Highway Safety Issues

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 37,133 people lost their lives in accidents on U.S. roadways in 2017 1. That means an average of 101 people died each day in motor vehicle crashes, equating to roughly one fatality every 15 minutes. The FAST Act has funded programs to ensure safety on our Nation's roads. These include grants to improve physical roadway infrastructure; grant programs to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses; grant programs to incentivize States to adopt laws and regulations to improve highway safety; and grants to assist State enforcement of vehicle and driver safety measures. This book discusses traffic safety issues.

Traffic Safety applies the methods of science to better understand one of the world's major problems -- harm in road traffic.

"The Global status report on road safety 2015, reflecting information from 180 countries, indicates that worldwide the total number of road traffic deaths has plateaued at 1.25 million per year, with the highest road traffic fatality rates in low-income countries. In the last three years, 17 countries have aligned at least one of their laws with best practice on seat-belts, drink-driving, speed, motorcycle helmets or child restraints. While there has been progress towards improving road safety legislation and in making vehicles safer, the report shows that the pace of change is too slow. Urgent action is needed to achieve the ambitious target for road safety reflected in the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020. Made possible through funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, this report is the third in the series, and provides a snapshot of the road safety situation globally, highlighting the gaps and the measures needed to best drive progress."--Publisher's description.

To help states reduce traffic fatalities, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transport. Equity Act (SAFETEA) authorized funding for the Nat. Hwy. Traffic Safety Admin. (NHTSA) to award traffic safety grants to states and implement a high-visibilty enforce. (HVE) program that combines intensive state and local enforce. of safety belt and impaired driving laws with media commun. This statement addresses: (1) NHTSA¿s progress in administering and overseeing the traffic safety grant and HVE programs; (2) the programs¿ effectiveness in addressing traffic safety issues; and (3) issues for Congress to consider in reauthorizing funding for the programs when SAFETEA expires in 2009. Also discusses older driver safety. Illustrations