Contact:    Cathy Gillen                           
Office:     202-857-1203
Cell:     443-463-4449                                       
cathygillen@roadwaysafety.org

(Washington, DC) - A new report released June 29 credits major federal funding increases for roadway safety engineering projects for the dramatic reduction in highway fatalities between 2006 and 2009.

The study, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Obligations and Fatalities on U.S. Highways: Final Report, prepared for the American Traffic Safety Services Association by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), examines engineering funding increases provided under the 2005-2009 federal-aid highway law.*

With sharp safety project funding increases beginning in 2006, the report analyzes the extent to which the new HSIP program can be credited with the reduction in fatalities that started around the same time, following a 10-year period with little change. For years that figure fluctuated slightly, but remained around 42,000.  By 2009, following annual reductions since 2006, the number of deaths had fallen to 33,963.

As fatalities decline, a variety of non-engineering factors have been commonly hypothesized as responsible, such as the temporary reduction in driving that occurred with the economic downturn and fuel price spikes of 2008.   SAIC found that none of the commonly cited reasons sufficiently explains the sharp decrease in deaths seen since the HSIP program was created.  Rather, the report found that the HSIP program spending changes correlated with the sharp decrease in traffic fatalities.  Further, the report estimates that the United States realizes an annual savings of $42.7 million for every $1 million increase of HSIP funds spent.

The report also discusses the lasting safety impact by each safety investment made to a road. Expenditures on safety countermeasures such as median and roadside barriers, rumble strips, and retroreflective signs and markings “…impact traffic safety not just in the year they were deployed, but in every future year.” As new projects are completed, the report notes, an accumulation of safety measures is likely to continue driving down fatalities.

“This report makes it crystal clear that modern engineering enhancements are making our drivers and passengers much safer and these investments are going to continue to save tens of thousands of families from heartbreak,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. “It is critical that we prioritize systemic safety improvements on our nation’s roads and bridges in the years ahead to continue this trend.  We can’t forget that road crashes are the #1 killer of children and young adults aged 3 34.”

“This study shines a much needed light on perhaps the most overlooked element of our success on the road to zero fatalities, the importance of a well-funded, safety engineering program,” said Cohen, noting “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency responsible for compiling highway fatality data, does not have jurisdiction over funding engineering projects, which are under the purview of the Federal Highway Administration.  Unfortunately, when national highway fatality data is publicly released, the releases often highlight NHTSA programs as the primary contributors to progress.  This study should help to better balance these releases in the future.”

The full report is available online, at http://atssa.com/cs/roadway-safety-policy.

RSF is the only national organization solely dedicated to reducing deaths by improving the physical characteristics of America’s roadways - design and engineering, operating conditions, removal of roadside hazards, and the effective use of safety features. RSF works to attain its goals by building awareness through media campaigns and outreach activities, developing educational materials and forming roadway safety partnerships between the private and public sectors.  For additional information on RSF please visit www.roadwaysafety.org.

* SAFETEA-LU, also known as “The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficiency Transportation Equity Act:  A Legacy for Users”, is the federal law that set national transportation safety policy from 2005 to 2009 and created the new core safety engineering program, HSIP.  SAFETEA-LU expired on September 30, 2009 and Congress has failed to reach consensus on a successor bill.  Since October, federal-aid highway funding has been extended through a series of short-term continuing resolutions.

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(Washington, DC) – The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) today announced its Recognize, React, and Recover:  Using Rumble Strips to Prevent Run-off-Road (ROR) Crashes educational DVD/CD is available for ordering and shipping.

“Nationwide, roadway departure or run-off-the-road (ROR) crashes result in 53 percent of the traffic crash fatalities that are reported,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of RSF.  “One of the most cost effective traffic control devices and safety countermeasures to reduce run-off-the-road crashes is rumble strips.”

Rumble strips are raised or grooved patterns in the pavement and can be up to 80 percent effective in reducing roadway departure crashes.  Drive over a rumble strip and your car will vibrate; the tires will make noise.  Rumble strips act as alarms for drivers, letting you know if your vehicle has veered out of its lane.  They “sound the alarm” and get drivers’ attention, before it’s too late.  Rumble strips provide a warning that may prevent an inattentive or drowsy driver from traveling very far out of their lane, and possibly striking another vehicle, a bicyclist, or a pedestrian.  Rumble strips may also help drivers locate the edge of the travel lane during periods of inclement weather such as heavy rain, snow, fog or at night.

The six-module educational DVD/CD includes the following:

Module 1 – Introduction and Description of the ROR problem
Module 2 – ROR Victim Stories
Module 3 – Rumble Strips and How They Work
Module 4 – Cause of ROR Crashes and Prevention Strategies
Module 5 – Expert Driver Discussion of How to Safely Recover if you Run-Off-the-Road
Module 6 – A resource section with print and audio/video materials to help drivers be safe and avoid ROR crashes.

As motorists travel across the country and encounter rumble strips, they should be reminded of our campaign slogan:

o    Recognize the rumble strip is there for your safety.
o    React calmly if you leave the travel lane and encounter a rumble strip.  Stay off the gas and off the brake.
o    Recover safely, using the techniques that you will find on the DVD/CD.

The Recognize, React, Recover campaign was launched in South Carolina on August 26, 2009.  As part of the campaign radio and television public service announcements aired on stations across the state of South Carolina from late August through the end of November 2009 through a partnership with the South Carolina Broadcasters Association.

RSF is the only national organization solely dedicated to reducing deaths by improving the physical characteristics of America’s roadways - design and engineering, operating conditions, removal of roadside hazards, and the effective use of safety features. RSF works to attain its goals by building awareness through media campaigns and outreach activities, developing educational materials and forming partnerships. It is a private non-profit 501(c) (3) organization.

To download copies of the Recognize React Recover radio and television PSAs or to order a copy of the DVD and other materials please visit www.roadwaysafety.org.  The South Carolina (SC) Department of Transportation, SC Department of Public Safety, Michelin North America, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Street Survival, Families of Highway Fatalities and the Federal Highway Administration all assisted with the campaign.

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Contact:         Cathy Gillen               
Office:     202-857-1203
Cell:     443-463-4449                           
cathygillen@roadwaysafety.org

University of Delaware and Roadway Safety Foundation Launch Safe and Mobile Delaware Campaign

(Wilmington, DE) - To educate older drivers in Delaware about safer road programs and policies designed specifically for them, The University of Delaware (Udel) and the Roadway Safety Foundation today launched the Safe and Mobile Delaware campaign.

The campaign includes a nearly ½ hour documentary on older driver safety in Delaware that will “premiere” in February on WHYY TV 12.  Other campaign features include both radio and television public service announcements as well as a campaign web site – www.safeandmobiledelaware.org.

“As Delaware’s elderly population grows over the next decade, roadway and intersection designs will become increasingly important to keeping the state’s overall population safe and independent,” said Gregory M. Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF).  “This calls for state and local policy makers, transportation planners and engineers, social service providers, and community leaders to work together to provide appropriate design strategies and awareness programs.”

The goal of the campaign is to educate older drivers about the findings of a May 2007 University of Delaware report titled, Assessing the Needs of Delaware’s Older Drivers.  “The report takes an in-depth look at the issues and implications related to driving and long-term mobility including a detailed look at current road designs to determine whether modifications are necessary to better accommodate Delaware’s older drivers,” said Bernard Dworsky, Senior Policy Advisor with the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration.  “Possible modifications that are discussed include making intersections more driver- and pedestrian- friendly and improving traffic signs and signal design.”  The report can be downloaded at http://www.ipa.udel.edu/publications/ElderlyDrivers.pdf.

Delaware mirrors the U.S. in terms of its population aged 60 and older which is growing at a substantial rate.  In 2003, approximately 15 percent of the state’s licensed drivers fell into the 65 plus age group – this percentage is expected to increase over the next decade with seniors living longer and active lives.

Factors that pose specific risks to senior drivers are many including: impaired vision; diminished cognition; decreased motor-function and reaction time; increased difficulty maintaining vehicle; increased injury from crashes; and increased vehicle congestion and travel speeds.

“The University of Delaware, working in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), has developed recommendations specifically related to older drivers and pedestrians,” said Mark Luszcz, Assistant Chief Traffic Engineer with DelDOT.  “These include, among many other topics, better signing, improved pedestrian signalization, and the implementation of roundabouts where appropriate.  Most, if not all, of these recommendations will benefit all road users.  Many of these recommendations were being considered or implemented already; however, the University of Delaware team helped focus our attention on issues most critical to the needs of Delaware’s older population.”

According to the Census – there will be a 133 percent increase in the 65 and older population in Delaware between 2000 and 2030.  In Delaware in 2008 there were 21 individuals 65 or older who were killed in crashes.  There were 15 fatal crashes involving a driver age 65 or older.  There were 7 drivers 65 or older killed in these crashes.  Eleven of those killed were passengers and three were pedestrians.  A total of 567 individuals 65 and older were injured in crashes in Delaware in 2008.

“As our population ages, we need to do everything possible to make Delaware a safe place for seniors,” said Rita M. Landgraf, Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services.  “Making it easy for older Delawareans to safely drive throughout the state can only serve to increase their self confidence, mobility, and independence.”

“Livable Communities are places where people of all ages and abilities have a range of travel choices, such as driving, walking, or public transportation, to get safely where they need and want to go,” says Dennis Christie, AARP Executive Council member. “A key component in achieving that end are roads, signage, and transportation systems in general, that are designed so that everyone, especially older drivers, can safely arrive at their destination.”

In addition to engineering and design solutions, other tools are also available to help drivers safely stay on the road longer.

“We want to give older people unique resources for their minds and bodies,” said Catherine L. Rossi, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.  “AAA provides tools that can help keep Delaware’s older and wiser drivers on the road as long as safely possible.”

Such tools include driver improvement courses and CarFIT, offered by both AAA and AARP.  CarFIT involves safety managers visiting senior centers and other places to help older drivers assess their vehicle to see if their car fits their body properly.

RSF is the only national organization solely dedicated to reducing deaths by improving the physical characteristics of America’s roadways - design and engineering, operating conditions, removal of roadside hazards, and the effective use of safety features. RSF works to attain its goals by building awareness through media campaigns and outreach activities, developing educational materials and forming roadway safety partnerships between the private and public sectors.  For additional information on RSF please visit www.roadwaysafety.org.  For additional information on the Safe and Mobile Delaware campaign visit www.safeandmobiledelaware.org.

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CONTACT: Cathy Gillen, (202) 857-1203; (443) 463-4449, cathygillen@roadwaysafety.org

November 5, 2009

LOCAL INNOVATIVE, LIFESAVING ROADWAY SAFETY PROGRAMS NATIONALLY HONORED

Recipients from ten states awarded for efforts to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities

(Washington, DC) - The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today recognized 14 local programs and one national program from 10 states across the country for excellence and innovation in operations, planning and roadway design to reduce fatalities and injuries on our nation’s highways.

“The roster of award winners represents the most dynamic and creative highway safety programs, and sets a standard for others to follow,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. “These projects help prevent traffic crashes and fatalities, and assist in fighting the national epidemic of more than 37,000 road deaths and 2.5 million injuries that occur on our nation’s roadways every year.”

Roadway Safety Award recipients were evaluated on three criteria – innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Program categories included infrastructure improvements, operational improvements and program planning, development and evaluation. The award recipients were selected from more than 100 entries received.

“This award ceremony is a good opportunity to shine a light on the nation’s most innovative road safety projects and programs that eliminate or sharply reduce highway deaths across the United States,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We can never stop looking for new and creative ways to make driving and traveling safer.”

This year’s honorees include:

Operational Improvements Category:

• Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) (Nationwide): The TACT program of The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is an education and enforcement program to reduce unsafe driving practices involving cars and large trucks.

• Senior Zones (FL) Hillsborough County: Florida’s “Senior Zones” campaign worked with assisted living facilities on major roads and with high traffic volumes to incorporate reduced speed zones with solar-powered warning flashers, thermo-plastic speed markings, driveway access signs, and look down cameras to detect the presence of pedestrians.

• Operation Teen Safe Driving (IL): Illinois’ peer-to-peer teen driving program challenged teens to develop a school-wide program that would have a positive impact on teen drivers. The program, which was conducted completely by teens, was met with huge success, with a forty percent reduction in teen driving deaths from 2007-2008.

Program Planning, Development and Evaluation Category:

• Highway Safety Issues Group (WA): A team of safety experts, advocates, and executives, the HSIG was instrumental in WSDOT providing greater resources and emphasis on safety by instituting centerline rumble strips, cable median barrier, and low-cost safety enhancement programs. These programs contributed to the decrease in fatal and serious injury collisions.

• Strategies to Reduce Alcohol Related Fatalities in PA (PA): The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) employed various strategies to combat the dangerous trend of drunk driving, resulting in the lowest incidence of alcohol related crashes and injuries in ten years in 2008, and a steadily decreasing alcohol-related fatality rate.
  

• Plan 4 Safety (NJ): Plan4Safety is an online comprehensive crash analysis software application developed by the Transportation Safety Resource Center (TSRC) and funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to support New Jersey safety professionals in making data-driven decisions by analyzing 144 pieces of data for over 300,000 crash records per year.

Infrastructure Improvement Category:

• St. Petersburg City Trails Pedestrian Crosswalk Enhancer (FL): The St. Petersburg City Trails Crosswalk Enhancer program increased pedestrian crosswalk compliance rates from 2% to 82% by installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, or Enhancers, at crosswalks throughout the greater St. Petersburg area.

• Texas Safety Bond Program (TX): The Texas Department of Transportation Safety Bond Program has provided more than $1.2 billion for safety improvement construction projects aimed at reducing the number of motor vehicle crashes and associated fatalities and injuries on Texas highways.

• Highway 7 Centerline Rumble Strip Project (AR): Centerline rumble strips were installed as part of a statewide project in Arkansas to place shoulder rumble strips on more than 382 miles of Interstate and multi-lane facilities in the State, resulting in a forty percent reduction of roadway departure crashes and a thirty-nine percent reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes after the rumble strips were installed. Additionally, the state of Arkansas has realized an annual economic benefit of $3.7 million to the State from the reduction in crashes.

• Vasco Road Traffic Safety Improvement Measures (CA): Officials in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, CA worked to reduce a high incidence fatal accidents on Vasco Road, a main thoroughfare, through a coordinated effort including speed display signs, community safety signs, daytime headlight signs, soft median barrier striping, centerline delineators, double fine zone, coordinated speed enforcement, and collaborative agency funding, resulting in a drop of the crash rate per million vehicle miles from 0.58 to 0.42, 36% less crashes in 2007 than in 2005.

Honorable Mentions Include:

• Teens in the Drivers Seat (TX): The Teens in the Driver Seat® Program (TDS) is a peer-to-peer safety initiative for young drivers that has shown outstanding progress in reducing car crashes involving teen drivers, and stands apart from other programs by involving the teen audience directly in both the development and dissemination of safety messages. Since the program’s introduction, the number of teens involved in fatal crashes in Texas has dropped by 33 percent – more than any other state and more than twice the national average from 2003 to present.

• Strategic Highway Safety Plan (CA): California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan was formed by identifying the state’s highest-priority safety issues and establishing 152 distinctive objectives from sixteen challenge areas identified from input by local, state, and federal stakeholders. In 2008, California’s traffic fatalities decreased 13.2%, reaching their lowest level since the federal government began recording traffic fatalities in 1975.

• Roundabout Implementation Program (WI): The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) embarked on an extensive intersection safety improvement effort through the use of roundabouts, compiling and utilizing information on best practices for the design, engineering, and operation of roundabout systems, as well as educating the public on their proper usage, creating a model program for other states to follow.

• Midwest States Pooled Fund Program (NE): The Midwest Guardrail System, in response to studies showing high rollover risks for traditional guardrails, worked to design new standards for the construction of guardrails on highways, creating a design that performs better in crash tests at lower costs than other systems. The system is currently under consideration for adoption by twelve states.

• Interstate 10 Delineator System (CA): In response to high incidences of damage to low-visibility raised islands along I-10, the California Department of Transportation installed highly visible and damage resistant Qwick Kurb delineators along a two-mile segment of I-10 to increase the visibility of the raised islands separating the freeway from the collector road. Over a one year span there is no damage and no replacements or repairs are necessary.

Blue Ribbon Panel Judges included: Philip Caruso, Deputy Executive Director for Technical Programs, Institute of Transportation Engineers; Cathy Gillen, Managing Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation; Anthony Giancola, Executive Director of the National Association of County Engineers; Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and James McDonnell, Deputy Program Director, Engineering of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Roadway safety programs are a critical part of the nation’s solutions to saving lives and preventing injuries on our nation’s highways. Of the 37,261 people killed in traffic crashes on U.S. roads in 2008, nearly 59 percent of the fatalities involved a departure from the roadway and 21 percent were at an intersection or intersection-related (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2008 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Crashes).

The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation present the bi-annual Roadway Safety Awards to programs and projects across the nation exhibiting excellence in roadway design, operations and planning. The RSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable and educational organization solely dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the safety of America’s roadways. For additional information on RSF please visit www.roadwaysafety.org. For additional information on FHWA safety programs please visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov.

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ATTENTION EDITORS – Digital photographs of the award winners at the luncheon in Washington, DC will be available by calling (202) 857-1203. Detailed information on the award winning programs will be posted at www.roadwaysafetyawards.org.

Driving Distractions Should Not Kill You

(Washington, DC) – Today, the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) joins other safety leaders and the U.S. Department of Transportation at a national summit on distracted driving. RSF reminds motorists, opinion leaders, and policy makers about several safety countermeasures that can help prevent distracted driving crashes and lessen their severity.

“As policy makers in Washington take up the issue of distracted driving it is important for them to be aware that distractions often lead to road departure – the #1 contributing factor in highway deaths. We need to minimize distractions but when you make a mistake behind the wheel, you should not be killed, paralyzed, or severely injured. Roadway safety countermeasures such as median and roadside barriers, clear shoulders, rumble strips, bright signs, and reinforced bridge railings can help prevent these crashes or significantly lessen their severity,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation.

Across the country, lane and road departure crashes account for 53 percent of fatal crashes, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Most of these crashes involve only one vehicle whose driver became distracted or made another error. There are many proven, cost-effective methods to prevent these types of crashes.

“Perhaps if there had been a rumble strip on the road where my daughter was killed she would be alive today,” said Cindy Sease whose daughter Kelsey was killed as a backseat passenger in a crash on I-20 in South Carolina. It is thought that the driver of the car was distracted at the time of the crash because she was taking pictures of the back seat passengers. The teen driver of the car lost control, overcorrected, ran off the road, and eventually struck a tree.

Kelsey’s story is featured in a new DVD produced by the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the Roadway Safety Foundation, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Federal Highway Administration. Sease recently spoke at a South Carolina news conference to announce a safety campaign which includes the DVD as well as radio and television public service announcements on the importance of rumble strips.

“Distracted driving is a growing epidemic which needs to be addressed with all the tools in our arsenal,” said Cohen. “This includes all of the four Es: education, enforcement, emergency services, AND ENGINEERING.”

The Roadway Safety Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization. For additional information please visit www.roadwaysafety.org.

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CONTACT: Cathy Gillen (443) 463-4449

“MEDIAN MAN” INTRODUCED TO MICHIGAN MOTORISTS

Roadway Safety Foundation Kicks-Off Campaign to Educate Motorists on the Lifesaving Benefits of Cable Guardrail

September 11, 2009 – Today “Median Man” was introduced to Michigan motorists via public service announcements that are running in association with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. “Median Man” is a fictional super hero designed to alert Michigan motorists to the lifesaving benefits of hundreds of miles of new cable guardrail being installed across the state.

The masked character which is made of strong steel cable barriers is featured in a :30 second radio spot which is now airing on radio stations across the state throughout the entire month of September. There is also a longer :60 second radio ad.

“Cable guard rail is a relatively low-cost solution for reducing the occurrence of cross-median crashes as well as the severity of median-related crashes,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation, the group that is funding the campaign. The state is investing $42 million over the next 3 years to install median barriers.

Motorists can now see cable guard rail being installed or recently installed in the following locations in Michigan: I-96 in Grand Rapids; US-31; I-69; and I-275 in Wayne County.

Median barriers already installed in other states such as Washington and Missouri have proven effective in catching 95 percent of vehicles entering the median.

RSF is a 501©(3) nonprofit educational and charitable organization solely dedicated to reducing highway deaths and injuries by improving the physical characteristics of America’s roads.

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