RSP Level 1 Cheat Sheet

Foundations of Road Safety

21% of exam
Safe System & Safety Science Haddon Matrix, 4 E's & Costs Nominal vs Substantive Safety Kinetic Energy & Speed

Measuring Safety

20% of exam
Safety Databases & Injury Scales Crash Rates, SPFs, EB & CMFs Regression to the Mean (RTM) Negative Binomial Overdispersion

Human Factors and Road Safety

20% of exam
Driving Task, PRT & Expectancy Vision, Workload, Distraction & Users Positive Guidance & Primacy Deterrence & Risk Compensation

Solving Road Safety Problems

24% of exam
HSM 6-Step Safety Management Proven Countermeasures & VRU Tools Roadside Hierarchy, RSAs & Appraisal Systemic vs Hot-Spot Screening

Implementing Road Safety Plans and Programs

15% of exam
SHSP, HSIP, NHTSA & PM1 Complete Streets & SRTS Traffic Safety Culture Local Road Safety Plans

Quick Facts

Credential Road Safety Professional Level 1
Administrator TPCB via Meazure Learning
Questions 75 qualitative MCQs (no calculations)
Time Limit 3 hours (180 minutes)
Passing Score Criterion-referenced Modified Angoff standard
Testing Windows February, June, and October
Eligibility Bachelor +2 relevant years; otherwise 4
Renewal Cycle 3-year cycle; 24 qualifying PDH
Ethics From 2027 Cycle 1 PDH per three-year cycle

FHWA Five Safe System Elements FO

Safe Users, Vehicles, Speeds, Roads, and Post-Crash Care
Safe Road Users Safe Vehicles & Speeds Safe Roads Post-Crash Care

Nominal Safety vs Substantive Safety FO

Nominal Safety

Meets design standards and manuals
Compliance does not guarantee low risk
Can still have high crashes

Substantive Safety

Actual or expected crash frequency/severity
Measured along a risk continuum
Evaluated via SPFs and EB
Code compliance vs real crash risk

Safe System & Safety Science FO

Nominal Safety Compliance with applicable design requirements
Substantive Safety Actual or expected crash performance
USDOT Safe System Elements Users, Vehicles, Speeds, Roads, Post-Crash 5 elements
Safe System Human Principles Unacceptable death/injury; mistakes; human vulnerability FHWA: 3 of 6
Swiss Cheese Model (Reason) Layer weaknesses can combine; strengthen redundancy
Kinetic Energy Law KE grows with speed squared 1/2 m v^2
Safe System Management Principles Shared responsibility; proactive safety; redundancy FHWA: 3 of 6

Haddon Matrix, 4 E's & Costs FO

Haddon Matrix Phases Pre-Crash, Crash, and Post-Crash 3 rows
Haddon Matrix Factors Human, Vehicle, Physical/Social Environment 3 combined or 4 separated
Traditional 4 E's Engineering, Enforcement, Education, EMS
Expanded Modern E's Equity and Evaluation added
NMVCCS 94% Critical Reason Historical driver-critical reason ≠ causation/fault
Comprehensive Crash Cost Economic losses plus quality-of-life valuation Avoid double counting

KABCO Police Injury Scale ME

K Fatal; A Suspected Serious; B Suspected Minor; C Possible
K: Fatal injury A: Suspected serious injury B: Suspected minor injury C: Possible injury O: No apparent injury

CMF Clearinghouse vs NHTSA Star Ratings ME

CMF Clearinghouse Stars

1-to-5 study quality rating
Measures statistical rigor and sample
Stars do not quantify reduction size

Countermeasures That Work

NHTSA behavioral safety guide
1-to-5 effectiveness star rating
Measures demonstrated crash/behavior impact
Study quality vs treatment effectiveness

Safety Screening & Evaluation Method Picker ME

Short-term high crash count → Check RTM, exposure and model suitability
Need excess-crash screening measure → Compare EB expected minus SPF predicted
Severe crashes dispersed across network → Assess systemic risk factors and patterns
No suitable SPF for evaluation → Consider justified comparison-group design
Need early mechanism feedback → Use validated conflicts/behavior measures

Safety Databases & Injury Scales ME

KABCO Police Scale K fatal; A suspected serious K-A-B-C-O
AIS Clinical Scale Clinical anatomical severity: 1 minor–6 maximal
FARS (NHTSA) Public-trafficway fatal-crash census; 30-day death Death <=30d
CRSS (NHTSA) Probability sample of police-reported crashes
MMUCC & MIRE Standard crash and roadway elements
Six Data Quality Attributes Timely, Accurate, Complete, Uniform, Integrated, Accessible
KABCO B/C/O Suspected minor; possible; no apparent injury

Crash Rates, SPFs, EB & CMFs ME

Intersection Crash Rate Crashes per Million Entering Vehicles MEV
Segment Crash Rate Crashes per 100M Vehicle-Miles Traveled HMVM
Safety Performance Function (SPF) Predicts average crashes for defined facilities
Regression to the Mean (RTM) Extreme random observations tend toward average
Empirical Bayes (EB) Method Weights SPF predicted and observed crashes Addresses RTM bias
CMF & CRF Formula CRF% = (1 − CMF) ×100 CMF 0.7 = 30%

PIEV Response Stages HU

Perceive, interpret, decide, respond; actual time depends on conditions
Perception: detect stimulus Interpretation: recognize significance Decision: choose response Response: initiate physical action

Young Novice vs Older Driver Risks HU

Young / Novice Drivers

Immaturity, speeding, peer distraction
Poor hazard anticipation skills
Mitigated by GDL nighttime/passenger rules

Older Drivers

Vision/processing changes vary between individuals
Complex left-turn gap judgment errors
Physical fragility can increase injury severity
Inexperience/risk-taking vs fragility/complex gaps

Driving Task, PRT & Expectancy HU

Driving Task Hierarchy Control, Guidance, then Navigation Primacy order
PIEV / PRT Four Stages Perception, Intellection, Emotion, Volition
AASHTO Stopping Design PRT 2.5 seconds; design assumption, not guarantee
A Priori Expectancy Long-term habit from driving experience
Ad Hoc Expectancy Short-term expectation along current corridor
MUTCD Clearance-Time Guidance 3.5 ft/s; consider slower users Ped clearance
MUTCD WALK Plus Clearance Separate total-time check: 3 ft/s Different starting point

Vision, Workload, Distraction & Users HU

Foveal vs Peripheral Vision Foveal reads detail; peripheral spots motion
Contrast Sensitivity Distinguishing hazards from dark background
Mental Workload Curve Underload and overload can impair performance
Three Distraction Types Visual, Manual, and Cognitive attention
Deterrence Theory Key Driver Certainty, swiftness and severity all matter
Self-Explaining Roads Consistent geometry communicates intended road function

AASHTO 6-Step Roadside Hierarchy SO

Remove, Redesign, Relocate, Breakaway, Shield, then Delineate
1-3: Remove, Redesign, Relocate 4: Reduce (breakaway) 5: Shield (barrier/cushion) 6: Delineate hazard

Hot-Spot vs Systemic Safety Approach SO

Hot-Spot Approach

Reactive to historical crash clusters
Treats individual high-crash locations
Screening result requires further diagnosis

Systemic Approach

Proactive network-wide risk-factor screening
Deploys widespread low-cost countermeasures
May include sites without recent crashes
Site crash history vs network risk

Countermeasure Candidates, Not Automatic Prescriptions SO

Severe intersection angle crashes → Evaluate roundabout feasibility and safety
Four-lane undivided corridor conflicts → Evaluate road-diet operations and safety
Turning traffic conflicts with pedestrians → Consider LPI and complementary protections
Wide/high-speed uncontrolled pedestrian crossing → Evaluate appropriate crossing control and warrants
Considering multiple countermeasures → Check compatibility, evidence and overlapping effects

HSM 6-Step Safety Management SO

Step 1: Network Screening Identify sites with reduction potential
Step 2: Diagnosis Collision and condition diagram analysis
Step 3: Select Countermeasures Match proven treatments to causes
Step 4: Economic Appraisal Compare present-value benefits and costs
Step 5: Prioritize Projects Optimize selection within budget limits
Step 6: Effectiveness Evaluation Assess outcomes with suitable bias controls

Collision Diagram vs Condition Diagram SO

Collision Diagram

Schematic arrows of crash maneuvers
Shows severity, time, surface condition
Reveals recurring crash-type clusters

Condition Diagram

Scale map of physical site
Shows lanes, grades, signs, sightlines
Links physical features to crashes
Crash patterns vs physical layout

Roadside Risk Treatment Sequence SO

Fixed object poses roadside risk → Assess removal or traversable redesign first
Removal/redesign infeasible → Assess relocation beyond likely encroachment
Necessary support remains near traffic → Evaluate appropriate crashworthy breakaway design
Residual hazard merits shielding → Compare barrier risk and available deflection

Proven Countermeasures & VRU Tools SO

Roundabouts Lower speeds; fewer severe crossing conflicts Context-specific effects
Road Diet (4-to-3 Conversion) Separate left turns; assess conversion feasibility
Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) Typically 3–7-second pedestrian head start
RRFB vs PHB (HAWK) Flashing yield beacon vs red stop
Multiplying Multiple CMFs Multiply only with justified independence
Surrogate Safety Measures TTC, PET, speeds, yielding rates

Roadside Hierarchy, RSAs & Appraisal SO

Roadside Hierarchy (Top 3) Remove, Redesign traversable, Relocate obstacle
Roadside Hierarchy (Bottom 3) Breakaway, Shield with barrier, Delineate
Recoverable Foreslope Generally 1V:4H or flatter
Road Safety Audit (RSA) Independent multidisciplinary review; documented owner response
Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) PV benefits / PV costs; >1 net-beneficial
Mutually Exclusive Alternatives Compare using NPV or incremental BCR
Critical Foreslope Steeper than 1V:3H; surface matters

FHWA HSIP vs NHTSA Section 402/405 IM

FHWA HSIP (23 USC 148)

Managed by State DOTs
Funds infrastructure on public roads
SHSP updated within five years

NHTSA Sec 402 / 405

Managed by State Highway Safety Offices
Funds behavioral HVE and education
Guided by Highway Safety Plan
Infrastructure engineering vs behavioral grants

Safety Plan & Funding Stream Picker IM

Statewide multidisciplinary safety priorities → Develop SHSP with required stakeholder consultation
Eligible data-supported public-road safety improvement → Consider HSIP under current funding rules
Behavioral enforcement/occupant protection program → Check Section 402/405 program eligibility
Dispersed local network risk → Develop local safety priorities and actions

SHSP, HSIP, NHTSA & PM1 IM

SHSP Update: 23 CFR 924.9 Within 5 years of previous approval
HSIP Scope Covers ALL public roads statewide
NHTSA Sec 402 & 405 Fund behavioral grants via SHSO/HSP
PM1 Counts and Rates Fatalities/serious injuries: counts and rates
Complete Streets Policy Routine design considers all road users
Traffic Safety Culture Internal agency + external public norms
PM1 Time Basis Five-year rolling average for each measure
PM1 Non-Motorized Combined Count Fatalities plus serious injuries; not rate

Common Traps

Critical Reason vs Causation

94% driver-critical reason ≠ sole causation ≠ Last event ≠ complete causal chain

CMF Quality vs Effect Size

CMF study-quality stars ≠ reduction percentage ≠ High confidence ≠ largest treatment benefit

Before–After Counts vs Causal Effect

Crash decline ≠ proven treatment effect ≠ EB adjustment ≠ universal confounding cure

Zero Crashes vs Safe Access

Zero crashes ≠ proven safe crossing ≠ Suppressed walking ≠ absent pedestrian demand

HSIP Scope vs State Ownership

Public roads ≠ state-owned highways only ≠ Local ownership ≠ automatic HSIP ineligibility

Barrier vs Harmless Protection

Barrier shielding ≠ hazard-free roadside ≠ Hazard delineation ≠ hazard removal

Last Minute

1. RSP1: 75 qualitative items; 3 hours
2. Level 1 requires no computations
3. Solving Problems domain: 24%
4. Nominal: compliance; substantive: crash performance
5. Haddon: phases × contributing-factor categories
6. EB combines observed and predicted crashes
7. CMF 0.70 implies 30% reduction
8. CMF stars indicate study quality
9. Stopping PRT design assumption: 2.5 seconds
10. Clearance guidance: 3.5 ft/s
11. Routine slower users: consider lower speed
12. WALK+clearance: separate 3-ft/s check
13. Control precedes guidance and navigation
14. RSA process includes written owner response
15. HSIP scope includes all public roads
16. SHSP update: ≤5 years from approval
17. PM1 uses five-year rolling averages
18. Renewal: 24 PDH per three-year cycle
19. 2027 cycles require one ethics PDH

RSP Road Safety Professional

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