Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for Americans. New U.S. crash data shows that for the first six months of 2021, 20,160 people died on our nation’s roads—an estimated 18.4% higher than the first half of 2020 and the largest six-month increase ever recorded. The most dangerous activity we participate in every day should not be our commute to work, school, a doctor’s appointment, the grocery store, or a community event.
NTSB and the U.S. Department of Transportation are embracing the Safe System Approach to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries and save lives on our roads. Information that places blame on drivers and other roads users is still being referenced and that directly contradicts the focus and goals of the Safe System Approach. We will not reach zero fatalities without a fundamental paradigm shift in traffic safety. We need to recognize that we all share the responsibility when it comes to protecting road users.
In our fifth installment of "The Safe System Approach Roundtable Series," we will look at designing the risk of death and serious injury out of our road system and establishing a culture of safety. We’ll talk about the unique challenges and needs road users have. We’ll explore ways to improve safety for all road users through the Safe System Approach lens—from what our roads, road signs, speed limits and intersections communicate to the people using them, to vehicle design and technology, and public policy and enforcement.
Join Chair Homendy, government and industry representatives, public health experts, advocates, and others as we explore these important safety concerns.
Panelists:
Panelist biographies
- Kelly Browning, PhD, Executive Director, Impact Teen Drivers
- Stephanie Manning, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
- Mike McGuinn, Executive Director, America Walks
- Jeff Michael, EdD, Leon Robertson Faculty Chair for Injury, Center for Injury Research and Policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Jerrod Moore, Program Manager, Tribal Injury Prevention Resource Center
- Ed Niedermeyer, Communications Director, Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE)
- Rob Ritter, Director, Office of Impaired Driving and Occupant Protection, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Jane Terry, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Safety Council (NSC)
- Nic Ward, PhD, F.Erg.S., Director, Center for Health and Safety Culture, Professor, Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, Montana State University
