Despite fewer cars on the road during COVID-19 pandemic, traffic deaths
have jumped 7.2 percent in the last year—the largest projected number of
fatalities in more than a decade
Washington (July 27,
2021) – With traffic deaths on the rise, U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey
(D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky
(IL-09) led their Congressional colleagues in introducing the Road to Zero resolution today in support of
progress to eliminate traffic deaths. The resolution expresses a commitment to
advancing policies to end roadway fatalities by 2050 and supports efforts to
address transportation safety disparities and inequities.
“We must act to prevent crashes that
tragically take far too many Americans’ lives each day,” said Senator Blumenthal. “By committing to enact proven, commonsense road safety policies, this
resolution charts the course to reduce traffic deaths to zero by 2050. I am
proud to pledge my support for this important lifesaving effort with
Congresswoman Schakowsky and making our roads safer for every pedestrian,
biker, and driver across the country.”
“Our country is in the midst of an auto safety crisis, one that we have
the power to stop in its tracks,” said Rep. Schakowsky. “Tens of thousands of lives are lost on
our roadways each year. Enough is enough. We must commit to ending these
unnecessary deaths and injuries by 2050. This resolution makes that commitment
and calls on the Department of Transportation to use the tools at its disposal
to prioritize transportation safety. All road users—drivers, passengers,
pedestrians, and bicyclists—deserve to be safe on our nation’s roads.”
Although Americans drove less in 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic, recent preliminary reports from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that 38,680 people died in preventable
traffic crashes last year – up 7.2 percent or nearly 2,600 more than in 2019
and representing the largest projected number of fatalities since 2007. About
100 people die every day on the country’s roads, with traffic crashes being the
leading cause of death for Americans ages one to 25.
Studies have
shown that traffic incident risk is unevenly distributed, with much higher
pedestrian fatality deaths among older adults, people of color, and people
walking in low-income communities where there are fewer sidewalks, marked
crosswalks, and a lack of safe street design. A 2018 report from the RAND Corporation found that
the U.S. can reach the goal of zero traffic deaths by 2050 through prioritizing
safety, and implementing proven policies and strategies.
The resolution has also been cosponsored by U.S. Senators Edward
J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN),
and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and U.S. Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton
(D-DC), Bobby Rush (D-IL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), and Grace
Napolitano (D-CA).
The resolution has been endorsed by the National Safety Council,
Consumer Reports, Vision Zero Network, and Families for Safe Streets.
“No other preventable cause of deaths
and severe injuries is so overlooked and implicitly condoned as the 40,000
traffic fatalities each year in this country,” said Leah Shahum, Director of Vision Zero
Network. “This must — and can — change. We’re
encouraged that the new resolution to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2050
is a sign of stepped-up Federal leadership to put proven Vision Zero strategies
in place, including designing roadways for safety over speed and investing more
funding in safety priorities, especially for those walking and biking.”
“Tragically, a person is more likely to
lose their life on the road today than they were before the pandemic,” said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of
the National Safety Council and chair of the Road to Zero Coalition. “We need a national commitment to achieving zero traffic deaths — which
is precisely what Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s resolution
represents. We applaud their bold leadership as we work towards ‘zero.’”
“Every traffic death is more than a number. Each has a bereft family and a
heartbroken community. October 8th will mark eight years since I lost my
12-year-old son Sammy. He was in 8th grade and just trying to get from school
to soccer practice. This should not be a deadly act,” said Amy Cohen, Co-Founder of Families for
Safe Streets. “Every one of us in FSS has lost a
family member or suffered a life-altering injury. We are so grateful to Senator
Blumenthal and Congresswoman Schakowsky for urging the US to commit toZeroTrafficDeaths. Taking that first step to a safety-first transportation policy will
prevent others from the heartache we have suffered. The US is anoutlier — the vast majority of nations like ours have dramatically reduced the
number of people killed on their roadways. We have some of the most dangerous
roads and most dangerous vehicles in the industrialized world and things are
only getting worse. In May, the National Safety Council shared preliminary data
indicating a 24% spike in roadway death rates — the highest in 96 years.
We can and we must do better.”
“Driving your child back to college is
often thought of as a bonding moment as your “baby” blossoms into a burgeoning
young adult — not a deadly act that ends two lives in an instant. On
October 15, 2018, my sister Leslie and her 19-year-old daughter Sophie were
making the 100-mile drive together when a tanker truck pulled onto the dark
highway ahead of them and their car plowed into the underside of the
18-wheeler, ending Sophie and Leslie’s lives in an instant,” said Cathy Bell-Forman of
Bloomfield, Connecticut. “This would never have happened if our
country was committed to eliminating traffic deaths on our roadways. I have
been fighting since her death for a small legislative change to require trucks
to be fully illuminated and even that small change has not yet been made. If
only the US had prioritized safety sooner and put in place the proven solutions
to save lives, my kind, generous sister and her smart, bubbly daughter would
still be alive.”
The full text of the Senate resolution can be found here. A similar version of the resolution was
introduced in the House.
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