On the Road with ASIRT . ------------------------------------------------Winter 2022  

We are proud of the reinvigoration of the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety and are grateful to co-chairs Rep. Richard Hudson and Rep. Steve Cohen for their outstanding leadership.

ASIRT helped to launch the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 by officially presenting the United Nations Global Plan for the Decade to co-chairs Richard Hudson and Steve Cohen, Senator Chris Van Hollen and to many key local councilmembers who declared their commitment to action. 

ASIRT partnered with Uber in the development and launching of a global road safety Driver Education Program for its drivers and couriers. Its contents will be available in all countries of Uber Operation. 

ASIRT presented several webinars with a focus on safe travel itineraries and crisis management for the education abroad community first in conjunction with the Forum on Education Abroad, Atlas Workshops, Dartmouth College, University of Georgia and University of Michigan, and later with the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Institute’s Safety and Security Seminar.

Moving forward, we are energized and heartened by the release of the first ever United States National Roadway Safety Strategy by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. This groundbreaking document identifies road crashes as a serious and escalating public health crisis and establishes targets and interventions which must be adopted to reduce deaths and injuries. ASIRT is already engaged in many exciting plans and initiatives as part of our ambitious 2022 agenda and we look forward to sharing them with you soon.

Rochelle

Founder and President

ASIRT

(photo: aashto.org)

Read the Report.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is pledging to tackle rising traffic fatalities through a national strategy aimed at reducing speed, redesigning roads, and enhancing car safety features such as automatic emergency braking. On January 27 he released the first ever United States National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS). This document identifies road crashes as a serious and escalating public health crisis and establishes targets and interventions which must be adopted to reduce deaths and injuries. 

Learn more.

The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 was developed by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Regional Commissions, in cooperation with partners in the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration and other stakeholders, as a guiding document to support the implementation of the Decade of Action 2021–2030 and its objectives. Road Safety NGOs supported this effort by engaging with political leaders at the national and local level and “handing over” the Plan thereby securing a commitment by those leaders to support the objectives and work to ensure road safety goals will be met in the coming Decade of Action 2021-2030.

ASIRT Engages UN and Congressional Leaders in Global Plan

In advance of these meetings, ASIRT met with Jean Todt, then Special Envoy to the UN for Road Safety, to secure his support for efforts to engage with Congressional leaders and USDOT. Read his letter commending ASIRT.

ASIRT met with Co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Road Safety, Reps. Steve Cohen and Richard Hudson as well as Senator Chris Van Hollen to formally hand over the Plan.

Additionally, ASIRT met with members of the Montgomery County Maryland Council and legislators to discuss ways to improve road safety through infrastructural changes in high risk locations. ASIRT’s offices are in Montgomery County, Maryland, now the focus of a local pedestrian safety initiative.

Road Safety During a Global Pandemic by Maria Vegega, ASIRT Board Member

The information provided in this article relies primarily on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), although the National Safety Council has also released traffic statistics during the public health emergency. Estimates from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System indicate that 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2020, a 7.2% increase over 2019. Moreover, preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration showed that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) decreased approximately 13.2% in 2020 compared to 2019.Read the full article.

ASIRT Virtual Gala: The Speed of Safety

Recent Road Safety Review updates include Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Japan, India, Pakistan, and South Korea. Reports are updated every three years with priority given to those requested by subscribers. If you are not yet a subscriber, contact asirt@asirt.org to learn how you can access ASIRT Road Safety Reviews (RSR).

Winter weather and dangerous driving conditions can leave you stranded in your car. Having a well-stocked emergency kit on-hand can help you get back on the road or keep you safe while waiting for emergency services. Be sure to pack your car with these essentials. In case of a roadside incident, stay in your car to preserve heat, turn your flashers on, and call 911. View and download the Checklist.

H. Randall Morgan’s international career began with Russian trade and translation in the late 1980s, for which he maintained an office in Moscow from 1989 to 1995. Now, as CEO of Morgan Language Services Corp, he operates a company providing comprehensive language solutions in over 120 languages, including translation, interpretation and “role playing.” Along with his 300 Afghan-American employees, he has spent up to 4 weeks at a time living “in character” in mock Afghan villages in the southwestern U.S. to support U.S. military pre-deployment training. More about Randy.

Dalia Skolnick has been named social media coordinator and community liaison for ASIRT. Since 2019 until summer 2021, Dalia was an intern for ASIRT and was instrumental in the development of ASIRT’s current pedestrian initiatives for sidewalks and streetlights. This past fall, Dalia moved the pedestrian initiative forward through fieldwork and canvassing, as well as working with the Montgomery County Department of and Transportation and local politicians. Working together with intern Madeline Vancott, Dalia is developing a model to identify and advocate for road improvements in other communities.

As social media coordinator and community liaison, Dalia connects with other road safety organizations to publicize ASIRT’s activities and provide educational tools to increase the safety of travelers worldwide. Dalia is currently taking a gap year from studies at Colgate University and focuses on community organizing and grassroots-based activism, and is thrilled to pursue a passion for advocacy through ASIRT, while directly impacting their hometown community.

Fatalities are climbing to record levels two years into the pandemic. Authorities cite drivers’ anxiety levels, larger vehicles and fraying social norms. Details.

Advocates from Vehicle Equity Rules in Transportation (also known as Verity Now) urge federal regulators to update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and the New Car Assessment Program to better simulate the effects of vehicle impacts on the bodies of cisgender women and non-binary people who were assigned female at birth. Read more.

During her keynote presentation at the Governor’s Highway Safety Association Conference on Sept. 13, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy called for a fundamental change in the nation’s approach to highway safety in the face of increasing crash and fatality numbers. Learn more.

The NTSB plans to eliminate distracted driving. The mission of the newly formed coalition is “to promote innovative and collaborative approaches to create a culture of attentive drivers and to serve as a central clearing house for diverse stakeholders.” Read more.

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