This week saw the rollout of the most ambitious strategy ever created by The National Strategy on Highway Safety and it will surely be warmly welcomed in all quarters in the spirit of its objectives. The program is titled 'Toward Zero Deaths' and the plan is woven into a series of measures relating to enforcement, EMS services, engineering and education initiatives which can be adopted nationwide by transportation businesses, individuals and indeed all who take to our roads.
The lofty goal is to reduce the annual deaths on American roads from over 33,000 per year to zero and naturally the success of every single percentage point of reduction to that figure makes a difference to countless numbers of people. Bud Wright, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) expanded on the program;
“The philosophy behind Toward Zero Deaths is this: Until our roads are absolutely free of fatalities, our work is not finished. Our aim is that the united effort of these organizations will reduce highway fatalities at a much faster rate.”
To date over 40 different states have commenced zero-based traffic safety efforts, however supporters are calling for a truly nationwide singular vision when it comes to highway safety as being a priority in helping see the program make greater progress. There are of course dozens of different facets to be explored around implementing such a strong program but already a combination of law enforcement, EMS and highway safety programs are being developed to help create more synergy in the movement.
The progress to date is encouraging and I'm sure the results will be also as the plan gains more momentum at the national, state and local levels.
You can find out much more about the 'Toward Zero Deaths' National Strategy on Highway Safety, via TowardZeroDeaths.org. The effort is headed by a group of associations representing state and local government agencies working to reduce highway fatalities. These groups include:
- American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA)
- American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
- Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)
- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
- National Association of County Engineers (NACE)
- National Local Technical Assistance Program Association (NLTAPA)
- National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO)
