REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE MARY PETERS
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
OVERLAND PARK, KS

DECEMBER 11, 2008
10:00 A.M. CST

Thank you, Dr. Calaway for that kind introduction.

And thank you, Mark for showing me the impressive work being done here at the National Academy of Railroad Sciences. Yours is an outstanding facility, and I am so pleased to have been able to see our next generation of rail professionals get their training first-hand.

I also want to recognize Cliff Eby, Acting Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration David Kelly, Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and John Hill, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. These three gentlemen are key parts of the team charged with keeping our nation's roads and railways safe, and I cannot thank them enough for their service.

We are here in Kansas City to announce new national data confirming that our nation’s roads are safer than ever before. New projections developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show fatalities for the first 10 months of 2008 declined by nearly 10 percent when compared to the same period in 2007.

Today’s announcement marks a first for the Department in our ability to project fatality figures prior to the end of the calendar year. Using new electronic data gathering techniques, we are working to make projections in near-real time. We intend to update 2008 estimates on a frequent basis as more data becomes available, giving safety professionals the data they need to keep motorists safe.

The new data also show the fatality rate for the first nine months of 2008 declined from 2007’s previous record low, to 1.28 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. This significant reduction means that this year, 3,000 more lives have been saved on our nation’s highways.

Simply put, our transportation network is safer than ever and getting safer all the time.

And these results are part of a concerted effort throughout government to ensure the safety of our nation’s transportation network.

The Bush Administration, from the President on down, has made safety our number one transportation priority.

Our focus on safety, from our skies and railroads to our highways and seaways, has led to one of the safest periods in our nation’s transportation history.

Because of our policies and reforms, every American can be more confident than ever they will arrive at their destination safe and sound.

Our approach incorporates proven strategies, innovative technologies and powerful partnerships to create a potent recipe for safe travel. Across all modes of transportation, we have encouraged local, state and federal leaders to work together to address their most pressing problems.

We have also worked to give state and local leaders the flexibility to spend federal dollars in ways that will actually make their communities safer.

The folks here at the National Academy of Railroad Sciences are taking an active role doing exactly that by training railroad professionals who will help keep our rail network safe.

And we are working to make the system they will inherit even safer. In 2005, the Department issued our National Rail Safety Action plan. The Action Plan, which included the deployment of new technologies, standards and practices, contributed to a nearly 25 percent decrease in train accidents over three years.

The plan focused on reducing the most frequent and highest-risk causes of train accidents, accelerating research to strengthen rail tank cars, addressing the effects of fatigue on train crews, enhancing highway-rail grade crossing safety and using data to better direct federal inspection resources to where they are needed most.

Looking ahead, the Federal Railroad Administration is working to implement Positive Train Control, a technology that will increase safety on the Nation’s rail network by preventing train to train collisions.

FRA is already working with Los Angeles’ Metrolink commuter railroad and major freight railroads to foster its commitment to early implementation in the L.A. area as a pre-cursor to a nationwide roll out.

And the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 has given FRA the authority it needs to issue new Hours of Service Rules, address fatigue issues and help better ensure that locomotive engineers and other key rail safety personnel are alert when on duty.

Just as we have made rail safety a priority, we have put just as much effort into keeping our roads and highways safe for motorists.
Since 2001, the Bush Administration has aggressively encouraged states to develop their own safety programs to better address the challenges of the century ahead.

Because of this encouragement and the funding behind it, all states now have their own Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a data-driven, comprehensive strategy that addresses the “4-E’s”: engineering, enforcement, education and emergency medical services.

We are making progress by rolling out new technology like Electronic Stability Control, which will save nearly 10,000 lives every year when fully integrated into the fleet in 2012.

You know you can talk all you want about new technology, better tires, brakes or steering, but we know that seat belts are the most effective life-saving device in our cars, trucks and minivans.

High-visibility efforts, like our expanded Click It Or Ticket seat belt law enforcement campaign, in which more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies participated, also helped increase seat belt usage by more than 10 percent.

Since 2000, our efforts to encourage the proper use of seat belts, airbags, child seats and helmets have saved an estimated 20,000 lives each year.

And we have helped save our youngest and most vulnerable passengers’ lives through the training of over 30,000 certified child seat technicians. Earlier this year, we held the first-ever Seat Check Saturday, which provided parents with the opportunity to have their car seats checked to ensure they are properly sized and installed, free of charge.

Unfortunately, I know what it’s like to get the call every mother dreads, the one that begins, “there’s been an accident.” Anyone else who has gotten that call knows the anguish and pain it can lead to. No parent should have to go through that, and no child needs to be injured or killed in a traffic incident.

That’s why under our leadership, the Department has focused on protecting children on our roads. Whether it’s the program I just mentioned, our restructuring of the Child Safety Seat Rating System or our efforts to curb drunk driving, we have been committed to stopping unnecessary deaths.

And while we have made progress, there’s still more to be done. Despite 2007 being the safest year to drive, more than 3,000 teenage drivers were killed and nearly 252,000 were injured in crashes, the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds.

We are addressing this problem through our Rural Safety Initiative, which includes programs that reach out to teens in new ways, using technology and the internet to get the message across.

The Department is also more engaged than ever in ensuring that our commercial trucking fleet is safe and safely operated.

Our Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued new Hours of Service requirements to ensure commercial drivers are alert and prepared to face the road.

The agency also took steps to improve licensing standards and streamline the process of combining the driver’s license and medical certificate records of commercial truck and bus drivers.

As with all of our initiatives, the proof is in the pudding. In 2006, we saw the lowest large truck fatal crash rate in history, less than two fatal crashes for every 100 million truck miles traveled.

And marking another historic landmark, aviation in America is safer today than at any period since that first flight took off at Kitty Hawk. Considering the record numbers of passengers and cargo filling our skies ― that is simply remarkable.

And considering the complexity of the aviation industry, the regulatory structure established at the FAA has yielded incredible results. Earlier this year, an Independent Review Team determined that in addition to specific actions, it is the FAA’s fundamental approach to aviation safety that is keeping our skies safe.

Since 2001, we have implemented new safety approaches, techniques, and standards. A new runway status lights program is making it easier for pilots to steer their aircraft at the airport, and Airspace Flow Programs are not only cutting delays, but making it safer to fly during bad weather.

As you can see, there are some common themes that link our safety efforts. Our mixture of flexibility, technology, collaboration and partnership has yielded incredible results. Of course, while our network is safer than ever before, we cannot be satisfied until fatality rates fall to zero.

With that in mind, we are, in the President’s words, going to “sprint to the finish.” We will continue working with our partners to ensure the safety of our network, and work with President-Elect Obama’s team to ensure a seamless transition.

To help guide policy makers, the Department earlier this year issued a plan to refocus, reform and renew transportation policy. A hallmark of the plan is a redoubled emphasis on safety, using a data and technology-driven approach that also gives states and local leaders like you maximum flexibility to tackle your toughest safety challenges.

I believe we have left the President-Elect and the next Congress a great blue-print, and the American people can be proud of the work done every day by law enforcement and safety professionals throughout the country to keep us safe — no matter how we travel.

I want to once again thank Johnson County Community College and the National Academy of Railroad Sciences for hosting us this morning, and for their work ensuring the safety of our railroad network.

With that, I’d be happy to take your questions.