[msb-alumni] Feds set goal: No traffic deaths within 30 years
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2016 11:50:18 -0400
BlankFeds set goal: No traffic deaths within 30 years Nathan Bomey , USA TODAY
ARLINGTON, Va. The Obama administration on Wednesday committed to a goal of
eliminating
traffic deaths within 30 years, setting a timeline for the first time on an
ambitious agenda that relies heavily on the auto industry's development of
self-driving cars. The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration and other agencies committed to the objective after
a sharp uptick in roadway deaths. 2015 marked the deadliest year on American
roads since 2008, an unsettling revelation that renewed efforts to combat
distracted driving and encourage the development of safety systems. In the
first
half of 2016, deaths spiked 10.4% to 17,775, compared to a year earlier,'
according to preliminary NHTSA estimates released Wednesday. "All of a sudden
we're losing ground," NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind said at an event
in Arlington, Va. "We have an immediate crisis on our hands and we also have a
long-term challenge. Although U.S. auto-safety regulators had previously
said their goal was to someday eliminate road fatalities altogether,
Wednesday's
announcement marks the first time they've identified a specific timeline.
NHTSA is scrambling to determine the exact reasons for the recent spike in
deaths, though regulators suspect that distracted driving and an increase in
overall miles traveled, which is directly connected with low gasoline prices,
are partially to blame. "All this death and injury is avoidable," Transportation
Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez told supporters and journalists. "We simply have
to remain focused and not let up on this. For starters, NHTSA, Federal
Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and
National
Safety Council will coordinate efforts to promote safe driving through
a'campaign called Road to Zero, which will include marketing efforts and the
installation of basic safety infrastructure'such as rumble strips. The
Transportation
Department will spend $1 million per year for the next three years on grants.
But those baby steps belie what will become a much more substantive push
to promote the development of self-driving cars, road infrastructure that can
communicate with vehicles and advanced safety systems in vehicles. It's an
especially ambitious goal' some might say unrealistic' especially considering
that the'number of people killed on the road in the U.S. soared'7.2% to 35,092
in 2015,'marking the deadliest year on the road since 2008. What's more,
self-driving cars are making advancements but are nowhere near ready to take
over
the road. For now, the only autonomous vehicle technology available to
consumers
is limited automated steering, braking and accelerating on the highway
in luxury models'such as Tesla Motors electric vehicles. Rosekind called the
plan "achievable and feasible," though the Transportation Department said
details on reaching the goal remain in development. 'Reaching zero deaths will
be difficult, will take time and will require significant effort from all
of us but it is the only acceptable vision,'FHWA Deputy Administrator David Kim
said in a statement. 'We're not at zero yet, but by working together, the
day will come when there are no fatalities on the nation's roadways, sidewalks
or bicycle paths.
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