Four national organizations have announced the formation of an all-new Roadway Infrastructure Safety Coalition (RISC). The coalition was created to contribute to the reduction of deaths on America’s roadways by improving roadway safety infrastructure through the federal legislative, regulatory and budgetary process. Evidence suggests that roadway infrastructure plays a role in as much as one-third of the deaths that occur annually.
The four participating organizations are the American Highway Users Alliance (Highway Users), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and the National Association of County Engineers (NACE).
Throughout the 111th Congress, RISC hopes to shine a light on the need to invest in the safety of the roadway itself. The reauthorization of the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU),” which is scheduled to be completed in 2009, will be a key focus of the coalition.
Every year, over 40,000 people die on America’s roadways. This is not simply a number; it represents the death of someone’s loved one. RISC will do everything in its power to raise awareness concerning the need to focus on roadway safety and to invest the funds necessary to make everyone’s journey in the future a safer one.
“The price of driver error should not be death,” said ATSSA Chairman Henry A. Ross. “We can and must make our roadways safer. That will be our goal as we look to the reauthorization of the Federal-aid highway program."
“In our communities, each of us knows about dangerous roads and intersections that can be re engineered to save lives,” said Greg Cohen, president and CEO of the Highway Users. “The safety problems on these inadequate roads contribute to the $231 billion annual societal cost of traffic accidents. It is time for our federal officials to take action to address these problems.”
There is a critical need for improvements in roadway safety, as indicated in ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.
“In 2005, our nation’s roads received an unflattering grade of ‘D’, which indicates there is room for improvement,” said ASCE President D. Wayne Klotz. “ASCE is committed to working with RISC to improve roadway safety and other projects that will contribute to the reduction of fatalities on our roadways.”
NACE President Sue Miller stated, “Roadway Safety is the NACE Number One Priority in the reauthorization of SAFETEA–LU. Rural road fatalities and crashes remain too high to ignore, and significant investments in safety projects on local roads is needed.”
