A coalition of more than 24 national, state and local organizations is urging Congress to address road safety design instead of letting thousands die on American roads year after year.
The group, including Transportation for American and the National Complete Streets Coalition, said that since 2021, an average of 40,000 people have died on American roads each year. In a letter to leaders in both the House and the Senate, the coalition urged Congress to work toward creating a transportation system that works for all roadway users.
The group asked Congress to prioritize safety in all road design guidance and require measurable improvements on safety from funding recipients – including assessing penalties for failing to perform, and to hold hearings in both the House and the Senate focusing on how road design contributes to the roadway safety crisis and is key to solving it.
“The federal government provides hundreds of millions of dollars each year to state DOTs and metropolitan planning organizations which they then use to build dangerous roads constructed using roadway design standards that favor car speeds over regularly-placed crosswalks, daylighted intersections, and protected bike infrastructure,” the coalition wrote. “Congress will try and pass a new ‘traditional’ transportation bill by next year, a supposed ‘return to basics.’ However, our traditional methods of funding transportation have resulted in congestion, crumbling roads, and a record number of lives lost. The U.S. cannot afford to continue with business as usual. Congress needs to hold hearings and learn from experts about road design that protects all road users, alter road design recommendations in response to what they learn, and restrict funding to states and MPOs who exacerbate the roadway safety crisis.”