US road safety challenge to tackle fatalities

Rising traffic fatalities and the challenges of driverless cars were the focus of recent hearing of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit in the US. Nearly 35,100 people were killed on US roadways in 2015, a 7.2% spike in traffic fatalities from the previous year. This was rather worryingly, largest single year percent increase in 50 years, according to testimony at the hearing. Officials said preliminary numbers appear to show that roadway fatalities increased further in 2016. “In addition to the
July 26, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Rising traffic fatalities and the challenges of driverless cars were the focus of recent hearing of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit in the US.


Nearly 35,100 people were killed on US roadways in 2015, a 7.2% spike in traffic fatalities from the previous year. This was rather worryingly, largest single year percent increase in 50 years, according to testimony at the hearing. Officials said preliminary numbers appear to show that roadway fatalities increased further in 2016.

“In addition to the tragic impact on human life, the economic and societal consequences of motor vehicle crashes reach over US$800 billion annually, further demonstrating the importance of investing in highway safety and achieving a better safety record on US highways,” the heads of the US 2410 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 4170 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 2467 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and 4180 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said in joint statement to the subcommittee.

Automated driving systems are capable of addressing the critical cause of over 90% of serious crashes: human choices and errors, the agency chiefs said.

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP) is the “cornerstone” of FHWA’s efforts to eliminate fatalities and injuries. Components of include the State Strategic Highway Safety Plans and the Model Inventory of Roadway Elements. Other federal government infrastructure safety efforts, include: Railway-Highway Crossings Programme; Local and Rural Road Safety Programme; Safety Performance Management Standards; Every Day Counts Initiatives; Highway, Bridge and Tunnel Inspection Programmes.

ARTBA has partnered with FHWA to advance transportation technology and innovation, including the matter of “proprietary products.” The association believes that many agency regulations initially intended to ensure competition have evolved to become an impediment to innovations that could lead to longer lasting, less costly infrastructure and safety improvements.

Related Content

  • Europe’s road safety targets at risk
    June 15, 2015
    The EU’s targets for road safety are at risk due to increased fatalities in France, Germany and UK. This new analysis has been published by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). According to the ETSC data, 2014 showed the lowest annual reduction in EU road deaths since 2001. In all 25,845 people were killed in road crashes in the 28 nations of the EU during 2014. This represented a decrease of just 0.6% compared to 2013. EU member states now need to cut deaths by almost 8% each year until 2020 to me
    Read More
  • Improving road safety in Europe?
    July 24, 2012
    New plans by the European Commission are being proposed in a bid to reduce accident levels on the road. The changes are being made in a bid to reduce accident levels caused by defective vehicles. Under the new rules, all motorcycles and scooters would require technical inspections at regular intervals.
    Read More
  • Increasing fatality and injury levels on UK’s roads
    September 27, 2012
    Concern has been expressed in the UK over the release of accident statistics for 2011 that reveal an increase in road fatalities over the previous year. This is the first national rise in road deaths and serious injuries in 17 years. In all 1,901 people died on the UK’s roads in 2011, an increase of 3% of the figures for 2010 while those seriously injured rose 2% to 23,122. Interestingly, the number of fatalities fell for three types of road user, with a fall of 22% for bus and coach occupants, 10% for moto
    Read More
  • Over 1,300 US child road crash deaths in one year
    April 23, 2012
    A total of 1,314 American children aged 14 and under died in US road crashes in 2009, according to new research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA said 179,000 injuries had also been caused to the same child age group following 2009 crashes. The agency says safety seats in passenger cars had been found to reduce the risk of crash deaths for children of four-years-old and below by 54%, and infants by 71%.
    Read More

Highlighted Content