GHSA releases blueprint for states to improve highway safety

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The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released a wide-ranging blueprint on Tuesday to help reduce the number of highway deaths, which increased 5.6 percent last year to 37,461.

The GHSA report, “State Strategies to Reduce Highway and Traffic Fatalities and Injuries: A Road Map for States,” outlines a process to take an inventory of existing state efforts, identify problem areas, review existing laws and regulations, establish goals, and develop strategies for safety interventions.

“With driver behavior as the critical factor in 94 percent of crashes, we need additional focus on an investment in highway safety more than ever,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said. “This timely report will help states identify and deploy proven countermeasures to reduce crashes and injuries. NGA’s guide is complemented by the CDC’s newly redesigned online calculator, which gives state decision-makers a tool to quantify the injuries prevented, lives saved and cost savings associated with these countermeasures.”

Interventions outlined in the report include stricter enforcement of seat belt laws and ordinances, evaluating appropriate speed limits, enhanced enforcement of high-risk corridors, technical and infrastructure innovation, collection and management of quality, public outreach and public education, and better enforcement of drunk driving laws.

“Many factors have contributed to the historic rise in traffic-related deaths,” the report stated. “Safety experts, researchers and policymakers in the field have identified three that stand out: increased exposure and mobility, risky road user behavior and, deficiencies in post-crash response.”