May 6, 2005

Text of letter sent to every member of the United States Senate

Dear Senator:

The organizations listed below represent a broad array of national, state and local elected leaders, policymakers and transportation and highway safety interests. Our organizations oppose the use of sanctions and penalties. We believe the use of sanctions and penalties reflect an all-or-nothing approach that forces absolute and unconditional compliance with federal safety requirements or goals while stifling innovation and redirecting funds from highway construction and maintenance projects with tangible safety benefits.

Currently states face eight highway safety-related sanctions and penalties that are designed to force compliance with various federal highway safety mandates or goals including enactment, by specified deadlines, or various types of state safety legislation. While our organizations support the underlying safety goals, we oppose the use of penalties and sanctions. In fact, many of our organizations have adopted the new United States Department of Transportation's safety goal of 1.0 fatalities per hundred million vehicle miles of overall highway travel by 2008---a one-third reduction in today's rate. Sanctions and penalties decrease the amount of funding available to the states to make necessary investments to the highway system, compromising the construction, rehabilitation, operation and maintenance of a safe highway system. Fewer resources to invest means delays in roadway and intersection improvements, fewer dollars for upgrading highway signage and markings, and less funding available for investment in safety research.

We urge you to employ incentives and positive strategies to encourage states to accomplish both public safety and transportation-related objectives rather than adopting a negative sanctions approach. Incentives from an increased overall multiyear funding program give states the flexibility and resources to find creative solutions to safety problems that fit their needs while ensuring stable funding for improving, constructing, operating and maintaining safe highways.

As you consider reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21), we urge you to reject any changes to current law that would impose new sanctions or penalties on the states for failure to comply with federal highway safety mandates and goals.

Sincerely,

(signed) Susan Pikrallidas, Vice President, Public Affairs, AAA

(signed) Lawrence Greenberg, Executive Vice President, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

(signed) John Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

(signed) David A. Raymond, President, American Council of Engineering Companies

(signed) Gregory M. Cohen, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Highway Users Alliance

(signed) Roger Wentz, Executive Director, American Traffic Safety Services Association

(signed) T. Peter Ruane, President and CEO, American Road & Transportation Builders Association

(signed) Stephen Sandherr, Chief Executive Officer, Associated General Contractors of America

(signed) Steven F. Campbell, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

(signed) Barbara L. Harsha, Executive Director, Governors Highway Safety Association

(signed) William T. Pound, Executive Director, National Conference of State Legislatures