DuPage transportation staff outlines federally funded "Safe Systems" action plan amid rising severe crashes

The Transportation Committee heard a presentation Jan. 7 on DuPage County's "Safe Systems" safety action plan, a multi‑jurisdictional effort funded in part by a federal grant. John, a DuPage County Department of Transportation staff member, said the county is part of a consortium that won a $5,000,000 federal grant and is roughly at the midpoint of developing the plan, with draft recommendations expected to return to the committee in April or May and a final plan in June or July.

The plan, John said, takes a Safe Systems approach that includes engineering, education, enforcement, safer vehicles and post‑crash care. "We're actually part of a consortium of counties... we won a $5,000,000 grant," John said, explaining that DuPage and neighboring counties are pursuing coordinated safety action plans to support future federal grant applications.

The plan focuses on the relatively small number of crashes that cause most societal cost. John…