AAA urges Trump Administration to focus on deteriorating roadways

Key roadway improvements have the potential to save 63,700 lives and prevent 353,560 serious injuries in the US over a 20-year period, according to a new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. With the US ranked nearly last among high-income nations in annual traffic fatalities, which continue to rise, AAA urges the Trump Administration to make repairing and maintaining America's roadways a top priority. With an investment of US$146 billion, the report recommends six cost-effective roadway impro
May 3, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Key roadway improvements have the potential to save 63,700 lives and prevent 353,560 serious injuries in the US over a 20-year period, according to a new report from the 477 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. With the US ranked nearly last among high-income nations in annual traffic fatalities, which continue to rise, AAA urges the Trump Administration to make repairing and maintaining America's roadways a top priority.


With an investment of US$146 billion, the report recommends six cost-effective roadway improvements which it says have the greatest potential to reduce both the likelihood and consequences of crashes.

These include converting key intersections into roundabouts; installing roadside barriers and clearing roadside objects; and adding sidewalks and signalised pedestrian crossing on majority of roads. Other measures include installation of median barriers on divided highways, shoulder and centre-line rumble strips and paving and widening shoulders.

The AAA claims current investments in highway infrastructure improvements in the US are substantially lower than what is necessary to fix the nation's aging roads and bridges. While it says the US$146B investment outlined in the report will have a significant national-level impact, it also claims increased investment is required at all levels of government to prevent an infrastructure crisis.

Related Content

  • January 25, 2022
    Data helps Ohio DoT get grant money
    Ohio Department of Transportation turned to StreetLight Data when it needed to finalise grant money for a key infrastructure link. David Crawford sees how metrics brought in the cash…
    Read More
  • May 31, 2013
    Temporary traffic monitoring with Bluetooth and wi-fi
    David Crawford reviews developments in temporary ITS. Widespread take-up of technologies such as Bluetooth and wi-fi are encouraging the emergence of more sophisticated, while still cost effective, ITS responses to the traffic issues posed by temporary road situations such as work zones and special events. Andy Graham of traffic solutions specialists White Willow Consulting says: “A machine-to-machine radio link is far easier and cheaper than reading characters on a plate.” There can be other plusses. Tech
    Read More
  • August 19, 2015
    Costing transit is complicated case
    David Crawford welcomes fresh thinking from Canada. Public transit improvements can bring society “significantly more value” than conventional transport models normally indicate, argues Canadian researcher Todd Litman. “Traditional evaluation practices originally developed to assess roadway improvements, and focus primarily on vehicle travel speeds and operating costs. “They do not generally quantify or monetise basic mobility benefits, vehicle ownership and parking cost savings, or efficient land developme
    Read More
  • March 13, 2015
    ARTBA proposes path to breaking gridlock on transportation funding
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has outlined a detailed proposal it believes could end the political impasse over how to fund future federal investments in state highway, bridge and transit capital projects. The ‘Getting beyond gridlock’ plan would marry a 15 cents-per-gallon increase in the federal gas and diesel motor fuels tax with a 100 per cent offsetting federal tax rebate for middle and lower income Americans for six years. The plan, ARTBA says, would fund a US$401 bil
    Read More

Highlighted Content