USDOT
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy today rolled out the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) – a new interdepartmental plan DOT said is meant to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries on the nation’s roadways.
The strategy is made up of three parts. They include:
- Safer People: USDOT said it is doubling down on safety for families in rural, urban, and tribal communities. That means stronger support for transportation workers and first responders and a renewed commitment to law enforcement.
- Safer Roads: Through more innovative road design, targeted bottleneck relief, and cracking down on dangerous truck drivers, USDOT said it will keep traffic moving while reducing congestion and improve crash outcomes, including secondary crashes.
- Safer Vehicles: To ensure America stays a leader in vehicle safety, USDOT siad it is modernizing safety standards, advancing a national automated vehicle strategy, and investing in tech to reduce preventable crashes.
“President Trump and I are committed to keeping American families safe on our roads. In the past year alone, we’ve partnered with law enforcement agencies to step up traffic enforcement, removed dangerous foreign truck drivers off the roads, and launched new educational campaigns on the dangers of distracted driving, drunk driving, and driving without a seat belt,” said Duffy. “This new strategy builds on that progress by doubling down on our coordination with the police, enhancing our anti-congestion initiatives, and embracing automotive innovation to make our streets safer than ever.”
A section of the plan titled, Stop Unsafe Commercial Vehicle Operations, says, "The majority of truck drivers and motor carriers operate responsibly, but unsafe operators affect the safety of everyone on the roads."
It adds, "State driver’s licensing agencies and commercial driving schools must be vigilant to ensure only eligible, trained people receive commercial driver’s licenses, and do not unlawfully license people who are ineligible or unqualified to drive a truck. Reforming commercial driver licensing, training practices, and safe commercial driving standards can prevent unqualified drivers from operating on America’s roadways."
The plan unveiled by Duffy also acknowledges the need for safe truck parking. It says, "Providing drivers with safe, designated places to park reduces the use of locations like highway shoulders, freeway exit or entrance ramps, vacant lots, and side streets. Infrastructure investments, complemented by technology, can help America’s truck drivers safely drive a full shift, rest when they need to, and keep America’s freight moving."
To that end, the National Roadway Safety Strategy says one of its key activities is to, "Elevate truck parking initiatives to promote safe and efficient movement of goods by expanding availability of truck parking through DOT funding programs."
The head of the agency regulating the trucking industry commented on the plan announced by Duffy.
“When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek D. Barrs. "Our mission is to strengthen safety, demand accountability, and deliver results that make a real difference."
The full National Roadway Safety Strategy is available here.
