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As US population shifts, DOT pursues livability

In 2011, our nation's 78 million baby boomers began turning 65. That is an unprecedented demographic shift, and it means that the kinds of infrastructure and services needed in communities across the nation will change. And, as I noted earlier this week at The Atlantic's Generations Forum, that is particularly true for transportation.

 

In preparing for the Generations Forum, I thought about DOT's strategic goals: safety, sustainability, economic competitiveness, and a state of good repair for our transportation infrastructure. And it occurred to me that to talk about livability, another one of our strategic goals, is really to talk about all of those goals.

That's why at DOT, we work hard to make sure that as our population ages, we’re providing the livability people need and want.

One year after White House Digital Government Strategy, DOT putting safety information in consumers' hands

On May 23, 2012, President Obama launched a comprehensive Digital Government Strategy aimed at delivering better services to the American people. The Strategy is built on a simple idea: that all Americans should be able to access information from their government anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

As we note the strategy's first anniversary today, I want to congratulate the folks at DOT who have been working so hard to meet this Department's obligations in the President's strategy.

Through their efforts, the public can now access critical safety information about passenger vehicles on their mobile devices. If a father is trying to select a car safety seat as his baby becomes a toddler, the SaferCar app from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is at his fingertips to help him find the appropriate seat style. If a mother is looking for a new vehicle at her local car dealership, SaferCar is in the palm of her hand with NHTSA's 5-star safety ratings.

That is useful government data made accessible to the people who need it.

On National Maritime Day, honoring a proud tradition of service

Today we celebrate Maritime Day, an annual opportunity to recognize the contributions of the maritime industry and the U.S. Merchant Marine.

The maritime industry and our merchant mariners have supported our nation’s economy and our national security for more than 235 years. But this year, I am reminded of one mariner in particular, Eugene Quidort, who, in February, finally received six medals from the Maritime Administration for his brave service to our country with the United States Merchant Marine during World War II.  

In 1943, while a midshipman at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, Quidort was serving aboard the Esso Gettysburg, delivering 120,000 barrels of crude oil, when two German torpedoes hit the tanker. He was flung from the ship and, after swimming through oil, water, and sharks for three hours, was among a few survivors able to find safety in a badly burned lifeboat. Tragically, 40 of his fellow crewmen, including three other cadets, were not as fortunate.

 

Quidort was undaunted by his experience. He continued to support the war effort as a merchant mariner aboard another tanker, a hospital ship, and two different troop transport vessels. "As far as Hitler goes," he says, "I did my part."

Eugene Quidort’s service is in the fine tradition of merchant mariners ready to answer any call during times of need. That tradition dates back as far as 1775, and it continues today.

Last fall’s Hurricane Sandy relief effort showed that our merchant mariners and the midshipmen of Kings Point are still prepared for whatever comes their way.

Celebrating National Maritime Day at DOT, with U.S. Representative John Garamendi and Maritime Administrator David Matsuda

Night and day, Click It Or Ticket seat belt campaign has one goal: your safety

In 2010, if everyone age 5 and older in a passenger vehicle had worn seat belts, 3,341 lives could have been saved. That's according to the latest Safety In Numbers snapshot from our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

That's why NHTSA is urging Americans to buckle up--every trip and every time. And that's the message we're sending with our 2013 "Click It or Ticket" seat belt enforcement effort.

Every year during the Memorial Day Weekend holiday period, law enforcement agencies join forces day and night, from coast-to-coast, for an enforcement blitz that delivers on our message, Click It or Ticket. At the same time, safety organizations like NHTSA launch a wave of public service announcements all with the same goal--encouraging Americans to buckle up for safety.

Since the first seat belt campaign was launched in 1985, we’ve made great strides. In 2012, a record high of 86 percent of people in a passenger vehicle chose to fasten their seat belt. These folks recognize that it takes only three seconds to buckle up, and the benefits can last a lifetime.

But we still have work to do.

Seat belt use at night, for example, lags behind daytime use. We know that the risk of being involved in a serious crash increases at night. Yet, the percentage of people buckling up at night is actually lower than during the day. In 2011, 62 percent of motorists who died in a crash that occurred at night were unrestrained, compared to 43 percent of those who died in a crash during the day.