STUDY SHOWS ROAD INCREASED ROAD SAFETY FUNDING REDUCES TRAFFIC DEATHS

7-5-10

Increases in federal-aid funding for roadway safety funding since 2006 have significantly contributed to an annual decrease in the number of roadway fatalities, an independent study prepared for the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) by Science Applications International Corp.

A review of several different factors in the assessment including levels of unemployment, seat-belt-usage ratios, air-bag availability and a decline in annual vehicle-miles traveled during the recent recession revealed that none of those factors “satisfactorily explained the sudden decrease in traffic fatalities.”

The study states that after more than 10 years with little change in the number of annual roadway fatalities, the institution of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) dropped to 41,259 in 2007 after reaching  42,708 fatalitie in 2006. They fell again to 37,261 in 2008 and dropped another 8.9 percent in 2009 to 33,963.

“The American public can now see statistically – through this assessment – that safer roads are a major factor in saving lives,” said ATSSA President and CEO Roger Wentz. “Median barriers that prevent crossover crashes, rumble strips that keep people from running off the road, and brighter signs and roadway markings all contribute to safer roads.”

To view the study, visit atssa.com.

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