New U.S. coalition seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities

October 05, 2016 01:00 AM

NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind: "Our drive toward zero deaths is more than just a worthy goal. It is the only acceptable goal.”

WASHINGTON -- Amid an increase in deadly car crashes, regulators and safety watchdogs are joining forces in a new push to eliminate U.S. traffic fatalities.

U.S. Department of Transportation agencies responsible for regulating light vehicles, semi-trucks and highways are partnering with the National Safety Council to form a coalition with the mission of ending traffic fatalities within the next 30 years. According to a statement, the Transportation Department will provide $1 million annually for the next three years to fund grant programs under the effort.

Some 35,092 people died in traffic crashes last year, the most since 2008 and a 7.2 percent increase from 2014. It was the largest increase since 1966. Regulators also said today that preliminary estimates released today showed fatalities in the first half of 2016 jumped by 10.4 percent to 17,775. The total is the highest posted since 2008 and the largest first-half increase in at least the last decade.

Automakers are rapidly deploying advanced safety technologies and readying autonomous vehicles as key tools to improve vehicle safety and avoid crashes. And while stopping short of cementing the goal as official U.S. policy, the coalition marks the first effort by the U.S. government specifically aimed at eliminating all traffic deaths from American roads.

“We know that setting the bar for safety to the highest possible standard requires commitment from everyone to think differently about safety -- from drivers to industry, safety organizations and government at all levels,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be members of the coalition, along with the National Safety Council.

The partners will develop a new “systematic approach” to eliminate driving risks while initially promoting established methods such as encouraging seatbelt use and truck safety, according to a statement. It will also work on how automated vehicle technologies and road infrastructure can be shaped to improve safety, according to the statement.

NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind has made addressing the “human factors” that regulators say are responsible for some 94 percent of all traffic deaths a major focus of what will likely be his final year at the agency’s helm. In August, the agency issued what it called an “unprecedented” call for help from researchers, tech companies and others to better understand crash causes and prevention methods.

“Every single death on our roadways is a tragedy,” Rosekind said in a statement. “We can prevent them. Our drive toward zero deaths is more than just a worthy goal. It is the only acceptable goal.”