States applaud commerce transportation bill’s highway safety measures

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently congratulated the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee for passing the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015.

The reauthorization bill, which would last for six years, will offer necessary consistency and stability for the U.S. highway safety agencies to decrease the number of injuries, crashes and fatalities on U.S. roads.

The legislation seeks to raise finances given to the State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program (Section 402). This program is crucial to U.S. highway safety programs as it provides states with greater flexibility for data-driven, research-based methods for solving a variety of highway safety problems such as speeding, occupant protection, and drugged, drunk and distracted driving, as well as pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that 94 percent of U.S. crashes are because of driver behavior.

The bill would also improve incentive grants for drunk driving and distracted driving. This move would enable more states to meet the qualifications for encouraging and funding to implement new highway safety laws. This would also simplify the burdensome and unnecessary administrative tasks that stand in the way of applying lifesaving programs in a timely manner.