Contact: Jonathan Adkins
or Barbara Harsha at
(202) 789-0942 or (202) 439-0211

WASHINGTON, DC---Consolidating federal highway safety programs, continuing stable funding, and avoiding new sanctions are among the key safety-related actions the new Congress should take in the upcoming reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), according to a NEW REPORT from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). TEA-21, which will expire in September, is the most significant piece of public works legislation ever passed. In addition to restructuring federal highway, transit and motor carrier programs, it reauthorized two highway safety grant programs, and authorized six new incentive grant programs and two new safety-related penalty provisions. GHSA members, who are appointed by their governors, are charged with implementing all of these grant and penalty programs that address driver and roadway user behavior.

The combined effects of both the grant and penalty provisions of TEA-21 have produced mixed experiences and results. States received increased funding for behavioral programs that allowed them to strengthen law enforcement efforts and create ambitious educational campaigns. The increased funding helped contribute to the lowest motor vehicle fatality rate on record in 1999, 2000, and 2001. The nation also achieved the highest percentage of seat belt usage ever in 2001-75 percent. While TEA-21 set the framework for many lifesaving programs, it also created administrative and programmatic difficulties for the states. The new incentive grants divided the federal highway safety program, emphasizing occupant protection and impaired driving without providing adequate funding to address other safety problems such as those dealing with motorcycles and pedestrians. Implementing the incentive programs created an enormous administrative burden on State Highway Safety Offices, often resulting in a reduction in the amount of time spent on planning, program delivery, and evaluation. To address these and other challenges, GHSA has issued 10 main recommendations for Congress to consider and implement in the reauthorization of TEA-21. These include:

• Safeguard Funding: Strengthen and continue the use of budget firewalls around funding for all federal behavioral highway safety grant programs, and safeguard states' rights in determining the use of these funds. By safeguarding funding and maintaining the integrity of federal highway safety programs, states can continue guiding the highway safety effort in ways that best meet the differing needs of each state. Create a Consolidated Behavioral Safety Grant Program: Authorize an enhanced Highway Safety Grant Program to include a large base program and tiered incentive programs. The incentive programs should be based on a state's performance or its ability to pass appropriate legislation. This new approach would allow states to comply with only one deadline and submit only one highway safety plan, alleviating the administrative burdens on both state and federal agencies. Adequately Fund the Program: Fund the enhanced highway safety program at a minimum of $500 million per year. This would allow programs to continue at the levels at which they are currently authorized. GHSA is hopeful that Congress will find ways to increase overall funding for surface transportation above these current levels, in which case $1 billion of that increase should be directed toward safety infrastructure and behavioral programs. Without a substantial funding increase, states will not be able to address emerging issues such as aggressive and distracted driving, nor will they be able to enhance programs for target populations such as younger and older drivers. Enhance Federal Safety Research: Increase the amount of federal funding for behavioral research from approximately $7 million a year to $15-$20 million a year. This is necessary because there has been little or no research on the effectiveness of many safety countermeasures and some studies, such as those on crash causation, have not been updated for decades.
• Avoid New Sanctions and Penalties: Do not include any new sanctions or penalties in the reauthorization, as this approach has not been proven to be universally effective. In some cases such as the sanctions for not enacting motorcycle helmet laws and a national maximum speed limit, the sanction/penalty approach was a dismal failure. Sanctions are a heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all solution that has historically created animosity between the states and the federal government, and has not been very effective in solving individual state problems.

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Editors Note: The full report: "Taking the Temperature of TEA-21: Ten Recommendations for Progress" is available by calling (202) 789-0942. GHSA is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Indian Nation. Members are appointed by their governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans. For more information, e-mail jadkins@ghsa.org.