The FIA Foundation and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention co-hosted a pivotal reception at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on 6 January, 2025. The event, "Accelerating Change: Midway through the Decade of Action on Road Safety," brought together experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to reflect on progress, challenges, and global efforts required to reduce road traffic fatalities at halfway point of the United Nations Second Decade of Action for Road Safety.

After adopting the evidence-based, life saving safe systems approach with its National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), the US finally moved a step closer to achieving the UN Goals through a decline in its road traffic fatality rate. “We are heartened that we have seen ten consecutive quarters of decline in roadway fatalities in the United States,” said USDOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg (see main photo above). “While the numbers are still too high, USDOT is deeply committed to our comprehensive and systematic approach to safety. We are grateful to the work of the FIA Foundation for advocating for safe systems here and abroad as we all strive for the day when we will see zero deaths on our nation’s roads.”

Other national governments that have also aligned their strategies with safe systems have seen similar positive trends. Yet to achieve the UN’s target, there is an urgent need for private sector action as well. “Through government initiatives like Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), we’ve already seen reductions in road fatalities, but we need to expand that safe systems approach across all sectors,” said Robin Hutcheson, the former first USDOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Safety Policy, and former Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). “The pandemic revealed just how crucial road safety is to the functioning of the American economy. The last-mile delivery challenge is where business resources are most heavily spent, and it’s also where we see the highest potential for fatalities.”

Ensuring safety throughout the workforce is a key focus of the second half of the UN's Decade of Action. Jeff Michael, Distinguished Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, noted, “The Academic Expert Group’s recommendations highlight the need to build a workforce capable of implementing safe systems globally. With one-third of road fatalities involving workers, this could be the transformational shift needed in the second half of the second Decade of Action.”

FIA Foundation’s North America Director and United Nations Representative Natalie Draisin highlighted a tool to assist organizations in improving workforce safety. “The average Fortune 500 spends $42 million annually on avoidable crash related costs. There is not only an ethical case, but also a business case for why the private sector should focus on road safety. This is why the FIA Foundation supported FIA in becoming a NRSS Ally in Action by creating the Road Safety Index. The Index helps businesses identify safety risks and take actionable steps to reduce both costs and fatalities. Consumers are demanding that companies compete on climate, and we can help companies reap the benefits of competing on safety, too.” 

The reception underscored the importance of continuing the proven safe systems approach despite political change, as well as the need to expand the approach across sectors. Other attendees included: Barbara McCann, USDOT Senior Advisor to the Secretary; Sandy Sinclair, USDOT Public Engagement Specialist; Stephanie Pollack, former USDOT Senior Advisor for BIL and Project Implementation; Rob Ritter, USDOT Associate Administrator for Safety at FHWA; Brenna Marron, USDOT Associate Administrator for Government & External Affairs at FMCSA; Sarah Sharples, UK Department for Transportation Chief Scientific Advisor; and Rick Birt, DC Highway Safety Office Director.