The Quad Cities MPO has participated in traffic safety planning since its inception in 1966. Intersection crash reports have been prepared with the most recent specific to intersection in 2013. In 2020 the first Quad Cities Traffic Safety Plan was produced. It examined overall crashes as well as intersections and crash emphasis areas where data illustrated trends and hot spots for fatal and serious injury crashes. The MPO staff a Community Awareness of Roadway Safety (CARS) group in Scott County comprised of planners, engineers, public safety officials, law enforcement and representatives from the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).
It was established in partnership with the Iowa Governors’ Traffic Safety Bureau more than two decades ago to work on reduction of crashes, coordination of enforcement activity, and sharing of data and information to raise awareness of crash prevention or mitigation. Annually, the MPO brings together a joint group from the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities to discuss traffic safety issues and coordination.
Traffic Safety Action Plan – Toward Vision Zero
Bi-State Regional Commission (BSRC) was awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant for planning in 2023 from the US Department of Transportation to complete a traffic safety action plan (TSAP) for Quad Cities-Iowa/Illinois, Muscatine, Iowa and Kewanee, Illinois. The TSAP was completed in May 2025. The SS4A program emphasizes that one death on our roadways is one too many, and the vision is to reduce this to zero, Vision Zero. The TSAP is a plan for the three geographies to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries, and to identify the beneficial projects or solutions toward safer streets for everyone. Through a consultant-led process, the Project Study Partners included collaborating with Quad Cities MPO staff and Transportation Technical Committee, and with city staff from Muscatine and Kewanee to oversee the process. Public involvement was part of the plan development process.
The TSAP serves as a framework to guide engineering, enforcement, emergency response and education to reduce deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes. The TSAP outlines the following goal and actions moving forward to achieve Vision Zero through intergovernmental cooperation and everyone doing their part as safe road users.
What is a TSAP?
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a Traffic Safety Action Plan, or TSAP, is a “powerful way to prioritize safety improvements and justify investment decisions.” In short – it is a plan put in place to get people home safely. Safe streets really can be for everyone, and establishing an TSAP can be a positive move forward toward a goal of zero deaths from roadway incidents.
A formal TSAP has many benefits, including:
- Provide valuable data and analyses as to causes of roadway fatalities and serious injuries
- Establish proven safety measures to implement in your region
- Serve as a guide to local and safe infrastructure solutions
- Initiate productive, open lines of communication between stakeholders and transportation agencies
- Open possible future funding opportunities for infrastructure improvements
Safe System Approach
The goal of zero roadway deaths using the Safety System Approach is the basis of the Quad Cities-Kewanee-Muscatine Traffic Safety Action Plan. The TSAP incorporates the following principles:
- Death and Serious Injuries are Unacceptable – A Safe System Approach prioritizes the elimination of crashes that result in death and serious injuries.
- Humans Make Mistakes – People will inevitably make mistakes and decisions that can lead or contribute to crashes, but the transportation system can be designed and operated to accommodate certain types and levels of human mistakes, and avoid death and serious injuries when a crash occurs.
- Humans Are Vulnerable – Human bodies have physical limits for tolerating crash forces before death or serious injury occurs; therefore, it is critical to design and operate a transportation system that is human-centric and accommodates physical human vulnerabilities.
- Responsibility is Shared – All stakeholders—including government at all levels, industry, non-profit/advocacy, researchers, and the general public—are vital to preventing fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.
- Safety is Proactive – Proactive tools should be used to identify and address safety issues in the transportation system, rather than waiting for crashes to occur and reacting afterwards.
- Redundancy is Crucial – Reducing risks requires that all parts of the transportation system be strengthened, so that if one part fails, the other parts still protect people.