Hudson Hosts Briefing on Global Road Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC), co-chair of the Global Roads Safety Caucus, hosted a briefing this week with the Association for Safe International Road Travel to discuss the epidemic of road crash fatalities and disabilities as a major public health concern.
"Millions of people all over the globe are impacted by traffic accidents, inadequate policies, and neglected infrastructure," said Congressman Hudson. "Just last year, North Carolina reported a record 1,755 traffic-related deaths, a 5% increase from 2020. That’s why I’m committed to promoting road safety practices in Congress to protect families in my community and around our nation."
The briefing, "Vision Zero: How Do We get there," included a panel discussion with presenters from various sectors who talked about challenges and successes in implementing a Vision Zero strategy. Panelists included Dr. Nino Paichadze, Associate Research Professor, Department of Global Health and Associate Director of the Center on Commercial Determinants of Health at George Washington University's Milken Institute of Public Health, Nicholas Worrell, Director of Safety Advocacy, National Transportation Safety Board, Nicholas Oyler, Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Manager, Memphis, TN, Elyse Keefe, Road Safety Project Coordinator, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, and Linda Bailey, District Department of Transportation, Vision Zero Director.
"The number of deaths on the world’s roads remains unacceptably high, with an estimated 1.35 million people dying each year. According to the State Department, road crash deaths are the single greatest cause of death for Americans traveling abroad. I am glad that our caucus has been able to increase awareness about ‘Vision Zero’ and how we can end traffic-related fatalities and injuries and look forward to continuing to work on this important issue. I also appreciate that my Memphis constituent, Nicholas Oyler, the Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Manager for the City of Memphis, was a panelist at the briefing," said Congressman Steve Cohen, a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety.
Rochelle Sobel, President of ASIRT, framed the panel discussion in her opening remarks, stating, "The goal of Vision Zero is the creation of a culture of safety so that no one is killed or seriously injured in every country, state, city or county that adopts its principles. Vision Zero maintains that people will always make errors as they navigate the roads. Therefore, infrastructure, vehicles, and policies must be designed to minimize the harm. This can be achieved through a safe systems approach with a comprehensive view of the interaction of the entire road transport system. It also stresses the need for shared responsibility and the collaboration of every sector that is engaged in transport. Many countries and cities throughout the European Union and in other locations that have adopted Vision Zero have achieved significant reductions in road crash deaths. Vision Zero was first adopted in the U.S. in 2012. In the past five years there has been a wide-scale adoption of the Safe Systems approach. So how are we doing thus far - and what should we do to reduce the road crash fatality and injury rates? Our outstanding panel of experts share their experiences and recommendations as to how we can make Vision Zero a reality and create a world where hopes and dreams are no longer shattered on roads everywhere."
"Leaders across NC and the U.S. are recognizing that road violence is a problem affecting their communities. In 2014, there were three Vision Zero cities in the US; today, there are close to 100. However, for Vision Zero to have a sustaining impact, we need road injuries and fatalities to be taken seriously by leaders at all levels and a shift away from an over-reliance on strategies that attempt to make humans act perfectly and move toward policy changes and investments that make our transportation system safer, despite every human’s mistakes," said Elyse Keefe, MSW, MPH, Road Safety Project Coordinator at UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.
"The U.S. is failing in addressing the public health crisis on our roads. As a society we act as if our level of effort is appropriate to the problem. To make real progress, to achieve zero, we must adopt a Safe System approach. We must strengthen every layer of our road system so that if one layer fails, another will compensate, and the cost of a mistake is not a human life. To achieve zero road deaths and serious injuries, it will take attention and intentional efforts at every level—local, state, and federal," said Stephanie Shaw, Safety Advocate at National Transportation Safety Board.
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