The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced a multi-billion-dollar plan to address “a national crisis in roadway fatalities and serious injuries,” according to Transport Topics. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg released the National Roadway Safety Strategy on January 27, 2022, and the DOT calls it the “first step in working toward an ambitious long-term goal of reaching zero roadway fatalities.”
The 5 Components of the National Roadway Safety Strategy
The National Roadway Safety Strategy has 5 key components: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and post-crash care. Buttigieg and the DOT will work with states and local road owners to build and maintain safer roadways, update existing traffic control devices, and launch a “Complete Streets Initiative” nationwide. The plan will also set new speed limits and use technology to make new vehicles safer.
The Plan’s Budget
Because the National Roadway Safety Strategy is part of President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the plan will also include $6 billion for the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, $4 billion for the Highway Safety Improvement Program, $4 billion for improved crash data, and hundreds of millions for research.
Researchers will study and intervene in driver behavior, and every level of government and industry will participate in the plan.
Praise from Roadway Safety Advocates
Other transportation advocates, such as the American Trucking Association, are pleased with the DOT’s far-reaching plan. All roadway safety agencies in the United States, including the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), will collaborate on the National Roadway Safety Strategy, and together, they hope to reverse the swift uptick in roadway deaths.
Preventing Unnecessary Deaths
In 2020, approximately 38,680 people died in traffic accidents, and in the first half of 2021, these deaths are up 18.4% with about 20,160 dead in the first 6 months of the year.
Buttigieg emphasizes that motor vehicle fatalities are preventable – and that everyone should be able to get where they are going safely. The changes the DOT hopes to bring will better cater to human injury tolerance and seek to minimize driver error throughout the country.
Only with an overhaul of our existing transportation system can we “reverse the deadly public health crisis on our roads.”
At Turner Law Group, we agree with Secretary Buttigieg. Even one death on the roads is too many.
Unfortunately, traffic accidents happen every day, and many of them result in injuries and death. While we work toward the ambitious goal of lowering traffic casualties to zero, we also need to help victims move forward.
If you have been harmed in an auto accident that wasn’t your fault, our firm is here for you. Helping you get you the resources you need is our priority, and we treat every client with personal attention.
When you’re ready to get started, we are ready to help. Call us at (800) 653-0198 or contact us online to put 4 decades of experience on your side.