State lawmakers are taking a close look at roadway safety, and the Center for Transportation Safety is serving as a resource in that process.
CTS Director John Mounce and Senior Research Scientist Quinn Brackett testified before the House Subcommittee on Vulnerable Road User Safety at the panel’s public hearing in Irving on August 10. The two addressed the big picture of traffic safety in Texas, and then reviewed conditions for each of the five groups the subcommittee was examining: bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, teen drivers and work zone employees.
Mounce told the group that the roadways continue to be especially dangerous places for those groups, but pointed out positive developments in at least a few instances. For instance, motorcycle fatalities dropped 20 percent in 2009, after 10 straight years of increases. Teen driver crashes are on the decline as well. Mounce attributed the improvements to a combination of stronger laws and public outreach efforts developed by CTS staff.
In their discussions, subcommittee members focused on the full range of safety topics, and expressed their thanks to the Center for its contributions to the state and the subcommittee’s work. “Good decisions depend on good science-based studies and data analysis.” Mounce told the panel. “All of us at the Center for Transportation Safety stand ready to assist you in that regard with objective, expert technical evaluations to help you make good, justifiable decisions relating to traffic safety public policy.”