In infrastructure law, a stronger emphasis on highway safety

States told they can no longer set goals that allow traffic deaths to increase each year

Roll Call By Jessica Wehrman March 1, 2022

For years, highway safety groups have argued that two provisions in federal highway law encapsulate a fundamental flaw in how the federal government approaches highway safety. The provisions, which require the states to set performance standards related to traffic-related deaths and injuries, have in some cases been implemented to permit states to set goals allowing those deaths to increase from year to year. That’s because the performance goals are required to be data-driven, considering factors such as miles traveled and population growth. But skyrocketing traffic deaths — the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projects that 31,720 people died in traffic crashes between January and September 2021 — coupled with persistent criticism from safety groups have spurred a reevaluation of that policy.

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