The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced a commitment to train one million first responders as part of Crash Responder Safety Week 2025. This initiative aims to enhance road safety for emergency personnel, families, and truck drivers. The announcement was made by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steven G. Bradbury, alongside the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Under Secretary Duffy's leadership, USDOT is focusing on improving safety measures for law enforcement and first responders. Over the past five years, more than 300 first responders have died while attending to crash scenes. In response, FHWA introduced Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training in 2012 to teach police officers, firefighters, highway workers, emergency medical services, and towing personnel best practices for coordinated crash response and scene clearance.
"The Trump Administration is committed to keeping our first responders and travelers on our nation’s roadways safe," said Deputy Secretary Bradbury. "At USDOT, we are getting back to basics and advancing our top priority – transportation safety."
Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster emphasized the importance of driver awareness: "This week, the Trump Administration honors the brave men and women who have been injured or lost their lives while saving others on our roadways." He urged states to help train crash responders.
Derek D. Barrs from FMCSA said that "every responder on our roadways puts their life on the line to save others," highlighting FMCSA's commitment to safety through training and accountability measures.
Jonathan Morrison from NHTSA noted that many crash responders are killed due to drivers not slowing down or changing lanes when passing stopped vehicles with flashing lights. He praised states expanding their Move Over laws.
USDOT has also launched several initiatives aimed at improving roadway safety nationwide. The FHWA's SAFE ROADS initiative focuses on investments in non-freeway arterial roads where most fatalities occur [SAFE ROADS](https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tim/training/). The FMCSA's Crash Causal Factors Program analyzes data to identify root causes of commercial vehicle crashes [Crash Causal Factors Program](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-administration-announces-new-protect-formula-program-73-billion-bipartisan). Additionally, NHTSA’s Move Over Campaign educates drivers about moving over for stopped emergency vehicles [Move Over Campaign](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-supply-chain-companies-collaborate-speed-movement-goods-cut-costs-consumers).
USDOT continues its efforts in various areas such as awarding $19.6 million in grants through its Small Shipyard Grant Program [Small Shipyard Grant Program](https://www.maritime.dot.gov/newsroom/maritime-administration-awards-nearly-20-million-funding-strengthen-us-shipyard-economic) and recognizing winners of its Inclusive Design Challenge [Inclusive Design Challenge](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/anniversary-ada-usdot-announces-winners-its-first-ever-inclusive-design-challenge).
Information from this article can be found here.
