Highway Safety: Factors Contributing to Traffic Crashes and NHTSA\u2019s Efforts to Address Them: Statement of Peter Guerrero, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues

Most motor vehicle crashes have multiple causes. Experts and studies have identified three categories of factors that contribute to crashes: human, roadway environment, and vehicle factors. From 1975 through 2002, the rate of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled decreased from 3.35 to 1.51. However, decreases in fatalities have leveled off since the early 1990s. In 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century funded a series of highway safety programs. The states establish highway safety goals and initiate projects to help reach those goals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) provides advice, training, and technical assistance to states and can use management reviews and improvement plans as tools to help monitor and strengthen the states' performance. This testimony discusses (1) the factors that contribute to motor vehicle crashes, (2) the funds provided to the states for highway safety programs, and (3) NHTSA's oversight of state programs. The testimony is primarily based on two GAO reports on these topics issued in March and April 2003. The GAO found that NHTSA's oversight of state highway programs could be improved. NHTSA regional offices have made inconsistent use of management reviews and improvement plans because NHTSA's guidance does not specify when to use them. As a result, some states do not have improvement plans, even though their alcohol-related fatality rates have increased or their seat-belt usage rates have declined. Without improvement plans NHTSA may not fully realize its goals in working with the states to improve highway safety. GAO recommended in the April 2003 report that NHTSA provide guidance to its regional offices on when it is appropriate to use these oversight tools. NHTSA is taking steps to improve this guidance. Appendix, 8 figures, 21 p