AASHTO PLD-1

Of the more than 42,000 people killed on our nation's highways annually, over 25,000--almost 60 percent--died in crashes caused when their vehicles veered from the lane. In some cases, the vehicle crossed the centerline and was involved in a head-on crash or opposite direction sideswipe. In others, the vehicle left the roadway to roll over or impact one or more natural or man-made objects, such as trees, utility poles, bridge walls, embankments, or guardrails. And even though the rate of highway deaths has continued to decrease over the past two decades, the number of highway fatalities in the United States has remained steady. To address these devastating statistics, AASHTO by resolution of their Board of Directors in October 2007, embarked on a plan to cut fatalities by half within two decades, with an ultimate goal of zero deaths on our nation's highways. To accomplish this goal, we need to reduce the number of traffic fatalities by approximately 1,000 per year.