AASHTO Journal, 10 May 2013
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ member state transportation department officials were reminded this week by one of the nation’s top safety officials that there is no greater charge for transportation agencies than ensuring safety.
“Your decisions and your priorities and decisions as transportation leaders can save more lives than any other public official in your state government,” said National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman. “When it comes to transportation safety, it’s really at the state level that the biggest impact can be made.”
Chairman Hersman was the keynote speaker during AASHTO’s CEO Safety Leadership Forum, which is held every second year during AASHTO’s Spring Meeting to help top state transportation officials consider state priorities and challenges related to implementing safety programs.
This year’s forum included presentations and facilitated discussions on the safety aspects of the nation’s current surface transportation bill, MAP-21, and performance measures; leading safety indicators and measures; and creating public support for safety initiatives.
The highlight of the forum, however, was Hersman and her focus on the people behind the statistics. She reminded state leaders that reports released this week showing that in 2012 the U.S. experienced the first increase in roadway fatalities in more than six years “means we have a lot of work to do” (see related AASHTO Journal story here).
NTSB issues an annual Most Wanted List of top safety concerns that should be addressed, and Hersman pointed out that this year’s list included five items that focus on traffic safety: preserving infrastructure, eliminating impaired driving, eliminating distracted driving, improving bus safety, and mandating motor vehicle collision avoidance technologies.
For state DOTs, Hersman said the focus should be on infrastructure, impaired driving, and distracted driving.
Infrastructure preservation is important, and many of the NTSB recommendations in recent years have focused on strengthening inspection requirements on bridges and structures. But Hersman also said a recent NTSB study of wrong-way crashes found that improvements to signage and changes to how on- and off-ramps are designed could help. But she said that “perhaps the most important recommendation focused on laws requiring the use of ignition interlocks for all convicted DUI offenders.”
Hersman said in addition to the ongoing problem of intoxicated drivers, is the growing distraction for drivers caused by electronic devices. She said NTSB has called for a national ban on portable electronic devices for drivers behind the wheel and she asked that state DOTs get behind that strategy.
“A full ban may sound extreme,” she said, “But it’s going to take extreme action to put attention back in the driver’s seat.”
In closing, Hersman turned focus back to the people affected by roadway crashes. “With more than 30,000 fatalities each year on our roadways, that’s a high price – much too high – to pay for mobility.”
Hersman said that state DOT leadership can help bring these numbers down.
“Improving highway safety may seem difficult and at times may seem unsolvable,” she said. “Those numbers are big, but behind each number is a story. There is an individual. There’s a family. There’s a community that is affected. In your line of work, the most important message you can deliver to your team is that it’s not about the highway, it’s about the people who use the highway.”