Check out our new Drive Well Vermont website!

May is National Bicycle Safety Month

This year, let's be sure to look out for each other on Vermont's road. Here are some tips to keeping everyone safe while sharing the roads with bicyclists:

For Drivers

• Traffic safety is a shared responsibility. When driving, look out for bicyclists and never drive distracted or impaired. Bicyclists do not have the same protections as a vehicle.

• If you see a bicyclist, slow down: Bicyclists are most often killed by drivers who strike them with the front of their vehicles, often at high speeds. The higher the vehicle speed, the higher the likelihood a bicyclist will be seriously injured or killed.

For Bicyclists

• Just like seat belts help save lives in a motor vehicle crash, bicycle helmets save lives, too. When biking, always wear a helmet.
• A concept called Safety in Numbers shows that when more people ride bikes together, drivers behave more safely around them on the roads. Studies of Safety in Numbers show drivers are more cautious, and bicyclists are safer on roads with more bicyclists.

• Compared to vehicles, bikes are harder to see because of their smaller size. To make it easier for drivers to see you, have reflectors and lights on your bike, and wear retroreflective and bright clothing.

General

• Bicycling is good for the environment and your health. It’s good for your wallet, too: Bicycling is an inexpensive and reliable way to get to the places you want to go.
• Fewer vehicles on the road means less traffic air pollution. Unlike motor vehicles, bicycles produce zero carbon footprint.
• U.S. Census reports have shown that people in low-income, marginalized communities and communities of color often rely on walking and biking as their main sources of transportation. This means safer bicycling is critical in addressing transportation inequities.

To learn more, visit NHTSA.gov. For Drive Well Vermont materials, click here. 

Grant Electronic Application and Reporting System (GEARS)

Click here to go to GEARS (for current subgrantees or agencies interested in applying for a grant with the SHSO). 

Operations and Safety Bureau Data Dashboard

Click here to see current crash data from the OSB Data and Analysis Unit. 

Our Mission Statement

Achieve progress “Toward Zero Deaths” by reducing the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities on Vermont's roads and to provide highway safety data and fact-based analyses that will assist communities and safety advocates in implementing effective programs that will change high-risk driving behavior and increase safety on our streets and highways.

Where We Are Located

The Vermont State Highway Safety Office is located within the Agency of Transportation's Highway’s Division, Office of Operations and Safety Bureau, Dill Building, Unit A, 2178 Airport Road, Barre, VT 05641.

What We Do

The Vermont State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) awards federal highway safety grant funds to local, state and non-profit agencies for projects to improve highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes. The SHSO is also involved with the Vermont Highway Safety Alliance (VHSA) which has allowed us to build upon a network of highway safety professionals, working in collaboration to increase highway safety through these federally funded programs.

The SHSO has an in-house staff of three Program Coordinators with specific subject matter areas of expertise, to include Occupant Protection, Distracted Driving, Impaired Driving, Law Enforcement (DUI and OP Enforcement) and Education Outreach programs. The staff of the SHSO manages state highway safety grant funds by providing guidance, oversight and monitoring for our partners. 

The programs administered through the SHSO are federally funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Our programs are defined and approved each year in the SHSO Highway Safety Plan (HSP) and align with the State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). Through these plans, we analyze data, identify problems, define emphasis areas, and set goals in order to administer funds to programs in a responsible manner in accordance with federal guidelines. 

The Vermont State Highway Safety Office programs are designed to educate drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists about highway safety. Our programs employ the use of countermeasures that focus primarily on the modification of driver’s behavior and attitude.