AASHTOWare Safety Alternative Design enables designers, planners, and safety engineers, to run Part C calculations found in the Highway Safety Manual, replacing the IHSDM. Alternative Design calculates the safety improvements made by designers, planners, and safety engineers, through changes made to roadway characteristics including lighting, shoulder size, lane width, etc. AASHTOWare Safety Alternative Design produces reports that demonstrate comparisons between multiple proposals for metrics such as crash reductions and benefit-cost ratios.

The AASHTOWare Safety Alternative Design application includes predictive methods for:

• Rural Two-Lane, Two-Way Roads
• Rural Multilane Highways
• Urban and Suburban Arterials
• Freeways, Interchange Ramps, and Interchange Terminals
• Additionally, AASHTOWare Safety Alternative Design customers will receive ongoing updates for newly developed calculations, including the forthcoming Highway Safety Manual Version 2 Part C, which includes bike and pedestrian modules.

AASHTOWare Safety Alternative Design is meant to be used by users of all abilities, including those not familiar with safety data. This approach enables planners and designers to include safety evaluations in the initial stages of the project. This ability not only helps state agencies fulfill federal requirements but also allows for safety to be considered on every project, without slowing down the project’s velocity.