Putting the Brakes on Traffic Fatalities
The federal government is devoting a lot of attention and effort to reducing airliner crashes, but what has it done lately for motorists, who face far greater safety risks?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working on a new strategic plan that will set a goal of cutting traffic fatalities by 20% by 2008.
If the plan accomplishes that goal, it would save more than 8,000 lives a year, having a far greater impact than the higher-profile efforts going into improving air safety. Last year, just three people died on U.S. airlines, while 44,000 Americans were killed on the highway.
Philip R. Recht, deputy administrator of the safety agency, said the plan includes support services for programs that improve the quality of drivers, upgrades the safety of the highway system and further enhances the crash-worthiness of new cars.
“It is an ambitious goal, but there are ways to get there if we as a country are willing to make the effort,” Recht said.
It is remarkable that Americans are so indifferent about car safety when they demand extensive federal effort to protect their lives in areas such as food and the environment.
Recht said he believes the biggest gains in highway safety will come from improving the quality of drivers by such means as more driver education, rather than further tinkering with cars.
“We have done a fabulous job in improving the design of cars over the last 30 years,” Recht said, “and we are getting to the point of diminishing returns.”
Critics of the auto industry and the government sharply dispute that assessment, saying additional investments in cars could yield a huge payoff.
But Recht backs up his belief with a few simple points about drivers: 40% of highway deaths involve crashes involving drivers who have been drinking. Just two-thirds of drivers are wearing seat belts, and after teenagers get licenses, the process of driver education stops.
“People take lessons through their life to improve their golf game,” Recht pointed out.
In addition, traffic enforcement has dropped. Drunk driving arrests have decreased because fewer police are patrolling the highways.
Highway improvements could also help improve driving safety a great deal, with light poles that break away when struck and high technology devices embedded in roads that could help drivers avoid errors.
All of this isn’t cheap, but the safety administration’s budget is going up. The agency’s budget is $330 million this year, up from $270 million annually in recent years. And under new federal legislation, it could rise to $400 million, Recht said. Even at that, the spending amounts to about $90 per highway fatality.
“This is a problem of epidemic proportions,” he added. “If it were anything else, the country would be in an uproar.”
* Vartabedian cannot answer mail personally but will attempt to respond in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Do not telephone. Write to Your Wheels, 1875 I St. N.W. #1100, Washington, D.C. 20006 or e-mail to Ralph.Vartabedian@LATIMES.COM
