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Toward Zero Deaths:A National Strategy for Highway Safety

Michael S. Griffith

Federal Highway Administration

United States

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Current Legislative FrontCurrent Legislative Front

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• Continuing Extensions of Existing Highway Bill (SAFETEA-LU)

• Future Revenues - Solvency of the Highway Trust Fund

• New Highway Bill

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Recovery Act HighlightsRecovery Act Highlights

• $787 Billion total

• Provided $48.1 billion for transportation

• $27.5 billion for highways

• High Public Expectations…Significant accountability and transparency

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Recovery Act Status Recovery Act Status

• 13,000 projects authorized

• Safety:• $1.3 Billion in safety and operational improvement

projects• Safety countermeasures incorporated in many other

projects• Rumble strips/stripes, cable guardrail, pedestrian

measures, and intersection improvements

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Questions

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NEXT

4 MILLION

MILES

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Trust Fund SolvencyTrust Fund Solvency

• Revenues into the Highway Trust Fund have decreased in recent years

– Recent Decreases in Vehicle Miles of Travel

– Increased Fuel Efficiency

• Income does not match outlays

• Infusion of General Funds needed to keep Highway Trust Fund solvent

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Fatalities/Fatality RateFatalities/Fatality Rate

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32,788

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0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

Fat

alit

y R

ate

Fata

litie

s

Fatalities Fatality Rate per 100M VMT

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Major Highway Safety Issues

• Rural roads:– 57% of fatalities are rural – most on two-lane roads– 36% are off the state highway system– Sparse rural population density, large road network

• Roadway Departure fatalities– 53%

• Speeding-related fatalities – 30%

• Intersection fatalities – 18%

• Motorcyclist fatalities – 13%

• Data

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Proposals for Safety• Highway Safety Improvement Program

• Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP)

• Flexibility across programs - performance-driven investments

• Enhanced data collection

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President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget: FHWA Safety President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget: FHWA Safety

• Almost doubles the investment in highway safety programs to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

• Implements a performance based framework coordinated with NHTSA and FMCSA and based on State Strategic Highway Safety Plans.

• Increases flexibility for States to address a broad array of safety issues.

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Major Elements of the Safety Major Elements of the Safety ProgramProgram

• Highway Safety Improvement Program– Strategic Highway Safety Plans– Safety Performance Management– All Public Roads

• Highway Safety Data Improvement Program

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Highway Safety Improvement Program Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)(HSIP)

•Proposed $2.2 billion program per year­ States may use up to 25% (10% currently) for non-infrastructure (e.g.

EMS, education) safety projects in their Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

­ Ends transfers of HSIP funds to other (non-safety) programs unless performance targets are met.

­ States must spend 10% of their HSIP funding on rural safety projects.

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Highway Safety Data Improvement ProgramHighway Safety Data Improvement Program

• Establishes Highway Safety Data Improvement Program ($293 million)

• Supports collection of more complete and accurate roadway inventory data on state basemaps

• Provides States with necessary safety analysis tools to make better safety investment decisions

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Creating a Plan for the Future Creating a Plan for the Future

• Engage a broad base of stakeholders through a shared vision

• Identify critical gaps and opportunities

• Create a framework

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Build on Current

programs and

technologies can

result in

substantial

reductions in

fatalities

Enhance current national,

state and local safety

planning and

implementation efforts

Change

Americans’

attitudes toward

highway safety

Identify and create

opportunities for

changing American

culture as it relates to

highway safety

Cultural ChangeCultural ChangeBuilding the

Foundation of Safety

Building the

Foundation of Safety

Two TiersTwo Tiers

Bring together stakeholders to

work toward institutional and

cultural changes

Bring about changes while

improving the effectiveness of

current activities

Apply Strong

Leadership

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ActivitiesActivities

Phase I - Toward Zero Deaths Summit in August 2010

Phase 2: Project to develop Framework

– Framework of strategies by Fall 2011– Implementation Process– Marketing and outreach program– Traffic Safety Culture

• Phase 3: Adoption and Implementation by Highway Safety Stakeholders

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What’s in the Box?What’s in the Box?

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AnswerAnswer

What we know now that will allow us to make progress towards reducing fatalities and serious injuries

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Safety EdgeSafety EdgeSM SM – Safe and Durable– Safe and Durable

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Drop-Off Video Durability Video

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““Think Outside the Box”Think Outside the Box”

• Novel Countermeasures and Technological Innovations

• New policies to advance existing strategies

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ITS Research - Multimodal and ConnectedITS Research - Multimodal and Connected

Wireless Devices

Vehicles

and Fleets

Drivers/Operators Maritime

Infrastructure

Rail

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1,300,000

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UN Decade of Action

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United States’ ContributionUnited States’ Contribution

• National Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) Effort to develop an united strategy

• Over 20 organizations are part of the TZD effort

• United States DOT has developed a “Roadway Safety Plan”

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