Contact: Jonathan Adkins at 202-789-0942

Washington, DC --- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Chair Kathryn Swanson said today that while the organization supports some safety aspects of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) recently released highway reauthorization proposal, GHSA finds it to be largely disappointing. The proposal, known as the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Act of 2003 or SAFETEA, provides the framework for state highway safety programs affecting the behavior of drivers and other roadway users. GHSA members are appointed by their governors to implement these programs.

Swanson says GHSA's main objection to SAFETEA is that it under-funds behavioral highway safety programs relative to the size of the problem. GHSA has called on Congress to authorize a minimum of $550 million dollars a year for the behavioral programs. If the funding level of SAFETEA were adopted, funding for the behavioral programs in fiscal year 2004 would be the same as it was in 2003, approximately $450 million. According to the GHSA Chair, "State highway safety programs have contributed to significant accomplishments that have resulted in lives and dollars being saved." Swanson says the list of accomplishments includes: the lowest motor vehicle fatality rate on record, a record low in the number of children killed in crashes, and a record high in nationwide seat belt use. However, Swanson says, "If further progress is to be made, far greater resources than what the Administration has requested need to be made available."

Swanson says that increased highway safety funding is absolutely essential or lives will be lost. She cites research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that maintaining the current level of highway safety effort will result in an increase in the number of fatalities to 50,000 a year by 2008. The current level is approximately 42,000 fatalities a year. Swanson believes, "As a society, we should not be willing to accept that 8,000 more of our friends and neighbors will not be around the Thanksgiving table each year."

GHSA is particularly disappointed that the SAFETEA proposal actually reduces funding for impaired driving, even as this safety problem is increasing nationally. Swanson says, "The Administration's 'Discretionary Strategic Impaired Driving Program' is woefully inadequate and completely unacceptable as it would not provide funding to all states even though every state has a problem with impaired driving. SAFETEA does not provide funding to states that the administration considers to be non-strategic."

GHSA supports the concept of a federal incentive program to encourage states to enact primary seat belt laws, but is concerned about some of the aspects of the Administration's version of such a program. SAFETEA would reward states that enact a primary belt law with a grant of five times their basic highway safety allotment. However, SAFETEA rewards states that have already adopted primary legislation with a grant only equal to their basic highway safety money allotment. GHSA wants every state to be rewarded equally for passing this crucial legislation. Swanson says GHSA is hopeful that Congress will work through these program details and craft a strong seat belt incentive program.

The Association is also concerned that SAFETEA would allow states to transfer incentive money into the safety construction program. Swanson says, "Our experience with some of the current incentive grant programs has shown that the state agency with the most political clout gets the funding." GHSA wants to ensure that money that is intended for behavioral safety stays with these programs, particularly when funding is so scarce.

While GHSA has many significant concerns about SAFETEA, the Association also supports certain aspects, which it urges Congress to adopt. These include:
   • Consolidation of behavioral safety programs which will be easier for states to administer;
   • Incentive programs that will provide additional funding to states based on their performance;
   • A data incentive program that would fund improvements in highway safety-related data systems;
   • Requirements that states establish strategic statewide performance-based, comprehensive, highway safety goals.

Finally, the Association urges Congress to question the recommendations of certain safety-interest organizations to expand federal control over state highway safety programs. A recently released General Accounting Office report concludes that NHTSA is not consistently using the oversight authority it currently possesses. The Association believes NHTSA should continue to have the oversight responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, and GHSA is working with NHTSA to develop criteria so the agency's oversight tools can be applied in a consistent manner as Congress intended. Swanson says, "At the same time, states must continue to be able to identify safety problems and determine how safety funding is spent within their own jurisdictions."

Swanson concludes, "If Congress approves an appropriate level of funding and gives the states the continued ability to develop data-driven programs, we will continue to save lives and money through effective highway safety programs."

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Note to Editors: Earlier this year, GHSA issued its recommendations for the highway safety reauthorization in a report, "Taking the Temperature of TEA-21: Ten Recommendations for Progress." The report is online at www.ghsa.org. For more information, e-mail jadkins@ghsa.org or call (202) 789-0942.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Indian Nation. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans. Prior to September 2002, GHSA was known as the National Association of Governors’ Highway Safety Representatives (NAGHSR). For more information, contact Jonathan Adkins at (202) 789-0942, e-mail jadkins@ghsa.org or visit www.statehighwaysafety.org.