Five State DOTs receive award for life saving programs.
Press Release Summary:
State transportation departments in Arkansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington were among honorees recognized by the Roadway Safety Foundation and Federal Highway Administration for innovation in operations, planning, and roadway design to reduce fatalities and injuries on our nation's highways. National Roadway Safety awards were presented by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood who said we can never stop looking for new ways to make driving safer.
Original Press Release:
Five State DOTs Receive National Award for Life Saving Programs
(Washington, DC)-State transportation departments in Arkansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington were among the honorees recognized by the Roadway Safety Foundation and the Federal Highway Administration for innovation in operations, planning, and roadway design to reduce fatalities and injuries on our nation's highways.
The National Roadway Safety awards were presented Thursday, November 5, 2009, by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Secretary LaHood told participants this was "a good opportunity to shine a light on the nation's most innovative road safety projects and programs that eliminate or sharply reduce highway deaths across the United States. We can never stop looking for new and creative ways to make driving and traveling safer," LaHood said.
The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department won for a pilot project which installed centerline rumble strips on Highway 7, reducing fatal crashes by 64%.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation received its award for developing a comprehensive online crash analysis system, giving safety professionals the ability to make data-driven decisions based on information from hundreds of thousands of crashes.
The Washington State DOT received an award for its program to add centerline rumble strips, cable median barrier, and low-cost safety enhancement programs which have decreased fatal and serious injury collisions.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation won for a program that resulted in the lowest incidence of alcohol related crashes and injuries in ten years in 2008.
The Texas Department of Transportation was honored for its Safety Bond Program, which has provided more than $1.2 billion for safety improvement construction projects aimed at reducing the number of motor vehicle crashes and associated fatalities and injuries on Texas highways.
"The roster of award winners represents the most dynamic and creative highway safety programs, and sets a standard for others to follow," said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. "These projects help prevent traffic crashes and fatalities, and assist in fighting the national epidemic of more than 37,000 road deaths and 2.5 million injuries that occur on our nation's roadways every year."
A total of 14 programs from ten state and local jurisdictions and one national program received awards. The programs were evaluated on three criteria - innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Program categories included infrastructure improvements; operational improvements; and program planning, development, and evaluation. The award recipients were selected from more than 100 entries received.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the "Voice of Transportation" representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation.
