Traditionally, roads and streets have been designed with total throughput and capacity as the main function. This has led to traffic-related crashes becoming one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States and throughout the world. In Gaithersburg alone, 19 crashes resulted in the loss of life, while another 70 crashes resulted in a serious injury between 2019 and 2024. These crashes shatter the peace and comfort of our community and irrevocably impact the lives of our loved ones and neighbors.

Move Safe offers a new approach to road design, one that makes safety the main focus of Gaithersburg's streets and roads. Move Safe intends to improve safety in Gaithersburg by designing safety policy under the "Safe Systems" approach which embraces transportation safety under the following core principles:

• Death and serious injuries on Gaithersburg's roads are unacceptable
• People are fallible and vulnerable
• Safety is a shared responsibility among all roadway users, community members, and governmental entities
• Safety should be pursued proactively
• Transportation systems should be designed to include redundancy

• Traffic deaths are INEVITABLE
• PERFECT human behavior
• Prevent COLLISIONS
• INDIVIDUAL responsibility
• Saving lives is EXPENSIVE

• Traffic deaths are PREVENTABLE
• Integrate HUMAN FAILING in approach
• Prevent FATAL AND SEVERE CRASHES
• SYSTEMS approach
• Saving lives is NOT EXPENSIVE

A goal of Move Safe is transparency and data-driven decision making. Move Safe is analyzing the City of Gaithersburg's crash data to identify trends and risk factors which result in severe crashes. Isolating these factors will allow the City of Gaithersburg to better address crashes and reduce their severity and frequency.

Data on crashes occurring within the city should not be solely the domain of municipal staff. Transportation safety is a community-wide issue, so Move Safe is making transportation safety data available to the public.

The crash data dashboard below displays recent crashes within city limits. Users can use the dashboard to analyze and understand trends, geographic patterns, and systemic safety issues.

Move Safe is an effort to improve transportation safety within the City: therefore, we want to make sure the policies and solutions developed in the plan are compatible with residents' daily travel needs and wants from the City.

Move Safe will be hosting a series of community events and meetings offering Gaithersburg residents the chance to learn more about the project and voice their thoughts and concerns about transportation within the City. Your feedback is vital in:

• Identifying unsafe locations throughout the City
• Highlighting outdated and substandard infrastructure
• Prioritizing safety efforts
• Providing real-world experiences of life and travel in the City

Move Safe is also documenting the public's concerns and thoughts through a survey (located under the Survey tab) and an interactive map which will be active throughout the lifecycle of the project.

The Move Safe team has been in the Gaithersburg community, connecting with resident to see what transportation safety issues concern Gaithersburg's residents the most, and how they would like to see the City improve in the future. The Move Safe team has held three in-person pop-up events in October, engaging residents at the following locations:

• Lakeforest Transit Center - October 9th, 2025
• Megamart Gaithersburg - October 11th, 2025
• King's Laundromat - October 12th, 2025

The Move Safe team also held a virtual public meeting on Zoom on October 29th, 2025. A presentation on the Move Safe project, crash trends in Gaithersburg, and initial finds from Move Safe's safety analysis was given. The meeting was then opened up to the public to provide a space for community members to give their thoughts and detail their experiences. A video recording of the meeting is saved below.

A presentation on Move Safe was also presented to the City of Gaithersburg's City Council on November 24th, 2025. City Council was presented with the executive-level summary of the existing conditions analysis and the first round of public engagement. The presentation pivoted to the next steps of the Move Safe projects and how the data and feedback collected from project's previous efforts will influence the project moving forward.

The City Council was then polled on their thoughts on the following questions regarding priorities for transportation safety in the City:

• What modes of travel in the City need the most safety investment/improvement?
• What key words pr phrases best capture your vision for improved transportation safety in Gaithersburg?
• How do you see the following factors contributing to transportation safety risk in Gaithersburg?
• Rank safety themes by importance Safety Action Plan development based on City context, feasibility, and you own experience.
• When evaluating different safety projects, which prioritization factors are most important?

A copy of the presentation, the City Council's answers to the above questions, and the recording of the meeting are saved below.

The Move Safe project team developed two priority networks for the City of Gaithersburg: one for roadway segments and another for intersections. These priority networks identified roadway segments and intersections that are in the most need of safety improvements and interventions. The current priority networks are drafts, but once finalized, the intersections and roadway networks included in the networks will be prioritized for future safety projects. Roads and intersections not included in the priority networks will still be considered for safety interventions and other improvements.

The priority networks were developed based on Move Safe's existing condition analyses and public engagement efforts. The intersections and roadway segment which were included in the priority networks because they reflect a balance of the following factors:

Experienced high numbers of total and severe collisions
Were frequently identified through public engagement
Border or serve vulnerable communities
Have not received recent safety interventions

Countermeasures are tools and design changes used to improve the safety of all road users. Countermeasures typically enforce a specific function for reducing the frequency and severity of collisions such as improving visibility, slowing traffic, or making road crossings easier. Countermeasures can be physical changes to the street, like curb extensions or better lighting, or operational tools, like signal timing or speed enforcement. Countermeasures are often used in combination with each other to address multiple safety concerns and respond to the unique needs of each street or neighborhood.

We ask that you review the countermeasure profiles and share your feedback through the survey below. The Move Safe team wants future safety improvements to reflect the needs and preferences of the Gaithersburg community, and your input is critical to that effort.

We want to improve your safety traveling throughout the City, but crash reports only provide one part of the picture.

Please help us identify specific locations within the City where you have safety concerns.

To locate a safety concern, click "Add Comment." Then, type in the address or zoom into the desired location on the map. Next, select the type of safety concern you want to note in Gaithersburg. Finally, add any comments in the prompted text box to provide additional context surrounding the safety concern you highlighted.

Accessibility Issue

• Use this marker to identify locations where you couldn't physically access or had difficulty accessing your desired destination because the infrastructure or facilities were not ADA compliant.

Bicycle Safety

• Use this marker to identify locations where you felt unsafe bicycling or interacting with bicyclists, or locations where you think bicycling infrastructure should be improved.

Bus Safety

• Use this marker to identify locations where you felt unsafe trying to board or access the bus or a bus stop. Additionally, mark locations where you felt unsafe driving, walking, or riding alongside the bus.

Driver Behavior Issue

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have seen or experienced drivers practicing unsafe driving behaviors. Such behaviors include speeding, disobeying traffic laws, and aggressive driving such as tailgating.

Intersection Safety

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have felt unsafe driving through an intersection. Additionally, mark intersections whose infrastructure needs to be upgraded.

Lighting Issue

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have felt unsafe due to a lack of street lighting. Additionally, mark locations where streetlights need to be fixed or upgraded.

Near Miss

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have almost been hit by a vehicle or have almost hit another vehicle or road user.

Other Traffic Safety Issue

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have experienced a safety issue which does not fit in any of the other categories listed.

Pedestrian Safety

• Use this marker to identify locations where you felt unsafe walking, running, jogging, or using a mobility device such as a wheelchair. Additionally, mark locations where you have felt unsafe interacting with pedestrians or locations where pedestrian infrastructure should be improved.

Road Design Issue

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have had trouble traveling or felt unsafe due to the physical design of the road.

Visibility Issue

• Use this marker to identify locations where you have had issues seeing the road, lights and signs, or other road users.

What is Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)?

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

Learn more at: https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A

What is the Safe Systems Approach?

The United States Department of Transportation adopted the Safe System Approach as effective way to address and reduce the risks inherent in our complex transportation system. It works focusing on multiple layers of protection to both prevent crashes from happening in the first place and to minimize the harm caused to those involved when crashes do occur.

Learn more at: https://www.transportation.gov/safe-system-approac..

Didn't Gaithersburg Already Do a Safety Action Plan?

The City of Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, the State of Maryland, and the Washington DC region are all actively engaged in transportation efforts, many of which with prioritize safety. The safety action plan is focused only on the City of Gaithersburg, but plans to synthesize many of findings, projects, and strategies from recent transportation plans published by the City, County, and State. The safety action plan will also provide new analysis and outreach to provide the City with a comprehensive and current pathway to increase transportation safety in Gaithersburg.

The City of Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, and the Washington DC region have conducted multiple transportation safety efforts and plans over the previous years. The Safety Action Plan, while an independent effort, is influenced by the findings and strategies developed by these previous studies.

If you want to learn more about what has previously been done to tackle transportation safety in the City, County, and region, please review the following materials: