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.
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