Governors have 60 days to identify needed safety improvements
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today launched a nationwide roadway safety initiative to prioritize investments that improve mobility and safety on roadways.
In a letter to every governor, Secretary Duffy asked that their states participate in the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies—SAFE ROADS—initiative. The program targets non-freeway arterial roads where more than half of U.S. roadway deaths occur.
Secretary Duffy also noted in his letter that intersections and crosswalks need to be kept free from distractions. This includes political messages of any nature, artwork, or anything else that detracts from the core mission of driver and pedestrian safety.
“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball. USDOT stands ready to help communities across the country make their roads safer and easier to navigate.”
Click here to read the full letter.
Background
As part of the SAFE ROADS initiative, Governors have 60 days to direct their departments of transportation, in working with their metropolitan partners, to:
- Use available safety data, analysis and assessments to identify a list of arterial segments, including intersections, with potential or documented safety or operational concerns that will be addressed.
- Submit list of these segments to the Federal Highway Administration.
The SAFE ROADS Program Goals include:
- Get back to basics – use data-driven decisions and target safety and mobility investments.
- Empower states and local governments to simplify and improve roadway environments.
- Make roads safer and easier to navigate for pedestrians, vehicle operators, and automated vehicles alike.
FHWA will support state’s participation by
- Tracking nationwide progress of SAFE ROADS initiative.
- Assisting State DOTs with technical expertise and resources, including road safety audits and assessments.
- Helping select effective safety and operational countermeasures to accelerate improvements.
- Ensuring compliance with federal standards, such as those for traffic control devices and use of the roadway right-of-way.
In 2023, over half of all the roadway fatalities in the U.S. occurred on non-freeway/expressway arterials (functionally classified as ‘other principal arterial’ or ‘minor arterial’), based on data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Nearly two-thirds of the fatalities that occurred on non-freeway/expressway arterials were pedestrians. FHWA provides information on intersection safety, arterial management operations strategies, proven safety countermeasures, and traffic control devices to address common safety and mobility challenges. to address common safety and mobility challenges.
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Original article published by FMCSA