Conditions and Performance Chapter Listing

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Introduction

Summary

Highway Safety

Transit Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation has long made safety one of its highest priorities. Over 90 percent of all transportation-related deaths and injuries are highway-related, and the economic cost of highway-related crashes exceeds $150 billion annually. The Department has aggressively worked with other Federal agencies, business leaders, and its state and local partners to reduce highway fatalities and injuries. Through such measures as education programs, aggressive law enforcement, and the implementation of infrastructure-related safety improvements, fatalities on the Nation's highway system have been sharply reduced. This is one of the most important transportation "success stories" of the 1990s.

Exhibit 5-2 describes the considerable improvement in highway safety since Federal legislation first addressed this issue in 1966. That year, the fatality rate was 25.9 per 100,000 people. By 1997, the fatality rate was 15.7 per 100,000 people. This plummeting fatality rate occurred even as the number of licensed drivers grew by nearly 80 percent. Some of the contributing factors for this reduced rate will be discussed later in this chapter.

Exhibit 5-2. Summary of Fatality and Injury Rates, 1966-1997

While the fatality rate has sharply dropped, the number of traffic deaths also decreased between 1966 and 1997—despite the increase in motor vehicle traffic on the nation's highways. As Exhibits 5-3 and 5-4 describe, the reduction in the number of fatalities has not been as consistent as the fatality rate. In 1972 and 1973, the number exceeded 54,000. In 1974, following the implementation of a national maximum speed limit, the number of fatalities declined by 16 percent to 45,196. Fatalities began to increase in 1976 and exceeded 51,000 in both 1979 and 1980 before declining significantly in the early 1980s. The number of fatalities generally increased from 1984_1988. Between 1989 and 1992, the number of fatalities declined each year, achieving a 30-year low of 39,250 in 1992. How-ever, the number of fatalities increased steadily from 1993 through 1996 before declining slightly in 1997. The Federal Highway Administration's Strategic Plan targets a 20 percent reduction in highway-related fatalities and injuries by 2008. Appendix F describes the motor carrier safety plan in greater detail. In addition to the agency's safety goal, the Department of Transportation has specifically identified a 50 percent reduction in the number of truck fatalities over the next ten years. FHWA has identified four focus areas: single vehicle run-off-the-road crashes; pedestrian crashes; speed-related crashes; and large truck crashes. Many States have identified similar priorities.

Exhibit 5-3. Fatalities, 1977-1997

Exhibit 5-4. Fatality Rate, 1977-1997

Single vehicle run-off-the-road crashes account for 36 percent of all highway-related fatalities. This represents about 15,000 fatalities each year. To reduce these crashes, FHWA is promoting devices to keep vehicles on the road (rumble strips to alert fatigued and distracted drivers, pavement markings, signs and delineation) and devices to reduce crash severity if the vehicle does leave the roadway (guardrails, breakaway devices, and crash cushions). These crashes occur on all types of roadways. [See Exhibit 5-5].

Exhibit 5-5. Single Vehicle Run-Off-The-Road Fatalities, 1977-1997

Pedestrian crashes represent 13 percent of all highway-related fatalities. About 5,300 pedestrians are killed and approximately 77,000 pedestrians are injured each year. The number of pedestrian fatalities exceeds the combined total of fatalities related to air, sea, and train crashes each year. Crashes can be reduced by implementing available countermeasures, such as far side bus stops and pedestrian barriers. These accidents can also be reduced by better accommodating pedestrians through sidewalks, clearly-marked crosswalks, and grade separations. [See Exhibit 5-6].

Exhibit 5-6. Pedestrian Fatalities, 1977-1997

Pedestrian fatalities have been decreasing since 1984; however, this may just mean that more people are driving because they consider walking inconvenient or dangerous. TEA-21 has increased funding for pedestrian and bicycle safety, and it requires that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the long-range transportation plans for states and metropolitan planning organizations.

Speeding is a contributing factor in a third of all fatal crashes. This represents about 13,000 fatalities and 742,000 injuries annually. The 1995 National Highway System Designation Act ended Federal involvement in setting maximum speed limits for States; however, FHWA provides research and guidance to its State and local partners. For example, FHWA has supported the development of new speed management techniques. The concept of variable speed limits—moving away from a posted speed limit with its "one size fits all" approach—is a promising concept for the future. Iowa, Colorado, and Washington all have VSL tests that adjust speed to weather conditions. Additionally, FHWA is also examining the use of advanced technologies to combat speeders, red light runners, and other aggressive drivers.

Large truck crashes resulted in about 5,350 fatalities and 133,000 injuries in 1997. This represents a 20 percent increase since 1992, which might be explained by a growth in motor carrier traffic. The deployment of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies represents one possible solution to this problem. ITS will also probably first be tested on trucks before being made available for use on passenger cars. There are two reasons for this. First, many trucking fleets are committed to safety and believe that safety is good business. Second, the cost of installing ITS technology on trucks is proportionally much smaller than it would be for cars. Though the number of crashes has risen, the fatality rate per drivers and occupants of large trucks has dropped significantly, from 3.7 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 1988 to 2.6 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 1997.

When driver fatality rates are calculated on the basis of estimated annual travel, the highest rates are found among the youngest and oldest driving drivers. Compared with the fatality rate for drivers aged 25 through 69 years old, the rate for teenagers is about 4 times as high and the rate for the oldest group (70 years and older) is almost 9 times as high. State officials are trying to reduce the teenage crash rates through changes in driver licensing. Currently, 20 States have enacted legislation in this area and another 9 have partial graduated licensing systems. Additionally, States are trying to combat drunken driving, a major cause of teenage death on the highways.

On the other side of the age spectrum, the solutions for older driver safety are not as obvious. Americans older than 85 years have the highest fatality rate—approximately 7.9 persons killed per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Men aged 85 and older have a rate of 9.9, while the rate for women in this demographic group is 5.5. Older drivers have a relatively low crash rate, but their fatality rate is twice that of teenagers. As the "baby boom" generation ages, older driver safety will become an even greater concern.