Kansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2020-2024 PDF Download

Author: Kansas. Department of Transportation
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Roads
Languages : en
Pages : 83

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Book Description
"A strategic highway safety plan is a coordinated and informed approach to reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. ... Some people call those events "accidents." We don't. The word "accidents," implies such events are unavoidable. They're not. Their number can be - must be - reduced. ... In 2009, we established a goal to cut fatalities and serious injuries in half by 2029. With a five-year average of 417 fatalities, the goal was to be at or below 208 fatalities by 2029. In 2017, the five-year average was 396. We saw record low years in 2013 and 2015, only to see fatalities reach 461 in 2017. This pattern was seen nationally as well. However, we did see a significant drop in serious injuries in less than 10 years. The five-year average in 2009 was 1,762, and the goal was to be at or below 881 by 2029. In 2017, the five-year average was 1,211. It is difficult to understand the difference between fatality trends and serious injury trends, but the latter is certainly an encouraging sign. It is also encouraging to note that fatalities and serious injuries have dropped since 2009 even as traffic volumes have continued to increase statewide. This means the fatality rate, the number of fatalities per mile driven, has also dropped. Part of the credit for the declines belongs to highway departments. They've worked for decades to make roadways safer, installing rumble strips to keep drivers in their lanes and engineering shoulders and adjacent spaces for those who leave them. Part of the credit goes to vehicle manufacturers and their introduction of such advances as air bags, seat belts and anti-lock brakes. Finally, drivers themselves have taken more personal responsibility. More are buckling up and "one for the road" is no longer acceptable."--Introduction.