The federal administration is moving ahead in its plans to reduce the number of Americans being killed in traffic accidents every year with the announcement of a new strategy with the same objectives.
The Department of Transportation has published its National Roadway Safety Strategy with a goal of reducing the number of people killed in traffic accidents. 95% of transportation-related accidents in the country occur on our roads and highways. The Department of Transportation estimates that 20,160 people died in transportation related accidents across the country in the first six months of 2021. That was an increase of 18.4%, compared to the first six months of the previous year. These numbers do not include the thousands of injuries that have occurred in these accidents, leaving victims severely or permanently injured, and burdening families with medical and other expenses.
In 2019, according to the Department of Transportation, Georgia ranked in the top 25% of states in number of fatalities with a total of 1,491 fatalities occurring in the state in transportation related accidents that year. Georgia is also close to the top of the list when it comes to the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled with a rate of 1.12 roadway traffic fatality deaths for every 100 million miles travelled.
According to the letter by the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, the agency has come up with the National Roadway Safety Strategy which will focus on five key objectives over the next few years. The objectives are safer roads, safer people, safer vehicles, safer speeds and better post crash care. As part of the strategy, the department will launch new initiatives and will enhance existing programs in order to help reduce the number of people seriously injured or killed in accidents.
The strategy plans to use the Safe Systems Approach which will focus on safer and more responsible driving habits by the people who use our roads, safer road design and road environments that will help mitigate the effect of human errors and will encourage safer driving by users. It will also focus on safer vehicles which will help expand accessibility to auto tech safety and other kinds of features that can help reduce not just the risk of injuries and deaths in accidents, but also reduce the risk of accidents in the first place. The strategy also calls for safer speeds in all roadway environments using not just appropriate roadway design, as well as education and awareness campaigns and enforcement of existing laws. The Safe Systems Approach will also highlight post-crash care, which is an important aspect of reducing fatalities after an accident, by way of improving access to emergency medical care after an accident occurs and providing a safe environment for accident responders, as well as the prevention of secondary crashes.
The announcement of the National Roadway Safety Strategy is a very encouraging sign by the federal administration that it means business when it comes to matters of traffic safety.
If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to an Atlanta car accident attorney at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers, and determine if you have legal options to a claim for damages.