Roads in the United States are “out of control,” with a rising number of deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes, according to a highway safety group.
That’s the analysis of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in its 19th annual edition of the Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws released earlier this month. It called on the U.S. Department of Transportation and state governments to put the brakes on dangerous driving across the country.
“During the first six months of 2021, more than 20,000 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, the most during this time period since 2006,” the report states. “This represents a nearly 20% increase in deaths over the same period in 2020 and is the largest such spike ever recorded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System.”
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety President Cathy Chase.
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On average 100 people die every day on U.S. roads. The AHAS offered 16 optimal laws for states to adopt to make roads safer. The report details ways to increase occupant protection, child passenger safety, assist novice teen and young adult drivers, reduce impaired driving and distracted driving.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois), the chair of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce's subcommittee on consumer protection and commerce, was among the speakers at online news conference Tuesday.
“We have a crisis right now in deaths on the highway,” Schakowsky said. “In the bipartisan infrastructure legislation there is an incredible package that addresses this crisis that would save, literally, tens of thousands of lives, that would address the millions of injuries on our highways every single year and save millions and millions of dollars that are associated with crashes."
"But the job isn’t done,'' she added. "Now we have to make sure that the regulators get on the move to have the proper regulations to actually make these improvements come to life.”
The report gives every state and Washington, D.C., a rating based on five categories (occupant protection, child passenger safety, teen driving, impaired driving and distracted driving). It also provides an overall grade of “green,” “yellow” and “red” on how they are doing in enacting the recommended 16 laws.
Eight states, Rhode Island, Washington, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, California and Louisiana, received green, the highest score, while 31 states received yellow ratings.
Nevada, which enacted a law requiring child passengers remain in a rear-facing safety seat until age 2 or older and that children use a booster seat until 57 inches in height, was moved from red to yellow, as was Wisconsin, which extended the number of supervised hours for teen and inexperienced drivers to 50.
Eleven states, including Missouri, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia and South Dakota, were given the lowest red rating.
A poll conducted for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said although most people are unaware of how dangerous and deadly U.S. roads have become, they want to reduce speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and lack of seat belt use.
Alan Maness, the vice president of federal affairs and counsel for State Farm Insurance Cos., serves as the Advocates’ insurance co-chair. He said enacting the 16 recommended laws will save lives.
“With crash fatalities reaching levels not experienced in nearly 15 years, today’s release of Advocates’ Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws could not be timelier,” Maness said. “During the 33 years this unique coalition has existed, it has been working consistently and conscientiously to advance commonsense policies that produce safe vehicles, safe roads, and safe road users. While many lifesaving advances have been achieved preventing untold numbers of crashes, fatalities and injuries, we are currently facing an alarming upward trend in traffic fatalities over the past two years.”
Advocates President Cathy Chase said action is needed now to stem the tide of roadway deaths. The fact that people are not aware of much the toll is rising is even more reason to move on this problem as soon as possible, she said.
“The new public opinion poll we commissioned found that nearly 75% were not aware of the drastic jump in traffic fatalities during the first six months of 2021," Chase said. "Still 66% of respondents said not enough is being done to address dangerous roadway behaviors. These findings emphasize the need for progress on traffic safety laws at the state level and swift action at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement the safety provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ((IIJA), Pub. L. 117-58).
"The IIJA took essential steps forward for vehicle safety that the DOT should consider as a ‘floor’ for what must be achieved, not a ‘ceiling,’'' she added. "We have proven solutions at hand. We need our nation’s leaders to step up and implement them with urgency.”
Nevada Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod focused on young passengers.
“Improperly restrained child passengers are a serious public health problem, yet it can be addressed with a proven solution,” Bilbray-Axelrod said.
“Ensuring children are in the appropriate restraint for their age and size greatly improves their chance of surviving a crash and avoiding serious injury," she added. "I am very glad to report Nevada upgraded its child passenger safety law last year upon enacting a bill that I sponsored, Assembly Bill (AB) 118, and which was cosponsored by 11 colleagues.” she said.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving National President Alex Otte said reports over the past two years offer a sobering view of the dangers on highways and streets.
“Alcohol and drug impairment, speeding, not wearing seat belts are cited as the leading contributors to more crashes, more injuries and more deaths at a time when fewer cars are on the road,” Otte said. “This is a public safety crisis. State legislatures can do their part to stop this by passing laws that keep their communities safe and spare families the trauma of being impacted by someone else’s choice to drive impaired.”
Lieutenant Carmen Trevizo, who works for the Oro Valley, Arizona police, knows both professionally and personally the pain caused by drunken drivers.
“My cousin Christina was killed by a drunk driver when she was only 18. I will never forget that day, and this devastated our family,” Trevizo said. “Seeing other families experience the loss of a loved one in preventable crashes that occur on our roadways is a heart-wrenching aspect of the job of law enforcement officers. Advancing strong traffic safety laws and employing successful vehicle safety systems are necessary to turn the tide on rising crash deaths and counter persisting traffic safety dangers that inflict pain and suffering on families.”
Mary Jagim, past president of the Emergency Nurses Association, said her group sees the damage caused by the havoc on highways.
“The consequences of continued inaction are all too clear to emergency nurses,” Jagim said. “We spend our days receiving and treating patients who are injured in crashes, many of whom tragically do not survive or others who leave our hospitals with a debilitating, lifelong injury. Prevention-driven solutions, like those outlined in Advocates’ Roadmap Report, keep people from needing to come into our ERs. This outcome is one we can all agree is a win.”
The Advocates say although no state has enacted all of its 16 recommended laws, they can make progress. It said a total of 390 laws need to be passed by state governments to reduce the number of deaths and serious crashes.
They include:
- 16 states need an optimal primary enforcement seat belt law for front seat passengers.
- 30 states need an optimal primary enforcement seat belt law for rear seat passengers.
- 32 states need an optimal all-rider motorcycle helmet law.
- 34 states need a rear facing through age 2 law.
- 36 states and DC need an optimal booster seat law.
- 189 GDL laws need to be adopted to ensure the safety of novice drivers, no state meets all the criteria recommended in this report.
- 29 critical impaired driving laws are needed in 27 states.
- Four states need an optimal all-driver text messaging restriction.
- 19 states need a GDL cell phone restriction.
