HSIS EXCELLENCE IN HIGHWAY SAFETY DATA AWARD

HIGHWAY SAFETY INFORMATION SYSTEM (HSIS) STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION

Congratulations to the 2024 Winners!

Check back in the fall for 2025 competition information. 

Purpose

The goal of the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) Student Research Paper Competition is to encourage university students to use HSIS data with the intent of introducing potential future highway safety professionals to good quality safety data; the application of appropriate research methods to derive recommendations; and the practice of using data to make decisions. (Download competition details)

Eligibility

The HSIS Research Paper Competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students, including those attending community colleges, who are enrolled in U.S.-based degree-granting programs that support highway safety. These programs may include—but are not limited to—fields such as engineering, planning, statistics, psychology, and economics. Students must be enrolled during the 2024–2025 academic year, or have graduated in Spring, Summer, or Fall 2024, with papers based on work completed during their degree program.

Submissions may be made by individual students or teams. For team submissions, one student must be designated as the lead author, with others listed as contributors. Faculty members may serve in an advisory capacity but cannot be listed as co-authors.

The analysis must be conducted using data requested and obtained from the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) https://highways.dot.gov/research/safety/hsis. Data from other states or local sources may supplement the primary analysis using HSIS data.

Please note: While HSIS data requests are typically processed within two weeks, the time required to conduct the analysis varies by project. Applicants should plan accordingly and submit their requests well in advance of the submission deadline.

All prizes, including travel reimbursements, are subject to FHWA rules, regulations, and approval at the time of the award.

Paper Topic

In their submitted papers, applicants must use HSIS data, which includes data from the States of California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, and the city of Charlotte, NC, to investigate a topic that advances highway safety. Analysis must be conducted on data requested and acquired from HSIS.

While not mandatory, applicants are encouraged to consider integrating other data sources with HSIS data if applicable to their research question, as long as HSIS data plays a central role in the analysis. Please see the website for more information and direct links to potential datasets that could be used in combination with HSIS data.

Word Count

A paper of 2,500 to 5,000 words documenting original research must be completed and submitted along with the application no later than May 1, 2025. The word count is flexible to accommodate the unique scope and depth of each research project. Papers within the 2,500-word range are equally competitive as those that reach 5,000 words, provided they clearly address the judging criteria and demonstrate thoughtful analysis. The quality of your insights and research is valued over the length of the paper, so focus on presenting your findings clearly and effectively.

Note: The word count includes the abstract, text, references, and tables. Each table counts as 250 words. If four tables are included, the abstract, text, and references are limited to 4,000 words. Papers not meeting this requirement may be rejected without review.

Original Research

Authors who have submitted papers to previous HSIS competitions and received awards are expected to submit new, original material for the 2025 competition. If the paper builds on prior work or uses previously requested HSIS datasets, it must offer significant new insights. All 2025 submissions should consist of at least 50 percent new, original content, with the remaining portion containing no verbatim text from previously published work or papers previously submitted to the HSIS competition.

Judging Criteria

• Objective of paper and emphasis on safety. (10 points)

Is the objective of the paper clearly stated and relevant to the safety community? For example, using the HSIS data to model the impacts of signal spacing on capacity does not have an emphasis on safety. However, using the HSIS data to model the impact of signal spacing on crashes is a more appropriate topic.

• Importance of HSIS data to paper topic. (20 points)

Was the use of HSIS data critical to achieving the objective of the paper? The paper should focus on the use of the HSIS and how critical it is in completing the objective of the study. HSIS data can be used in conjunction with other data sources and linked together.

• Soundness of methodology. (20 points)

Is the approach appropriate for the data? The paper should describe and use appropriate data analysis techniques that suit the objectives.

• Analysis of HSIS data. (40 points)

Was the analysis of the HSIS data specifically, correctly, and clearly conducted? The paper should analyze the HSIS data using the proposed statistical analysis techniques. Please also explain the details of the HSIS data (i.e., how it was obtained, how it was used, and why it was necessary for the analysis). 

• Discussion of results. (10 points)

Were the results discussed appropriately? The specific findings of the analysis are not part of the evaluation criteria, as the evaluation instead focuses on the discussion of the results. For example, if a study on signal spacing found no effect on crashes, this will not affect the evaluation of the paper. The student should discuss the implications of the results, including a critical review of the methodology and the potential for future research.

Prizes