Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Transportation's (DOT) fiscal year (FY) 1999 performance report and FY 2001 performance plan required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

GAO noted that: (1) for FY 1999, DOT's progress in achieving fewer transportation-related accidents, deaths, injuries, and property losses varied; (2) DOT met all of its FY 1999 safety goals for pipelines and the transport of hazardous material, and its performance in most other modes--highway, marine, rail, and transit--was mixed; (3) DOT did not meet any of its aviation safety goals in FY 1999; (4) in FY 2000, DOT expects to achieve all of its safety goals that were unmet in FY 1999, except four; (5) DOT met its FY 1999 goal to reduce the number of air traffic control (ATC)-related delays; (6) DOT did not meet its goal to increase the percentage of flight segments safely flown off ATC-preferred routes, but fell just short of the goal; (7) the measure for aviation delays was revised and expanded in FY 2000 to include all causes of delays, including weather; (8) DOT named reducing highway congestion and improving highway pavement condition as major performance goals for achieving the overall strategic goal of increasing the nation's mobility; (9) DOT concluded that, based on FY 1998 data for these two goals, it is likely that the FY 1999 targets were met; (10) on the basis of its performance on these three goals, DOT does not plan significant changes in the program for FY 2000; (11) the Coast Guard is responsible for reducing the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, but in FY 1999, the Coast Guard did not reach its goal in this area; (12) DOT will be challenged in achieving the FY 2000 goal because the Coast Guard plans to devote fewer resources to drug interdiction in FY 2000; and (13) DOT's FY 1999 performance report and FY 2001 performance plan generally addressed most of the management challenges identified by GAO and DOT's Inspector General.