Our second ever Safety Summit kicked off this morning in Houston, with more than 400 transportation safety experts from across the country in attendance. After remarks from Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director, attendees heard from Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chair, who talked about her agency’s “front row seat to the public health crisis on our nation's roadways.” She discussed her concern with “cheering the progress” following nine straight quarters of roadway fatality declines since the spike that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it sounds too much like a “victory lap” when there's still far too much work to be done to reach zero fatalities. Attendees heard Adam Riviv, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA chief counsel, echo those remarks, stating that while “we’re trending in the right direction” there is still a long way to go. “We can get to zero fatalities, but we need everyone to do their part,” he said. People also heard from Kristin White, FHWA’s acting administrator, who called for the creation of a shared culture change among for transportation agencies; specifically asking them to adopt the National Roadway Safety Strategy. She pressed attendees to think about their “mission critical activities” and how they all reinforce the call for more safety improvements. Garrett Eucalitto, AASHTO president and Connecticut DOT commissioner, TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams,?and John Milton, PhD PE RSP2IB PTOE, WSDOT director of transportation safety and systems analysis, also touched on the critical importance of safety. Thanks to all for such a strong start to the meeting!
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