The goal of FTA’s Safety and Security Program is to achieve the highest practical level of safety and security for all modes of transit. In order to protect passengers, employees, revenues, and property, all transit systems are encouraged to develop and implement a proactive system safety program plan. FTA supports these efforts by developing guidelines and best practices, providing training and by performing system safety analyses and reviews.

On April 16, 1999, the FTA Administrator convened an interdepartmental task force of transportation professionals and safety experts to examine the Federal role in transit safety. Additionally, the industry, APTA, CTAA and the unions provided technical information on industry practices to the task force. The task force was charged with the development of recommendations in the areas of: operational best practices, human factors, and design standards.

A companion document, Keeping Safety on Track, translated these recommendations into 6 functional areas with associated actions. FTA's FY 2000 accomplishments and activities planned for FY 2001 are published in the FTA Safety Action Plan Accomplishments and the Future.