Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Despite fewer cars on the road during COVID-19 pandemic, traffic deaths have jumped 7.2 percent in the last year—the largest projected number of fatalities in more than a decade
Washington (July 27, 2021) – With traffic deaths on the rise, U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) led their Congressional colleagues in introducing the Road to Zero resolution today in support of progress to eliminate traffic deaths. The resolution expresses a commitment to advancing policies to end roadway fatalities by 2050 and supports efforts to address transportation safety disparities and inequities.
“We must act to prevent crashes that tragically take far too many Americans’ lives each day,” said Senator Blumenthal. “By committing to enact proven, commonsense road safety policies, this resolution charts the course to reduce traffic deaths to zero by 2050. I am proud to pledge my support for this important lifesaving effort with Congresswoman Schakowsky and making our roads safer for every pedestrian, biker, and driver across the country.”
The resolution has also been cosponsored by U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and U.S. Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Bobby Rush (D-IL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), and Grace Napolitano (D-CA).
The resolution has been endorsed by the National Safety Council, Consumer Reports, Vision Zero Network, and Families for Safe Streets.
“No other preventable cause of deaths and severe injuries is so overlooked and implicitly condoned as the 40,000 traffic fatalities each year in this country,” said Leah Shahum, Director of Vision Zero Network. “This must — and can — change. We’re encouraged that the new resolution to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2050 is a sign of stepped-up Federal leadership to put proven Vision Zero strategies in place, including designing roadways for safety over speed and investing more funding in safety priorities, especially for those walking and biking.”
“Tragically, a person is more likely to lose their life on the road today than they were before the pandemic,” said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council and chair of the Road to Zero Coalition. “We need a national commitment to achieving zero traffic deaths — which is precisely what Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s resolution represents. We applaud their bold leadership as we work towards ‘zero.’”
“Every traffic death is more than a number. Each has a bereft family and a heartbroken community. October 8th will mark eight years since I lost my 12-year-old son Sammy. He was in 8th grade and just trying to get from school to soccer practice. This should not be a deadly act,” said Amy Cohen, Co-Founder of Families for Safe Streets. “Every one of us in FSS has lost a family member or suffered a life-altering injury. We are so grateful to Senator Blumenthal and Congresswoman Schakowsky for urging the US to commit toZeroTrafficDeaths. Taking that first step to a safety-first transportation policy will prevent others from the heartache we have suffered. The US is anoutlier — the vast majority of nations like ours have dramatically reduced the number of people killed on their roadways. We have some of the most dangerous roads and most dangerous vehicles in the industrialized world and things are only getting worse. In May, the National Safety Council shared preliminary data indicating a 24% spike in roadway death rates — the highest in 96 years. We can and we must do better.”
“Driving your child back to college is often thought of as a bonding moment as your “baby” blossoms into a burgeoning young adult — not a deadly act that ends two lives in an instant. On October 15, 2018, my sister Leslie and her 19-year-old daughter Sophie were making the 100-mile drive together when a tanker truck pulled onto the dark highway ahead of them and their car plowed into the underside of the 18-wheeler, ending Sophie and Leslie’s lives in an instant,” said Cathy Bell-Forman of Bloomfield, Connecticut. “This would never have happened if our country was committed to eliminating traffic deaths on our roadways. I have been fighting since her death for a small legislative change to require trucks to be fully illuminated and even that small change has not yet been made. If only the US had prioritized safety sooner and put in place the proven solutions to save lives, my kind, generous sister and her smart, bubbly daughter would still be alive.”
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