NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Grand Strand Area Transportation Study (GSATS) will be hosting a Safe Streets For All Public Meeting at North Myrtle Beach City Hall on Tuesday, August 6 from 12 PM to 2 PM.
The GSATS is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) responsible for transportation planning and programming in Horry County and Georgetown County in South Carolina and Brunswick County in North Carolina. GSATS is committed to implementing the Safe System Approach for their service area, which begins with the development of a Safety Action Plan (SAP).
In 2022, GSATS was awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant for the development of this comprehensive Safety Action Plan. This plan will identify the most significant roadway safety concerns in the region and strategies to address roadway safety issues aimed at reducing and eliminating serious-injury and fatal crashes affecting all roadway users.
The SAP is the first step toward implementing safety improvements with federal funding from the SS4A program.
The Safe System Approach (GSATS)
FHWA’s Safe System approach to roadway safety is an effort to achieve the vision of zero deaths. The Grand Strand Area Transportation Study (GSATS) serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for transportation planning and programming in Horry County, Georgetown County (in South Carolina), and Brunswick County (in North Carolina). GSATS has committed to implementing this approach within their service area by developing a Safety Action Plan. In 2022, they received a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant to create this comprehensive plan. Its purpose is to identify significant roadway safety concerns and propose strategies for reducing serious-injury and fatal crashes among all users. This SAP marks the first step in utilizing federal funding from the SS4A program for implementing safety improvements.
A Safe System approach recognizes that thousands of lives are lost in traffic crashes each year, disproportionately among pedestrians and bicyclists. Fatal crashes can also occur in different age groups, ethnicities, and environments.
People of color, American Indians, and rural communities are disproportionately affected by traffic crashes as a leading cause of death for teenagers in America. A crisis exists on our roads; both unacceptable and resolvable.” – U.S. Department of Transportation National Roadway Safety Strategy
Safe System acknowledges that people make mistakes, but they should never lead to death. As a result, human errors can be mitigated to prevent serious harm or death by anticipating human error and designing and managing infrastructure to reduce risk. In this holistic approach, road users, vehicles, speeds, roads, and post-crash care are all protected.
