ATSSA The Signal January February 2020

The Signal | January/February 2020 13 Government Relations Representatives introduce rural roadway safety bill Representatives Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) and BruceWesterman (R-Ark.) have introduced legislation to provide federal funding for implementing safety improvements on rural roadways. According to 2017 data fromtheNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 47.5 percent of traffic fatali- ties occur on rural roadways while only carrying 30 percent of the nation’s road- way traffic. The Rural Roadway Safety Act (H.R. 4338) would re-establish a set-aside in theHigh- way Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) from 2005 to 2012, that ensured states invested a portion of those federal funds into high-risk rural roads. The reason- ing was that many rural roadways are locally owned and localities struggle to fund these life-saving improvements. Additionally, the bill would update the Federal HighwayAdministration’s (FHWA) “2014 Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety Toolkit” with information on best prac- tices to reduce rural roadway fatalities. “The data is clear: we can and must do more to make our rural roads safer for everyone—whether you’re a driver, a state trooper on duty, or working to improve our roads,” Finkenauer said in a September 16 release. “Congressman Westerman and I worked on this bill with the goal of saving lives.We lookedat what previously worked, and we found that ensuring federal money gets invested into rural roads helped save lives. This bill is a return to what worked.” For Westerman, part of his motivation to sponsor the bill stems from experi- ences in his district. “Whenever I’mdriving back inmy district, I see the dangers of traveling on rural roads,” he said. “This bipartisan bill will re-implement investments thatworked in the past, with the ultimate goal of saving lives. Whether you are using a rural road for commuting, visiting friends or driving to the grocery store, these roads should be safe to drive on.” Finkenauer andWesterman serve on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. Westerman also serves on the Road Safety Caucus, which ATSSA has been involved in developing. The Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) caucus was established in 2017 by U.S. Reps. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) and Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) and reinstated in 2019. “ATSSA is glad tosee that Congress isdoing moreto invest insolutions toadvanceroad- way safety infrastructure, particularly on rural roadways.Wewill be advocating for this lifesaving legislationonCapitol Hill in thecomingmonths,” saidATSSA’sDirector of Government Relations David Bell.  The data is clear: we can and must do more to make our rural roads safer for everyone—whether you’re a driver, a state trooper on duty, or working to improve our roads. Congressman Westerman and I worked on this bill with the goal of saving lives. We looked at what previously worked, and we found that ensuring federal money gets invested into rural roads helped save lives. This bill is a return to what worked.