The country’s deteriorating roadways – and how to improve them — are the subject of a new report that found that infrastructure investments have the potential to save 63,700 lives and prevent 353,560 serious injuries over a 20-year period if repairs and maintenance were to become a priority.
“Safety Benefits of Highway Infrastructure Investments” released earlier this month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a nonprofit research and education association, details key strategies to accomplish that goal.
“We can save tens of thousands of lives and make our roadways safer by investing in improvements that we already know exist,” Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation, said in a statement. “Now is the time to act by targeting limited resources where they will have the greatest impact.”
The reported noted that the U.S. is ranked nearly last among high-income nations around the world in annual traffic fatalities, which continue to rise.
The group recommended an investment of $146 billion to carry out six simple, cost-effective roadway infrastructure improvements “with the greatest potential to reduce both the likelihood and consequences of crashes.” The proposed measures account for 95 percent of anticipated crash reductions, according to the report.
1. Convert key intersections into roundabouts (nearly 30 percent)
2. Install roadside barriers and clear roadside objects (nearly 20 percent)
3. Add sidewalks and signalized pedestrian crossing on majority of roads (nearly 20 percent)
4. Install median barriers on divided highways (14 percent)
5. Install shoulder and center line rumble strips (nearly 9 percent)
6. Pave and widen shoulders (nearly 3 percent)
The current investments in improvements are substantially lower than what is needed to fix the nation’s aging roads and bridges, the group said, and while its suggested funding would have a significant impact on the national level, “increased investment is required at all levels of government to prevent an infrastructure crisis.”
ARTICLE VIA FORBES
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2017/05/28/simple-road-improvements-could-reduce-more-than-415000-deaths-serious-injuries-new-report-shows/#69fbe14e5ded