Effect of MUTCD on Tort Liability of Government Transportation Agencies (2014)

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A-1 APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONS NCRHP 20-6, Study Topic 19-03 EFFECT OF THE MUTCD ON TORT LIABILITY OF GOVERNMENT TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES Agency Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Name of Employee: ________________________________________________________________________ Job Title: ________________________________________________________________________ Contact telephone/cell phone number: ___________________/ _____________________ Email address: _________________________________ How many years have you been with the agency? _____ Please attach additional pages as needed to respond to the following questions. Questions 1. Has the 2009 revision of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) been adopted in your state? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please state the date or otherwise explain the status of the 2009 MUTCD in your state. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 2. Since the 2009 revision of the MUTCD has your agency had any tort claims filed against it involving an alleged violation of the MUTCD? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please state: (a) What were the plaintiff’s or plaintiffs’ allegations? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ (b) Which provisions of the MUTCD were at issue? ______________________________________________________________________________

A-2 ______________________________________________________________________________ (c) What was the outcome of the case or cases? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ (d) Please provide citations to any court decisions in the cases you described. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Are there any changes to the 2009 MUTCD that in your agency’s opinion may be beneficial in reducing tort claims or verdicts against your agency? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please explain. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. Are there any changes to the 2009 MUTCD that in your agency’s opinion that may result in an increase in tort claims or verdicts against your agency? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please explain. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Has your agency adopted a policy or statement of procedures to be followed concerning how your agency’s em- ployees or others acting on behalf of your agency (e.g., a contractor) are to comply with the MUTCD? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please provide details and, if possible, a copy of the policy or procedures. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 6. When decisions are made regarding whether to install, replace, or change a traffic control device at a given loca- tion or to do so as part of a highway safety plan: (a) Does your agency keep a record showing what the agency considered or evaluated prior to making a decision on the action to be taken? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please provide details. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ (b) If records are kept do the records state who made the decision and what the basis was for the decision? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please provide details. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ (c) For how many years are such records retained? ___________________________

A-3 7. (a) In your state is your agency potentially liable for failing to respond to a dangerous condition in connec- tion with a highway or related facility involving a traffic control device when the agency has actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition? YES __ NO __ (b) Alternatively, does your agency have immunity if the agency fails to correct or give notice of a dangerous condi- tion in connection with a highway or related facility involving a traffic control device? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes either to question 7 (a) or (b), please explain and identify any statute that applies to your agency regarding such dangerous conditions? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 8. Under the law of your state or locality, regardless of the provisions of the MUTCD, is there a statutory or judi- cially imposed duty to install or provide warning signs, pavement markings, speed limits, traffic lights or other devices, barricades, or otherwise? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please provide details and citations to any statutes or judicial decisions that state that such a duty exists. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 9. In any of the cases before or after the 2009 revision of the MUTCD has any court ruled in a case involving your agency or other public entity to your knowledge that a violation of the MUTCD constituted negligence per se? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes, please provide a citation or citation to the cases. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 10. In defending cases brought against your agency alleging violations of the MUTCD, either before or after the 2009 revision of the MUTCD: (a) What defenses has your agency commonly asserted? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ (b) Which defenses have been particularly successful from your agency’s point of view? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 11. Does your state or locality have a tort claims act or similar legislation that applies to tort claims against your agency? YES __ NO __ (a) If your answer is Yes, please provide a citation or citations. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ (b) Does the state or local tort claims act or similar legislation include an exemption from tort liability for a public entity’s performance of or failure to perform a discretionary function? YES __ NO __ (c) If your answer is Yes, please provide a citation or citations.

A-4 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 12. In addition to a state or local tort claims act applicable to your agency are there other statutes applicable to your agency that: (a) Exempt your agency specifically in regard to certain highway activities or responsibilities (e.g., installation of warning signs, pavement marking, speed limits, traffic lights or other devices, barricades, or otherwise)? YES __ NO __ (b) Exempt your agency from any claims involving the design of a highway or related features or facilities, i.e., a specific design immunity statute? YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes to question 12 (a) and/or (b), please provide details. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 13. In your state, assuming there is a state or local tort claims act that includes a discretionary function exemption, when the courts interpret and/or apply the exemption in a case involving the MUTCD do your courts follow the United States Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Federal Tort Claims Act’s discretionary function exemption as developed by any one or more of the following cases: (a) United States v. Dalehite590 (establishing the planning versus operational level dichotomy)? YES __ NO __ (b) Indian Towing v. United States591 (holding that discretion is exhausted once the planning-level decision is made)? YES __ NO __ (c) United States v. Gaubert592 (holding that immune discretion may be exercised at any level of decision-making unless there is a regulatory directive that does not allow for the exercise of discretion). YES __ NO __ If your answer is Yes to question 13 (a), (b), or (c), please provide details and a citation to any cases of which your agency is aware. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________ 14. In addition to or in lieu of a tort claims act do the courts in your state rely on: (a) The proprietary-governmental test or distinction to determine a transportation or other public agency’s tort liability? YES __ NO __ (b) The discretionary-ministerial test of immunity to determine a transportation or other public agency’s tort liability? YES __ NO __ 590 346 U.S. 15, 73 S. Ct. 956, 97 L. Ed. 1427 (1953), reh’g denied, 346 U.S. 841, 880, 74 S. Ct. 13, 117, 98 L. Ed. 362, 386, reh’g denied, 347 U.S. 924, 74 S. Ct. 511, 98 L. Ed. 1078 (1954). 591 350 U.S. 61, 76 S. Ct. 122, 100 L. Ed. 48 (1955). 592 499 U.S. 315, 111 S. Ct. 1267, 113 L. Ed. 2d 335 (1991), on remand, 932 F.2d 376 (5th Cir. 1991).

A-5 If your answer to question 14 (a) or (b) is Yes, please provide details and a citation to any court decisions of which your agency is aware. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Thank you for your cooperation and for copies of any policies, procedures, or other materials provided with your re- sponses. Please provide copies of any documents by e-mail or on a disk and/or an Internet link if they are available on line. ****************************************************************************** Please return your completed survey preferably via e-mail to: The Thomas Law Firm ATTN: Larry W. Thomas 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20006 Tel. (202) 465-5050 E-mail: lwthomas@cox.net