Media Contact: Shane Austin
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202-425-2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement of Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, on October Safety Observances and Halloween 2024
(Washington, D.C. | September 30, 2024) With pedestrian fatalities soaring, it is time to focus on strategies, steps and solutions this National Pedestrian Safety Month which kicks off on October 1st. The month is bookended with a holiday replete with pedestrians – Halloween. Both occasions highlight the critical importance of improving roadway and vehicle safety, particularly as shorter days bring earlier darkness. This month also marks two other safety observances, National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 20-26) and National School Bus Safety Week (October 21-25), which shine a spotlight on safeguarding teens behind the wheel and ensuring the safety of children commuting to school.
The need for action is urgent. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveal that in 2022, over 7,500 pedestrians lost their lives, one of the few categories that increased in fatalities from 2021, underscoring the growing danger for those outside vehicles. This is especially true at night when 76 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur. Motor vehicle crashes also remain a leading cause of death among teenagers, with nearly 4,700 fatalities involving young drivers (ages 15–20) in 2022. School transportation-related crashes have claimed over 1,200 lives between 2012 and 2022.
These tragic losses are preventable, and with the Final Rule on automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection for passenger vehicles issued, NHTSA must act quickly on other lifesaving provisions to protect pedestrians and students mandated in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58) including issuing Final Rules requiring AEB for trucks, impaired driving prevention technology, lane departure warning (LDW), lane-keeping assist (LKA) and an improved headlamp standard.
Additionally, Congress must continue robust appropriation levels to advance the Safe System Approach (SSA) and Complete Streets policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) which undertake a holistic method to improve safety for all in the roadway environment. Vehicle safety technology and roadway infrastructure improvements designed to upgrade safety have great potential to complement each other, ensure redundancy and save lives.
Further, the School Bus Safety Act (S. 2746), reintroduced last year by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), must be passed. This legislation would implement essential National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations for school bus safety, including three-point seat belts for all passengers, AEB and electronic stability control (ESC).
No state currently has a fully comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) law. We urge state leaders to adopt stronger GDL measures, as outlined in Advocates’ 2024 Roadmap to Safety, to help prevent unnecessary deaths among young drivers and all motorists. States also should be using speed safety and red-light cameras which are proven to reduce speed and red light running.
National Pedestrian Safety Month, National Teen Driver Safety Week and National School Bus Safety Week bring attention to important safety issues, but action is what is needed. We call on the U.S. Department of Transportation, Congress and state legislators to implement these measures without delay. Lives depend on it.
About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.