Accident Prevention & Road Safety Efforts
The Governors Highway Safety Association has published its annual report on agency activities. The GHSA is responsible for helping to improve road safety and reduce collisions. The report details the progress that is being made in protecting the public on roadways. 
Unfortunately, accidents continue to occur even as safety laws get tighter and safety efforts improve. If you or a loved one is the victim of a collision, a personal injury lawyer can represent you.
GHSA Report on Accident Prevention Efforts
The GHSA report provides information on the progress that has been made in reducing the dangers of some of the major risks that motorists face on the roads. For example:
- Since 2010, more states have begun enacting and enforcing distracted driving laws. Just three years ago, only 28 states reported that distracted driving was a safety concern necessitating attention. There has been a 43 percent increase and now 40 states report distracted driving as a concern. The public is also becoming more aware, as more than 20,000 people accessed online resources on distracted driving provided by GHSA.
- Motor vehicle collisions remain the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. Teenagers become involved in three times the number of fatal motor vehicle collisions as all other drivers. Efforts to reduce teen driving deaths include the Ford Driving Skills for Life Program, which is in its 11th year and which GHSA helped to develop. The DSFL program awarded $100,000 to state highway safety offices last fiscal year to promote safe driving for teens. National Driver Safety Week was also held in October of last year.
- Drugged driving is becoming a bigger concern as states like Colorado and Washington have legalized recreational marijuana use. GHSA strengthened its drugged driving policy last year and is encouraging states to expand existing Administrative Law Revocations or enact new revocation laws for drug-impaired motorists who refuse to take a drug test. Administrative revocation of a license is already the law in most cases when a motorist refuses to take a test to detect his blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
- Motorcycle fatalities declined seven percent last year, but motorcycle safety has not increased over the past 15 years. The GHSA published a report featured in 20 publications on the issue, which prompted advocacy for new laws to require helmets for all riders in four states.
- Motor vehicle collisions remain a leading cause of fatalities for young children. However, more than a million people visited GHSA’s online resources to learn about child safety seat laws last year.
GHSA is also working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to facilitate the implementation the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) law, which was signed into law in July of 2012 to fund transportation programs nationwide.
While government agencies could certainly do much more to help motorists and to improve road safety, this report highlights some areas where the GHSA is at least trying to make a difference in reducing the risk of collisions.
Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Calling 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation.