The U.S. Department of Transportation recently released an update for its National Roadway Safety Strategy.
The department also shared a new online dashboard that allows both stakeholders and the general public to track its progress regarding commitments that it made as parts of the NRSS, according to an Oct. 14 news release. Both moves come as U.S. traffic fatalities reach their highest rates in 16 years.
“At a time when it is safer to fly across the country than it is to walk across town, we must all act to address the crisis on our nation’s roadways," Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in the release. "With new resources from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are taking critical steps to save lives on our roadways.”
The NRSS was originally released in January, the release reported. It included a call for applications for funding for the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, the Safe Systems Approach, a complete streets report to Congress, enhanced safety monitoring for new technologies and a request for comments on the 5 Star Safety Rating Program.
According to the release, traffic fatalities had been on the decline, but seemed to stabilize in the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to jumpstart a change in the wrong direction, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
