TRANSPORTATION - BTS - Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Figure 3-2Motor Vehicle Crash Fatality Rate Per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles Traveled: 1975-99(Annual rates)4.03.53.0Fatality rate2.52.01.51.00.501975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1999PreliminarySource: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic SafetyFacts 1998 (Washington, DC: 1999).As we start this new century, the United States has one of the safest transportation systems inthe world. New strategies are being developed to continue the success of the last quartercentury as the returns from past programs near saturation. In the decades to come, we willstrive to make our transportation system even safer by being visionary and vigilant and byusing new technology that complements laws, regulations, and enforcement measures.Human error is a leading contributor to transportation-related safety problems, and researchin understanding the human factors appears to be one of the key areas for future emphasis.The National Science and Technology Council’s National Transportation Science and TechnologyStrategy highlights human performance and behavior as one of the research areas thatcould dramatically transform transportation in the coming years. The USDOT, through itsmultimodal Human Performance Coordination Committee, has set specific goals and isleading the effort to make the transportation system safer by promoting research and developmentin this field (box 3-1).In March 1999, the USDOT hosted the first-ever National Transportation Safety Conferenceand brought together the entire transportation safety community across all transportationmodes. At this conference, the safety community adopted the motto “safety is a promise wemake and keep together” and identified 10 top goals and objectives that led to the creation of aNational Safety Action Plan. These action goals are held together by a collaborative leadershipeffort to mobilize the public and private sectors to:1. promote and require use of safety equipment in all transportation modes,2. promote a culture of safety for all transportation modes and the population,3. increase research of performance factors across all transportation modes,4. adopt a federal uniform law of 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration for drivers and azero tolerance level for truckers,5. increase funding to support enforcement of existing transportation laws and regulations,6. maximize existing safety partnerships,3-3