly, save lives in an organized and flexible fashion, by teaching agencies how to cooperate, communicate, and collaborate. The City of Vancouver is pioneering the implementation of the LASMS in Washington State, and WSDOT is confident that more cities will follow suit in the future. In the meantime, WSDOT is revising the original manual and developing software to accompany it.

For more information, see the LASMS manual posted on the WSDOT Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/TA/T2Center/Mgt.Systems/SafetyTechnology/LASMSpdf.> Dan Sunde, P.F., is the technology transfer engineer for WSDOT, where he directs the Washington State Technology Transfer Center. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in civil engineering. During his 24 years with WSDOT, he has gained experience in bridge and structure design and maintenance, construction program management and, for the past 10 years, local agency engineering/technical support, management systems, and training. Prior to his present position, he was the management systems engineer and project manager of the local agency safety management system, and he is the editor and coauthor of the Local Agency Safety Management System manual.