As the nation seeks to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, National Transportation Safety Board officials are encouraging increased road safety to support the action.
“The number of traffic fatalities was a crisis before the pandemic,” Robert L. Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said. “It has been inspiring to see Americans take dramatic steps to protect themselves and others during the coronavirus pandemic. We need the same resolve to stay safe when Americans increasingly take to the roads in the coming months.”
Per the NTSB, more than 36,000 Americans are killed on roads annually, noting the desire to return to normal will increase the number of drivers on the road, increasing the risk for highway users.
Eliminating distractions, reducing speeding, strengthening occupant protection, and ending alcohol and other drug impairment are four of the ten issue areas on the NTSB’s 2019 – 2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, officials said.
“Just as we have taken precautions related to the pandemic, we must take precautions behind the wheel to prevent traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries,” Sumwalt said. “As we continue our journey to a new normal, let’s keep ourselves and our neighbors safe by not speeding, not driving distracted, not driving while impaired, and by always wearing a seat belt.”