For those traveling on this busy 4th of July weekend, I encourage you not to protest too vigorously the congestion caused by construction zones. An eye-opening report released yesterday clearly indicates that better roadways are safer roadways.
Published by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation on behalf of the Transportation Construction Coalition, the report, titled “On a Crash Course: The Dangers and Health Costs of Deficient Roadways," is a wake-up call that we must get serious about funding road repairs.
The report concludes that more than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions. Now, this is not to suggest that we shouldn't also minimize drunk driving and maximize seat-belt use. But, it is astonishing to learn that deficient roadways contribute each year to 22,000 fatalities and $217 billion in damage.
“Concerns about swine flu pale in comparison to the number of crash victims I treat,” said Dr. Jared Goldberg, an emergency room physician in Alexandria, VA. “In medical terms, highway fatalities and injuries have reached epidemic proportions, and efforts to prevent further spread of this plague are essential. It's a lot simpler than developing a vaccine: fixing dangerous roads would help prevent traffic crashes.”
Remember that the report indicates only that faulty roadways contribute to crashes. However, the report's author, Dr. Ted Miller, warns against taking too much comfort in that:
“Safer drivers and safer cars remain vitally important, but safer roadways are critical to saving lives, preventing injuries and reducing costs. It is far more practical to make the roadway environment more forgiving and protective.”
I'll post tomorrow about reducing an all-too-common behavioral factor. But, for now, this report offers one more good reason to get our roads fixed up, and fixed up soon. That's what the Obama Administration has been doing with the $16.1 billion in highway stimulus funds we've obligated to over 4800 projects across the country. And that's what we will continue doing.
Safe driving, everyone--
I'm excited to hear your comments on the "behavioral factor" tomorrow. Driver training and better enforcement of the rules of the road like proper lane usage, signaling, and red lights are the biggest opportunities for safety improvement in my area.
Posted by: m | July 02, 2009 at 12:02 PM
The study is pretty vague about which roadway features contribute to crashes.
You should realize that it is actually the difference between the perceived risk and the actual risk that contributes to crash rates. Thus, to the extent that road features can be made more forgiving _without_ making the road appear safer, crash rate or severity will go down. However, improvements to a road which lead to higher speeds or driver inattention because the driving is "easier" will have an unpredictable effect on the crash statistics.
Posted by: Walt | July 02, 2009 at 03:27 PM
"The report concludes that more than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions"
Yet the report makes no difference between an interstate and a residential street. What is good for an interstate is horrible for a residential street.
Posted by: ben | July 06, 2009 at 09:08 PM
What is mind-boggling to me is the sheer crash costs of driving. If you divide the comprehensive crash costs - $498.8b / yr by the 3 trillion VMT / year, you get a crash cost of over 16 cents per mile. That's higher than the per-mile cost of gasoline!! And way higher than the per-mile cost of congestion.
Really, is there any safety treatment that is good enough to make up for this huge drain on our economy? It makes the numbers for (extremely safe) public transit look much more attractive.
Posted by: David Morse | July 08, 2009 at 07:07 PM
This is definitely true about road conditions. Anything that makes driving easier makes driving safer. If you have to swerve around a pot hole or take a bump too hard, it can definitely affect your driving. If you're not paying attention, you could easily get into an accident.
As a limo driver who is on the road most of the time, I can appreciate construction to fixing up the roads.
Posted by: Limousine Services | July 13, 2009 at 06:12 PM