SAFETY in SAFETEALU: Traffic Safety Dollars

1
SAFETY in SAFETEA-LU Traffic Safety Dollars
Policy Through 2009

• Lifesavers National Conference
• Portland, OR
• April 13-15, 2008

2
Traffic Safety Facts

• In 2006
• 46,642 people were killed in traffic crashes
• 2,575,000 people were injured
• 5,973,000 police-reported traffic crashes
• Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death
  for people of every age from 2 through 34 years
  old.
• Crashes on our nations road system account for
  94 percent of the fatalities and 99 percent of
  injuries that occur on our nations surface
  transportation network.

3
Seat Belt Use

• NHTSA estimates that 15,383 lives were saved in
  2006 by the use of seat belts.
• If all vehicle occupants wore seatbelts, an
  additional 5,441 could have been saved in 2006.
• Seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to
  front seat occupants by 45 percent.

4
Alcohol-Related Crashes

• In 2006, 17,602 people were killed in
  alcohol-related traffic crashes an average of
  one person every 30 minutes.
• These deaths account for 41 percent of all
  traffic fatalities.
• More than 1.46 million drivers were arrested in
  2006 for driving under the influence.

5
Traffic Fatality Trends
6
Inspector General FY08 DOTTop Management
Challenges

• Report identifies 9 top management challenges for
  the U.S. Department of Transportation in FY2008
• Safety Recommendation
• Improving Oversight and Strengthening
  Enforcement of Surface Safety Programs
• DOT Goal By 2011 reduce 1.46 fatalities per 100
  million VMT to 1.0 fatalities per 100 million VMT
• If this goal were met now, total highway
  fatalities would be at just over 30,000 per year.
• IG states Meeting this goal would clearly be a
  challenge.

7
IG DOT Top Management Challenges (cont)

• No appreciable improvement in the number of
  highway fatalities can be achieved until
  alcohol-related fatalities drop dramatically.
• States are the linchpin in achieving this drop
  and ensuring that the 555 million in Federal
  funding authorized for state alcohol-impaired
  driving incentive grants are targeted toward
  strategies that have the most impact.

8
SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act A Legacy for
Users

• Passed by Congress and signed by the President in
  2005, SAFETEA-LU authorizes surface
  transportation programs for highways, highway
  safety and transit for FY 2005-2009.
• SAFETEA-LU authorized more than 2 billion in
  formula and safety incentive grant funds to
  states for FY 2005-2009.
• These funds are designed to save lives and
  prevent injuries on our nations roads.

9
SAFETEA-LUSafe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act A Legacy for
Users

• SAFETEA-LU
• Encourages states to enact stronger traffic
  safety laws
• Provides increased funding to states to promote
  effective traffic safety programs
• Creates new programs to save lives and prevent
  injuries
• Designates construction safety funding for
  high-risk roads
• Includes funding for new traffic safety research
• Congress authorizes and appropriates the
  resources NHTSA and the States will oversee how
  this money is distributed and spent.

10
State and Community Highway Safety Grants 402

• SAFETEA-LU authorizes 1.06 billion for Section
  402, State and Community Highway Safety Grants
  a 35.4 percent increase over previous funding
  levels.
• States must submit Performance Plan, establishing
  goals/performance measures and a Highway Safety
  Plan, describing how to achieve those goals.
• SAFETEA-LU requires new assurances from States
  that they will implement activities in support of
  national safety goals
• national law enforcement mobilizations
• sustained enforcement of statutes addressing
  impaired driving, occupant protection, and speed
• annual safety belt use surveys
• development of timely and effective statewide
  data systems

11
Impaired Driving Countermeasures 410

• SAFETEA-LU authorizes 554.68 million for Section
  410, Alcohol-Impaired Driving Countermeasures
  Incentive Grants a 199.8 percent increase over
  previous funding levels.
• Eligibility State must meet 3 of 8 criteria in
  FY06 4 of 8 in FY07 5 of 8 criteria in FY09.
• Section 410 funds are eligible for sobriety
  checkpoints and other enforcement efforts
  prosecution and adjudication outreach alcohol
  rehabilitation and DWI courts underage drinking
  prevention and other effective programs.

12
New Seat Belt Incentive Grant Program 406

• SAFETEA-LU creates a new, 498 million seat belt
  incentive grant program to provide a one-time
  jumbo grant to a state that passes or has
  passed a primary seat belt law, or demonstrates
  an 85 percent belt use rate for two years.
• Currently the states with the highest belt use
  rates all have primary seat belt laws.
• On average, states experience an 11 percentage
  point increase in belt use by upgrading to
  primary enforcement.

13
New High-Visibility Law Enforcement Program

• SAFETEA-LU authorized for the first time a
  national program funded at 116 million over four
  years (FY06-09) directing NHTSA to carry out at
  least two high-visibility enforcement campaigns
  each year.
• Goal of the program is to increase seat belt use
  and decrease alcohol-impaired driving.
• Seat Belts Memorial Day Alcohol Labor Day
• NHTSA also conducts a 3rd campaign in December
• States provide law enforcement resources to
  support the campaign can use funds from Sections
  402, 405, 406, 410.

14
Additional New Programs

• SAFETEA-LU creates a new 25 million motorcycle
  incentive grant program designed to reduce the
  number of crashes involving motorcyclists.
• The law also creates a new 25 million child
  passenger safety incentive grant program designed
  to encourage states to adopt stronger child
  passenger safety/booster seat laws.

15
New State Traffic Safety Information Improvement
Grants 408

• SAFETEA-LU authorizes 138 million over 4 years
  for a new incentive grant program to encourage
  States to implement programs to improve the
  timeliness, accuracy, completeness, uniformity,
  integration, and accessibility of State data that
  is needed to identify priorities for national,
  State and local traffic safety programs.
• Requires States to have, among other things, a
  traffic records coordinating committee, a
  strategic plan, and an assessment of the traffic
  records system.
• Importance of data cannot be overemphasized.
  Better data will enable States to pinpoint
  problems, recognize trends, and ultimately
  development better goals and strategies for
  reaching these goals.

16
Research Section 403

• SAFETEA-LU authorizes over 500 million for
  Section 403, Highway Safety Research and
  Development.
• Funds to be used for research on
• crash causation
• driver behavior
• highway characteristics
• communications and emergency care
• fatigued and distracted driving
• effectiveness of countermeasures
• best practices for driver education and graduated
  licensing
• training and education for older drivers
• training related to motorcycle safety

17
Specific 403 Studies as Directed by Congress

• Specific studies include research on
• Distracted and fatigued drivers
• On-scene motor vehicle collision causation
• BAC test refusal examining the frequency of
  refusal and the effect refusal has on ability to
  prosecute
• Reducing DWI recidivism through advanced
  vehicle-based alcohol detection systems
• Reducing impaired motorcycling
• Reducing drug impaired driving
• Pedestrian safety, identifying the most effective
  advanced technology to mitigate pedestrian
  fatalities
• Back-up crashes
• First-responder vehicle safety training

18
Targeting Resources Is Critical

• Who is involved in crashes?
• Why do these crashes occur?
• Where and when do these incidents happen?
• How can we better target limited resources to
  stop these crashes from occurring?

19
The Next Reauthorization

• Hearings and talks have already begun.
• Balance between state flexibility and federal
  role.
• Ultimately, Americans should be just as safe
  driving in one state as they are in the next.
• A nation with zero fatalities and injuries is
  possible.
• Leadership at all levels of government
• Community/Grassroots support
• Key laws
• Enforcement
• Data/Research
• Technology