Table of Contents

The significant strides that have been made in traffic safety were evidenced as we marked our safest year on record in New York State. We will continue to achieve successes in traffic safety through implementing innovative programs.

Among the most notable programs this past year was the expanded Buckle Up New York campaign. This program, which features public education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the occupant restraint law, is resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of tickets issued for violations. We believe that achieving significantly higher occupant protection usage rates is an effective way to increase the safety of the motoring public.

The 2001 Highway Safety Strategic Plan represents the third year of our efforts under, the new performance-based planning system. Through careful monitoring of the results of individual programs, more objective and informed decisions can be made regarding their continuation and modification. This performance-based planning system has proven to be both a practical cost-cutting strategy and an effective procedure for identifying emerging traffic safety issues.

All members of New York State's traffic safety community are to be congratulated for their efforts and contributions toward saving lives and reducing injuries on our roadways. The 21st Century is certain to provide us with additional challenges and opportunities as we strive to prevent injuries and fatalities and to ensure that New York's highways are among the safest in the nation.

I join Governor Pataki in presenting New York's Highway Safety Strategic Plan for the year 2001. This plan sets forth reasonable goals and objectives for continuing to reduce the number of traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities on our highways. Through public information, education, and enforcement efforts, we hope to further increase the safety on our roadways.

Since localities are best able to identify and address their traffic safety problems, all counties will be encouraged to develop strategic plans. Common problems among all localities will be addressed by our statewide program. Our priorities include increasing the usage of occupant restraints, increased emphasis on the problem of recidivist drinking drivers, and enforcement and education efforts to curb aggressive driving. We are especially pleased with the Buckle Up New York program, which demonstrates the impressive strides in safety that can be achieved through an unprecedented degree of cooperation among enforcement agencies across the state.

I would like to thank all of our traffic safety partners for their dedication and commitment toward improving the safety of the highway environment. Through the combined efforts of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee and various state and local agencies, we can look forward to continued success in saving lives and reducing injuries on our roadways.

The overall goals of New York State's comprehensive statewide highway safety program are to prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, and reduce the severity of injuries suffered in crashes. The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) provides leadership and support for the attainment of these goals through its administration of the federal 402 program and the various TEA-21 incentive grants awarded to the state, and through the coordination of state and local initiatives directed toward the state's highway safety priorities.

Two of the top priorities of Governor Pataki's year 2001 highway safety program are occupant protection and recidivist drinking drivers. Convincing drivers and passengers to buckle up is the single most important factor in reducing deaths and injuries on our highways. Efforts to increase seat belt compliance include both aggressive enforcement and heightening public awareness. Promoting proper child restraint use to ensure the safety of younger vehicle occupants is another important component of the state's efforts.

The recidivist drinking driver is also a persistent problem in traffic safety. With the vigorous enforcement of the DWI laws in New York, a growing number of people arrested for impaired driving are repeat offenders. Continuing efforts to increase public awareness of the seriousness of impaired driving remain essential.

Other initiatives include the state's efforts to expand the Motorcycle Safety Program; efforts to reduce aggressive driving, including behaviors such as speeding, running red lights, and changing lanes unsafely; and efforts to increase awareness of the dangers of driver fatigue.

The 2001 Highway Safety Strategic Plan outlines the major highway safety problems that have been identified and presents short-term and long-term performance goals for improvements in these areas. In addition to comprehensive statewide goals, specific goals and objectives for each major program area have been established. Brief descriptions of the current status, goals, and objectives of the statewide highway safety program and the major program areas follow.

Table of Contents

STATEWIDE HIGHWAY
SAFETY PROGRAM

Over the four years, 1995 to 1998, an average of 1,599 people died each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes in New York State. Between 1995 and 1998, the fatal crash rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) remained consistently below the national level. New York's fatal crash rate declined from 1.35 in 1995 to 1.13 in 1998. The Mean Severity of Injury (MSI) also declined steadily between 1995 and 1998.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overall goals of New York's highway safety program are to prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, and reduce the severity of the injuries suffered. A comprehensive approach will be undertaken with strategies implemented in all of the major highway safety program areas. The effectiveness of the collective efforts will be assessed through changes in fatality and injury measures.

Table of Contents

Federal, state, and local agencies; advocacy groups; community organizations; and companies from the private sector have combined their efforts to raise the public awareness of the dangers of impaired driving. By promoting messages that encourage drivers to assume personal responsibility for their behavior, these groups have joined forces in changing the public attitude toward drunken driving.

Important legislative initiatives such as the Zero Tolerance Law enacted in 1996, and increased license sanctions for the use of fraudulent identification to purchase alcohol, have played a key role in reducing impaired driving by persons under the age of 21. Governor Pataki continues to support legislation that would encourage the sellers of alcoholic beverages to install electronic devices to verify a customer's age directly from the driver's license. Governor Pataki also recently signed into law legislation prohibiting the possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Sustained success will require an equally aggressive approach toward drivers with excessive blood alcohol concentrations (> 0.15%) and strategies to reduce drunk driving recidivism.

Between 1995 and 1998, the number of alcohol-related fatalities decreased by over one-quarter, from 448 to 328. The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes in New York State continues to be substantially below the national average; in 1998, 21 % of fatal crashes in New York State were alcohol-related, compared to the national rate of 38%. Over the four-year period, 1995-1998, injuries involving alcohol steadily decreased from 10,933 to 9,775, a drop of approximately 11%.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goals of the impaired driving program are to reduce the numbers of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries. These goals will be accomplished by increasing enforcement of the impaired driving laws, conducting training programs for police officers on underage alcohol sales enforcement, increasing police referrals to the State Liquor Authority for violations of the underage alcohol purchase laws, conducting training for prosecutors, and raising public awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. Measures that target underage drinking drivers, drivers 21 to 29 years of age, and repeat offenders will be emphasized.

Table of Contents

In addition to traditional enforcement strategies, new approaches must be instituted for certain populations. Vehicle occupants who refuse to wear safety restraints, drivers who drive with suspended or revoked licenses, and uninsured drivers continue to present special problems.

Analysis of data related to motor vehicle crashes indicates that the total number of reportable crashes decreased from 1995 to 1996, and then increased in 1997. The number of crashes reported in 1998 further increased to 306,646. The crash rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) also showed increases in 1997 and 1998. The increases in the total number of crashes and crash rate are reflective of a change in DMV crash reporting procedures.

SPEED ENFORCEMENT

Speed enforcement continues to be a priority, since it is well known that vehicle speed contributes directly to the severity of a crash. Between 1995 and 1998, the proportion of drivers involved in police-reported crashes where speed was listed as a contributing factor was between 5 % and 6 %. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently studying and evaluating the "spillover" effects of the 65 mph speed limit. The driver's failure to decrease vehicle speed after leaving a roadway with a higher posted speed limit can result in elevated speeds and an increase in the number and severity of crashes. Stepped-up enforcement resulted in 666,683 citations issued for speeding in 1998, compared with an average of about 619,000 speeding tickets per year in the previous three years.

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

Over the past several years, the public has become well acquainted with the terms "aggressive driving" and "road rage." Speeding, failure to yield the right-of-way, and improper passing/lane usage accounted for approximately 6%, 10%, and 8%, respectively, of the crash-related violations charged from 1995 to 1998. These actions, which in themselves often cause crashes, may be accompanied by other negative driver-to-driver interactions, such as shouting and obscene gestures; these incidents may then escalate into "road rage."

Under Governor Pataki's leadership, New York was among the first states to address the problem of aggressive driving, and the Governor proposed legislation to increase the penalties for dangerously aggressive driving. A major initiative is the New York State Police Aggressive Driving Enforcement program, which seeks to reduce the number of deaths and injuries which result from aggressive driving through a combination of public education and enforcement.

The New York City Police Department is currently expanding its Combat Aggressive Driving (CAD) program. The program has allowed the NYPD to purchase in-car video systems and to fund details dedicated to aggressive driving enforcement. The Department is seizing for forfeiture the vehicles of certain aggressive drivers, including reckless drivers, those traveling at twice the speed limit, and those receiving citations for three or more hazardous driving violations at one time. Other police agencies statewide are also focusing more attention on aggressive drivers. GTSC will fund a number of STEP and Comprehensive Traffic Enforcement Programs that include aggressive driving components.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of the police traffic services program is to decrease the number and severity of motor vehicle crashes by deterring aggressive driving and other risky behaviors, including speeding, tailgating, etc. In addition to routine and selective enforcement approaches, training programs will be conducted for police officers, probation officers, judges, and prosecutors. New initiatives targeting specific issues, such as aggressive drivers, scofflaws, unlicensed drivers, and commercial vehicle operators will also be explored. Proposed legislation would establish criminal sanctions for aggressive driving, and require pre-licensing and defensive driving courses to include aggressive driving components.

Table of Contents

In 1997, New York undertook a major initiative to improve motorcycle safety by establishing the Motorcycle Safety Program. Created through legislation signed by Governor Pataki, this rider-funded program provides instruction and field training to improve the riding skills of motorcyclists. The program, administered by the Motorcycle Association of New York State, Inc., now offers training at 14 sites around the state and includes a public information component aimed at raising the awareness of all motorists to motorcycles. Additional training sites will be established in future years.

Motorcycle crashes decreased considerably during the mid-1990s. However, the number of motorcycle crashes increased by 248 in 1998 from a four-year low of 3,492 in 1996. Young motorcycle operators continue to be overrepresented in fatal and personal injury motorcycle crashes: 11% of the motorcyclists involved in crashes were under 21 years of age, but less than 1% of the licensed operators are in this age group; 3 6 % of motorcyclists involved in crashes were aged 21-29, but only 8% of the licensed operators are between the ages of 21 and 29.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goals in the area of motorcycle safety are to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities. Objectives include continued expansion of motorcycle rider education opportunities and examination of the characteristics of motorcycle crashes and unlicensed operators. The strategies that will be used include public information and education and research and evaluation initiatives. Research will focus on identifying trends and issues related to the characteristics of fatal motorcycle crashes and the operators in these crashes, and assessing the extent to which persons continue to operate motorcycles without the proper license.

Table of Contents

A resource guide entitled Practice Safety First, compiled by the New York Coalition for Transportation Safety, was published in 1999. Prepared with advice from the NYS Safety Management System's Pedestrian, Bicycle, and In-Line Skating Team, the guide contains a compilation of information on program activities and countermeasures available at the community level. Other public information and education efforts have also been initiated. Share the Road Safely focuses on raising public awareness of the need for all highway users to obey traffic laws and follow safe roadway practices. The Saved by the Helmet program publicizes the role of bicycle helmets in preventing head injuries.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

The number of pedestrians killed and injured declined between 1995 and 1998. Injury crashes have declined steadily since 1995. In 1998, 372 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and 18,836 were injured. In each year, approximately half of all pedestrian fatalities occurred in New York City.

BICYCLE SAFETY

Over the four-year period, 1995-1998, 44 to 53 bicyclists have been killed each year in motor vehicle crashes. New York State's law requiring children under age 14 to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle was implemented to mitigate the severity of injuries. Efforts to prevent bicycle crashes through education and increased public awareness for both bicyclists and motorists will continue.

In 1998, 45% of the bicyclists killed or injured in motor vehicle crashes were under 20 years of age; another 42% were bicyclists between the ages of 20 and 44. Over the past four years, more than half (58%) of the bicycle/motor vehicle crashes and 38% of the bicycle fatalities occurred in New York City.

IN-LINE SKATING SAFETY

In-line skating continues to increase in popularity in New York State. Although primarily a recreational activity, it is also used by messenger/delivery services, particularly in the New York City area. Since January 1996, when legislation signed by Governor Pataki became effective, children under age 14 have been required to wear a helmet when skating. In July 1996, a revised police crash report form was distributed to enforcement agencies; this form captures information on in-line skating crashes, including the type of safety equipment used by skaters. Many localities are beginning to track crashes involving in-line skaters and have expanded their programs to include this issue.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goals of the pedestrian, bicycle and in-line skating safety programs are to reduce the number of pedestrians, bicyclists, and skaters killed and injured. These goals will be accomplished by providing safety education to both the general public and specific target groups, developing and evaluating engineering solutions to address these problems, and expanding helmet distribution programs. Community-based programs will play a major role in these efforts. Research and evaluation activities will be undertaken to assist in defining the scope and nature of the various safety issues, assess program effectiveness, and identify potential countermeasures.

Table of Contents

This year, New York State will again expand the campaign of aggressive enforcement and education. To date, this effort has resulted in unprecedented numbers of tickets issued for violations of the safety restraint laws. The Buckle Up New York campaign is striving to achieve an ambitious goal of 85% seat belt usage.

It is currently estimated that more than 3,300 lives have been saved on the state's roadways since New York implemented its seat belt law in 1984. The youngest vehicle occupants continue to be of special concern, since motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among children. In April 1998, the Child Passenger Safety Task Force was established in New York State. Co-chaired by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee and the Department of Health, the Task Force has taken a lead role in seeking solutions to the issues that have been identified. The strategies for improving child passenger safety have been incorporated into a Child Passenger Safety Education Program for New York State. New York currently has 57 permanent child safety seat fitting stations; these stations enable certified child passenger safety seat technicians to educate the public across the state in the proper use and installation of child safety seats.

The number and percentage of fatalities among vehicle occupants covered by the seat belt law declined from 1995 to 1998. The number and percentage of covered occupants receiving serious injuries also declined over this period.

Over the period 1995 to 1998, the Mean Severity of Injury (MSI) measure also indicates a decrease in the severity of injuries suffered by the occupants of vehicles covered by the seat belt law. In calculating the MSI, a weight of 4 is assigned to a fatality, 3 to a serious injury, 2 to a moderate injury, and 1 to a minor injury. Between 1995 and 1998, the MSI declined from 1.295 to 1.262.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goals of the occupant protection program are to decrease the number of vehicle occupants killed and to mitigate the severity of the injuries suffered. This will be accomplished by encouraging seat belt use and enhancing the safety of young passengers by increasing the number of children under 12 who ride in the back seat and the number of children who are properly restrained in child safety seats. The strategies identified for accomplishing these goals include enforcement, research to identify target groups of motorists who do not comply with the law, public information and education, and child passenger safety training.

Table of Contents

The importance placed on improving the state's traffic records systems is evident in Governor Pataki's continuing commitment to reengineering the accident and ticket systems. In 1995, a multi-agency effort led by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee and the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research resulted in the development of New York's Strategic Plan for Traffic Records Improvements. This plan identified major opportunities for improving the accident and ticket records systems maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the strategies necessary to implement these improvements. As a result, work is in progress to greatly enhance the usefulness of these two systems; this work includes updating the location coding system.

To enhance the state's capabilities to identify traffic safety problems, to determine the progress of programmatic initiatives, and to provide for the administrative tracking of drivers, the following areas of the traffic records systems have been undergoing improvement: crashes, enforcement/adjudication, drivers, vehicles, roadways, and injury surveillance. Major reengineering initiatives involving the crash and ticket records systems are well underway. These efforts have been accompanied by important changes in other areas, especially with regard to roadway and injury surveillance information.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goals of the efforts undertaken ' in the area of traffic records are to continue the reengineering of the DMV accident and ticket records systems, improve data linkage capabilities among traffic safety-related data systems, and assist with the coordination and direction of efforts to upgrade the state's various traffic safety-related data systems. This will be accomplished through support for the implementation of new technologies by state agencies and local police agencies. The strategies include continued involvement in the state's Safety Management System, increased use of technology for data collection and dissemination, the development and use of linked data bases, and research and evaluation initiatives to support problem identification and the development and evaluation of countermeasures.

DROWSY DRIVING

In 1998, 42 fatal crashes and 2,148 injury crashes were attributed to a driver who fell asleep. It is widely believed that the prevalence of drowsy driving is underreported. To address this issue and to provide more complete data on drowsy driving crashes, the police accident report form was revised, effective July 1, 1996, to capture both "fell asleep" and "drowsy driving" as contributing factors in crashes. Prior to July 1, 1996 the only contributing factor related to fatigue was "fell asleep." More accurate data on the involvement of fatigue in crashes will be available in future years.

GTSC continues to support an ongoing public information and education campaign on fatigue and driving and collects and disseminates information on drowsy driving. Under the GTSC's leadership, the state has continued to implement the installation of rumble strips and improved rest areas.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal in the area of drowsy driving is to reduce the number of fatal and personal injury "fell asleep" motor vehicle crashes. This will be accomplished by continuing public information and education efforts and by developing drowsy driving programs at state and local levels that focus on youth, shift workers and infrastructure improvements.

DISTRACTED DRIVING

Another emerging area of concern is the issue of distracted drivers and their contribution to crashes on the state's roadways. Some of the most common examples of distracted driving are tuning the car radio, eating, drinking, conversing with passengers, reading and writing, talking on the telephone, and personal grooming. In 1998, driver inattention was a contributing factor in 7 % of the fatal and nearly 18 % of the personal injury police-reported crashes. As is believed to be the case with drowsy driving, distracted driving is likely to be underreported. More information on the scope and specific characteristics of the problem is needed.

Table of Contents

The strategies implemented under the individual community traffic safety programs will contribute to the attainment of the goals established for the statewide highway safety program. In addition to funding local programs, the strategies in this area include the further development of inter-organizational and target group coalitions, the provision of public information resources, and training for community program managers and staff.

Table of Contents

Responsibility for the 115,000 miles of roadways in New York State is shared by the state, counties, towns, and municipalities. Highway agencies have traditionally met their responsibilities through the application of roadway standards and the implementation of specific safety improvements at known or potential crash locations. Two types of sites where remedial and preventative treatment can be most beneficial are sites with fixed objects along the roadside and train crossing sites. This strategy appears to be effective: fatal and injury crashes with a fixed object decreased steadily between 1995 and 1998.

Technology is playing a larger and larger role in decreasing crashes. A prime example is New York's involvement in the nation's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) initiative. Combining computer technologies, information, and telecommunications with the transportation infrastructure, ITS provides up-to-the-minute information related to traffic crashes and other incidents and traffic congestion. Real-time information enables motorists to avoid congested roadways and enables traffic management personnel to dispatch police and emergency medical services or adjust traffic signal controls, as needed.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of the highway engineering program area is to improve traffic safety through the identification and treatment of high accident sites. This will be accomplished by collecting and reporting crash data to the DMV electronically, promoting the expansion of local highway inventory systems and local geographic information systems, and increasing the availability and accessibility of highway safety roadway and management data to all levels of government. An additional goal is to reduce the number of crashes involving collision with a train; this goal will be addressed by conducting educational programs that address highway/railroad grade crossing safety issues. Other strategies include continued involvement in the state's Safety Management System; strengthening the Department of Transportation's program to treat high accident and hazardous locations; improving access for bicyclists and pedestrians and promoting their safety in the traffic mix; and re-engineering highway/railroad grade crossings wherever practical.

Table of Contents

DOT inspects all school vehicles twice each year and recently began a program to improve the maintenance of vehicles by the owners and operators. Both the SED and DMV have responsibilities related to school vehicle operators. DMV oversees the certification of school vehicle drivers and SED provides training to the instructors of school bus driver programs and educational programs for school children.

Under Governor Pataki's leadership, a new law will phase out the practice of allowing standees on school buses. The allowance for standees has been a target of the safety comm. unity for years, since the child standing is denied the protection of the bus' compartmentalization design and use of restraint systems. In 1998, there were 1,179 crashes involving school vehicles; 678 of these involved injuries and 11 were fatal crashes. The majority of these school vehicle crashes occurred in New York City (26%) and on Long Island (35%).

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goals in the area of school vehicle safety are to reduce the total number of crashes and the number of fatal crashes involving school vehicles. This will be accomplished by increasing the number of tickets issued for passing a stopped school bus and monitoring owners and operators of school vehicles for compliance with regulatory requirements. The strategies include providing carrier education, promoting the active participation of carriers in safety initiatives, increasing the awareness of motorists of the issues relating to school vehicle safety, and providing training and education programs for both school vehicle operators and passengers.

Table of Contents

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The GTSC's goals in this area are to continue to improve the effectiveness of New York's highway safety program and the efficiency of its administration. This will be accomplished by enhancing the GTSC's leadership role in identifying priorities and establishing goals for the statewide program, improving the coordination of programs and resources, and promoting innovative approaches to address highway safety issues. GTSC will continue to assess the training needs of its partners and identify training opportunities that meet these needs. Communication and access to information and materials will be enhanced through the continuing development of GTSC's Internet site and other channels.

¹ Prior to October 1997, by law DMV could not record property damage crashes on its file unless at least one motorist involved in the crash submitted a report, even if a police accident report was filed. The most direct impact of this change in criteria was a large increase in the number of property damage only crashes; the effect is reflected in the total number of crashes and the total number of occupants involved in crashes.