In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that nearly 43,000 individuals died in motor vehicle crashes. This figure increased by over 10% from the previous year, making it one of the highest projections since 2005. After seeing these numbers, the U.S. Department of Transportation created the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) to make roads and vehicles safer in Texas and other states.
Objectives and implementation of the NRSS
Five objectives have been highlighted under the NRSS, which include safer people, roads, vehicles and speeds as well as post-crash care.
One of the main objectives of the NRSS is to encourage responsible, safe behavior from individuals who are using U.S. roads. Raising this awareness is essential as the increase in fatalities was due to poor behavior by some drivers. In two specific categories, speeding and involvement with alcohol, there was a 5% increase compared to 2020.
Raising awareness for safety on U.S. roads
With the drastic increase in car accidents in 2021, the federal government took notice and created a plan to reduce this number. Creating the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests up to $6 billion in reducing roadway crashes and fatalities, should offer the headway needed to reverse this devastating trend.
Seatbelts save lives
In its effort to create awareness about safety and driving, NHTSA launched the “Click It or Ticket” campaign. One of the reasons why fatalities increased was due to individuals who failed to wear their seatbelts. Automobile accidents can cause tremendous force and eject a person from the vehicle. These situations often end tragically for anyone in this position. Reinforcing the use of seatbelts and their ability to save lives is the campaign’s central theme.
Creating more awareness and implementing specific programs will hopefully decrease traffic fatalities in the future.