This afternoon, it was my great pleasure to stand with President Obama as he
nominated Charlotte, NC, Mayor Anthony Foxx to be the next U.S. Secretary of
Transportation.
When the President said today that I had enjoyed this job, he was absolutely
right. This has indeed been the best job I've ever had, and I don’t leave it
lightly. Mayor Foxx will soon learn what I have had the good fortune to learn,
that DOT boasts some of the smartest, brightest people in transportation and in
public service.
He will also learn that the President is a terrific man to work for, a man
with a vision and a man who gives his nominees the license to achieve. There
really is no way to thank my very good friend, President Obama, for having
given me this tremendous opportunity.
If you've been following this blog over the past four years, the
President's nomination of Mayor Foxx should come as absolutely no surprise.
Whether I was blogging about highways, aviation, rail, or transit, I've had no
shortage of reasons to say something good about what's happening
transportation-wise in Charlotte.
Although the St. Lawrence Seaway has been open for the 2013 navigation season for more than a month, there's terrific news today as our Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation takes stock of its off-season infrastructure modernization.
The SLSDC announced that this past
winter’s Asset Renewal Program work was accident-free.
For
infrastructure work spanning January through March, there were zero hours lost to safety-related incidents. During that time, three major construction projects were completed
at the U.S. Seaway with no time lost to safety
incidents. Sustained over nearly 130,000 work hours in harsh winter conditions, that's a pretty good achievement.
It's a testament to the Seaway’s effective safety protocols and to DOT's pursuit of our number one priority, safety--not just in transportation, but also in the critical work that supports our nation's transportation system.
“This past winter was the busiest time at the U.S.
Seaway locks since their construction in the 1950s,” said SLSDC Acting Administrator
Craig H. Middlebrook. “Our staff worked collaboratively with contractors to
ensure that intensive timelines and milestones were met at every step along the
way to get these important projects completed safely prior to the Seaway’s opening.”
Today the Regional Transportation District of Denver is opening its West Rail Line, 12.1 miles of light rail running between Denver's redeveloped Union Station and Golden's Jefferson County Government Station.
The new line features 11 new stations, six Park-n-Rides, and three new Call-n-Rides. What exactly does that mean for Denver-area residents? It means opportunity. It means that DOT support for this public transit project will have helped millions of families, seniors,
veterans, students, and others gain access to the jobs, education, and
services they need.
The line's new stations include stops near
employment hubs like Denver Federal Center and Jefferson County Government
Center as well as the Auraria Higher Education Campus and Red Rocks Community
college, which together serve more than 50,000 students. In addition, St. Anthony’s Hospital recently relocated, allowing medical professionals
and patients to take advantage of the new line's convenience.
And, it's just the beginning. The West Rail Line is only the first completed line of RTD's ambitious FasTracks project. FasTracks is a comprehensive transit expansion plan to build 122
miles of new commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid
transit, 21,000 new parking spaces and bike amenities at light rail and bus stations, and
enhanced bus service for easy bus-to-rail connections. The project will extend across eight different Colorado counties.
After all, the Denver area is currently home to 2.8 million people, and that
number is expected to grow to 4.2 million by 2035. Area residents know that
improvements in transportation infrastructure are critical to
maintaining the quality of life that attracts so many to this
area.
When I wrote about the latest round of funding for our TIGER program earlier this week, I mentioned the multi-modal "transportation centers that have revitalized downtowns by offering
a range of transportation options."
And just yesterday, leaders from our Federal Transit Administration and our Federal Railroad Administration were in Seattle to help Mayor Mike McGinn and Congressman Jim McDermott celebrate the grand reopening of one such center, Seattle's King Street Station.
After a decade of repairs and revitalization, the 107-year-old station--one of the busiest in the Pacific Northwest--has
been transformed into a modern transportation hub providing travelers seamless connections to Amtrak, commuter trains, light rail, and
bus lines. Eventually, it will link to Seattle streetcars as well.
But the station is not just pulling transportation duty. Other downtown transportation centers have anchored economic development in their communities. For example, Brunswick’s Downeaster station is on its way to attracting more than $325 million in new investment by 2030. Expectations are high for the King Street Station to give a similar lift to Seattle's Pioneer Square, helping create jobs and boosting economic growth.
King Street Station: improving--not replacing--what exists.
Thanks in part to strong support from President Obama and record ridership on Amtrak, rail has once again emerged as a people's choice for transportation. As Mayor McGinn said of the historic station, “It’s not just about the past, but about a future
where we recognize the best of the past ways of doing things.”
And, as I told the National Association of Rail Passengers recently, that's exactly what the President's proposed budget for the Department of Transportation would continue doing.
Next
week, DOT is hosting the second of our two Bicycle Safety Summits. Our host
city this time is Minneapolis, where the number of bikes on the roads has
increased by 56 percent over the past six years, according to the 2012 City of
Minneapolis Bicyclist and Pedestrian Count Report. During the same six years,
the number of pedestrians has increased by 22 percent.
With
the number of bicyclists and pedestrians on the rise, it's
more important than ever to think about their safety. That goes for drivers,
bicyclists and pedestrians themselves, as well as the City
of Minneapolis and the
US DOT. And with next Monday's Midwest Regional Bike Safety Summit, that's
exactly what we're doing.
No
one is more pleased than I am about the steady increase in the number of bikes that
have appeared on our nation's streets, paths, and trails over the past few
years. Here at DOT, we've worked pretty hard to help nurture the resurgence of
bicycling--not just as recreation, but as transportation.
However,
we have also seen an increase in the number of bicyclists killed in motor
vehicle crashes.
Data
released earlier this month by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration reveals that, in 2011, 677 cyclists were killed on our nation's
roadways, a 9 percent increase from 2010 to 2011. Every
single fatality is one too many, and this increase in the
number of bicyclists killed is especially alarming.
For the past two weeks, I've welcomed guest contributors to this blog in honor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. I cannot thank each and every one of them enough for their generous work. I also want to thank everyone who read these informative and heart-wrenching blog posts, particularly those who shared one or more of them with others.
After all, that's how we continue spreading awareness of this deadly epidemic.
As technology evolves, however, it's clear that distractions behind the wheel don't end with cell phones. And here at DOT, neither do our efforts to prevent distracted driving.
Many
carmakers are now developing in-vehicle electronics systems that can post to
social networking sites, text message, search the internet, and give
directions. And while there’s
no doubt that drivers appreciate these amenities, we have an important obligation to balance the
innovation consumers want with the safety we all need.
Why do we want to improve the intelligence of American transportation? To help you travel safely. To help you avoid congestion in
your daily travels, saving time and fuel. To help move raw materials to factories and finished goods
to market as efficiently as possible.
As our Undersecretary for Policy, Polly Trottenberg, said this week, "Even as we work to bring American transportation into the 21st century, we have to coax better performance out of our 20th century infrastructure."
A smart road will safely alert drivers in advance of changing pavement conditions. A smart transit network will let you know how long you'll wait for the next bus. A smart highway will alert commercial drivers to delays ahead and redirect them to alternative routes, saving time and fuel.
Intelligent transportation systems read and interpret data and communicate useful information--information that you can act upon-- to vehicles, traffic signals, message signs, drivers, and passengers. It might seem obvious, but when drivers and transit riders have more transportation information, we can make more informed transportation decisions. The same holds true for traffic signals and other devices that keep vehicles moving smoothly and safely.
This week, the intelligent transportation community--the thousands of leading transportation officials, technology providers, policymakers and researchers who are doing this important work--holds its annual ITS America meeting in Nashville. There is a lot of brain power gathered in Music City this week, and there is plenty to talk about.
Click on the image to learn more about the ITS America 2013 Annual Meeting.
Earth
Day has been an American institution since its founding in 1970. Each year, we
recognize the many efforts made across the nation to reduce our carbon
footprint and move toward a greener economy.
This year, with our economy growing and shipments of everything from raw materials to parts and equipment to finished products increasing, I'd like to call attention to recent improvements in the shipping industry.
For
example, Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), a marine transportation company, is
planning to build two liquefied
natural gas (LNG)-powered
container ships to operate between Jacksonville, FL, and San
Juan, PR. With cleaner-burning LNG, we can significantly decrease emissions on our
waterways.
Photo credit General Dynamics NASSCO and TOTE, Inc.
According to TOTE, the 764-foot vessels will be the largest ships in the
world primarily powered by LNG. In addition, the company is also planning to convert two
existing diesel-electric powered vessels to liquefied natural gas (LNG)
propulsion.
Announcements
like these are a proud moment for me because it demonstrates that the maritime industry is
not only setting the bar high for greener transportation, but also taking the
Obama Administration’s commitment to a clean energy economy seriously.
President Obama has challenged us to make sure
our nation’s transportation infrastructure provides
the mobility options necessary to attract and support the businesses and families that rely on them. And through four rounds of DOT's popular TIGER program, we've supported 218 projects that are helping do just that in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto
Rico.
Today, we're taking the next step to keep moving our transportation infrastructure into the 21st century with a fifth round of TIGER funding. And, as excited as we are about TIGER 2013 here at DOT, I know that communities
across the country are even more thrilled over this latest version of DOT's favorite cat.
The $474 million available for TIGER 2013 will help increase mobility--for people and for freight. The new and upgraded transportation facilities that will be built
as a result will also strengthen our economic competitiveness
and create jobs.
And because the Appropriations Act
that funds TIGER requires that funds be obligated by October 1, 2014, this round of TIGER will begin making a difference soon. The limited amount of time means the Department
will give priority to projects that are ready to proceed quickly. The deadline for project applications is June 3.
In addition to project that are ready to go, DOT is looking for surface
transportation projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region
or metropolitan area--projects that will:
Improve existing transportation
facilities and systems;
Contribute to American economic competitiveness;
Create and preserve jobs;
Increase transportation
choices and access to transportation services for people in communities across
the U.S.;
Improve energy efficiency, reduce dependence on oil, and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions; and
Improve safety.
If the past is any indicator, the competition for TIGER 2013 awards will be strong.
Most people only think of auto insurance when they
need to file a claim or shop for new coverage, but many American insurance companies have joined DOT in the fight against distracted driving.
Preventing losses is even more
important than insuring them. Distracted driving advocacy and education isn’t just good
for preventing losses though; for the members of the National Association of Mutual Insurance
Companies (NAMIC), it’s also part of our commitment to protecting
our policyholders and their loved ones from real harm.
Companies like
American Family, SECURA Insurance Companies, EMC Insurance Group and Amica
Insurance have been taking to social media to provide statistics illustrating
the risks of distracted driving--for example, taking your eyes off the road for
4.6 seconds is the equivalent of driving blind for the entire length of a
football field. Through their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, America’s auto
insurers also provide consumer with links to more information and advice to
avoid distracted driving on their own websites, Secretary LaHood's Fast Lane blog, and the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration’s Distraction.gov
website.
America's insurers know that the statistics are chilling--according to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving
related crashes during 2010--and we want to make sure consumers know it, too.
Many companies have also
taken their message directly to drivers--particularly younger, tech savvy but
less experienced drivers--by funding awareness events at schools, providing
grants to distracted driving awareness programs, and running their own
awareness campaigns.
The
traditional way to address traffic safety issues is with the three E’s:
Education, Engineering, and Enforcement. These strategies are proven to work
well when combined.
Using
these tools with distracted driving, there are some caveats. First, engineering
that changes the roadway infrastructure or leads to new smartphone safety
technology will not alter outcomes if drivers will not pay attention to the
roadway or use the technology. Second, although we've made tremendous gains in
distracted driving awareness efforts, education only goes so far in changing
behavior.
At
the Syracuse Police Department, we know that what adds value to education;
pushes people to technology; and gets people to pay attention is enforcement.
Behavior
and perception shape our culture, and law enforcement is in a unique position
to influence behavior and perception. Our tool to change an unsafe driving
culture? High Visibility Enforcement.
Whether it’s
watching cable television, showering, or just keeping the lights on, public utilities
are vital to our daily activities and are part of our country’s critical
infrastructure. Many of these--like energy transportation pipelines--are
buried right beneath our homes, schools, and offices. For everyone's sake, they need to be protected
from potential damage.
From DIY backyard landscaping
to large construction projects, striking buried pipeline is a leading cause of
pipeline-related death and injury and can lead to service outages for entire communities.
But all of that is preventable with a call to 811 before digging.
811 is a toll-free
nationwide number that excavators should call 2 to 3 days before digging. The
call prompts local utility operators to send a representative to mark
underground utilities with paint, flags and other color-coded markers. All of
this is free, and it can save your life.
Last week, the
Administrator of DOT’s pipeline safety agency, Cynthia Quarterman, joined the Ohio
Utilities Protection Service (OUPS) for their 3rd Annual Ohio Damage
Prevention Summit to thank them for their safety efforts, and to remind
everyone to call 811 before digging. In my absence, Administrator Quarterman also read a letter of appreciation from me to Summit organizers and participants.
The only one of its
kind in Ohio, the OUPS Summit gathers excavators and utility companies together to enhance
communication between them. The ultimate goal? Safe, undisrupted utilities...even
when there’s nearby digging activity.
Nearly every state
requires excavators to place a prior call so local operators can mark buried utilities. State damage prevention laws protect construction and utility
workers as well as everyday people from the risks of damage. This year’s Summit also drew lawmakers who have successfully
advocated for the first updates to Ohio’s damage prevention law in 22 years.
The Summit keynote
speaker, two-time Olympian Cliff Meidl, delivered perhaps the most compelling story
yet about the importance of calling 811 before you dig.
The fall day was warmer than normal – a little overcast, but
beautiful nonetheless. School was in
session, and I was busy with several items on my “To Do” list – adding more
than marking off. Just after 9:30AM, an
aide from the high school stopped by to ask whether my senior daughter, Alex,
would be coming to class that day. I
assured her Alex should be there and called Alex on her cell.
No answer.
After several attempts to reach her by phone, I called my
husband and asked if Alex had overslept. He said Alex was up and ready for
school when he left the house at 8:30AM for work. Since she wouldn’t answer her
phone, I left campus to drive home and find her. As I left, my heart told me to
take the back way home.
Four miles from school, I found Alex’s truck sitting in a
field. It wasn’t what I expected to see.
I thought maybe she had car trouble and just had her phone on silent so she
didn’t hear my calls. But reality wasn’t
that kind.
I ran to the truck.
It was sitting right side up, but it had obviously rolled. Alex wasn’t there.
My mind raced: Where did she go? She must have gone to get
help! Which direction did she go? I need to find her – she doesn’t know where
houses are out here. She could be miles away from anyone. What direction should
I go? How did she get out of the truck? What is that noise?
As I walked around the truck trying to locate the noise, I
found Alex – several feet from the truck. She was laying in the weeds and dirt,
going in and out of consciousness.
This year alone, more than 35 million
Americans will move, and Spring
is the season when many of those families and individuals begin thinking about what moving company to
hire.
If you're planning a move, it's also the time to protect yourself from unlawful carriers.
Moving is an exciting, but hectic time – the last thing you and your family should
have to worry about is whether or not your personal belongings will
arrive at your new home. That's why our Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has launched a campaign warning consumers about the red flags that may be signs of an unscrupulous interstate carrier and advising you to "Protect your memories; protect your move."
There is little question that texting while driving is one of the most
dangerous things a person can do behind the wheel. Not surprisingly, it’s also
one of the greatest concerns among parents of beginning drivers.
Teen driver, eyes focused where they belong--on the road (all photos courtesy Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
It’s not until teens have
considerable experience under their belt that they begin to see and respond to
the driving environment in the same way as more experienced drivers. Because driving is less of an automatic behavior for teens than experienced
drivers, teens must focus more of their attention on driving. That means they are less equipped to manage potential distractions like a cell
phone, a car full of passengers, or even loud music.
Reducing distracted driving among teens is not an easy problem for parents to
address. But, through the troubling statistics and many tragic stories we've heard in the past few years, we know it's a problem parents can't afford to ignore.
Hours of carefully supervised driving make a difference in a young driver's preparation
First and foremost, parents must put down their own phones while driving. Whether you know it or not, your teens are watching your driving behavior. And
though your teens might be the last to admit it or even know it, parents are the primary role models for driving. Stepping up by putting your own electronic devices down is one of the simplest and most important safety actions you can take.
But that’s not the only thing parents can do
to help. Enhancing the amount and
quality of driving practice during the learner's permit stage provides the
experience teens need begin to developing an ingrained intuitive understanding of
driving.
As National Work Zone Awareness Week kicks off, I'm asking all drivers to protect America's road workers --this week and every week--
by driving carefully in work zones.
In 2011, 587 people
died in highway work-zone fatalities. That's an increase of 11 fatalities
compared to 2010, and it's 587 too many.
Here in Washington, DC, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez marked National Work Zone Awareness Week by attending a local event honoring Alice Ward, a highway worker from Royersford, Pa., who nearly
died when she was struck in a work zone last year. He also honored
Laurie Moser, the widow of a highway worker killed in a work zone near
Frederick, Md., in 2007.
As the weather gets warmer, highway construction shifts into high gear, and we see more and more orange cones on our roads. For those traveling or commuting by car, the appearance of new work zones is as much a milestone of spring as opening day in a local ballpark or the blossoming of tulip bulbs in a neighbor's garden.
The men and women working in these road construction zones are helping maintain and improve our highways and bridges to make travel smoother and safer for you, for your passengers, and for everyone who uses our roadways. They deserve to be able to do that work safely.
FHWA Administrator Mendez and DC DOT Director Terry Bellamy apply memorial ribbons to orange work zone cones
The Obama Administration has invested
over $3 billion –more than any previous Administration–
to improve rail service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). We've helped develop stations and track; modernize power systems; replace aging infrastructure; and support purchases of new equipment.
Through the Federal Railroad Administration, we have also set in motion the first comprehensive planning effort to determine the
future of America’s busiest rail corridor in more than three decades. We call it NEC FUTURE, and it is happening now.
The Corridor is a key component of the Northeast region's transportation system and is vital to
the area’s sustained economic growth.
Today, the 457-mile NEC—anchored by Boston's South Station in the
north, New York's Pennsylvania Station in the center, and Washington's
Union Station in the south—is one of the most heavily
traveled rail corridors in the world. The NEC is shared by intercity,
commuter and freight operations and moves more than 259 million
passengers and 14 million car-miles of freight per year.
While
improvements continue to be made, the NEC faces serious challenges,
with century-old infrastructure, outdated technology, and inadequate
capacity to meet
current or projected travel demand. With similar capacity issues on the
region's highways, and some of the most congested airports in the
nation, the Northeast's economic future could be hampered by
transportation constraints.
NEC
FUTURE will coordinate and prioritize future investments in the
Corridor so we can free the region from some of those constraints.
Recently,
we published our Preliminary Alternatives Analysis Report. The report presents
15 alternatives that represent a wide range of possible futures for the NEC.
It wasn't until September 30, 2009, that I realized I
was not alone. And, while I may have arrived at the first Distracted Driving Summit alone, I left with new friends and
resources to support me as I came to grips with the devastation of losing my
mother to a distracted driver.
That day was about a year after the crash that killed my mother, an
event that obviously changed my life and the lives of my family forever. At that first summit, I was asked to speak, along with six families who were feeling the same
loss and devastation. I was thinking mostly about what the crash that killed my mother had put an end to. Little did I know that this Summit would be the beginning
of something new for me.
It was that day I met Secretary LaHood. Through his generosity and his desire to do something about this deadly epidemic, we created a friendship. A friendship built on the desire to put an
end to cell phone driver distraction. And, in 2010 at the second
National Distracted Driving Summit, he honored me by asking me to deliver the closing remarks
on behalf of victims' families across the country.
For thousands of families every year,
distracted driving takes the life of mothers and fathers, sons and daughters,
sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, significant others, friends, and the
list goes on. By sharing our stories since that first summit, we've been trying to motivate you to make a change in
your driving behavior.
I am privileged to
share my commitment with the many families who have shared a similar loss, but none of us are happy to have had this dumped into our lives by someone else's single moment of inattention. Forming a bond with these
families has been the fuel to keep
me working to bring grassroots awareness to the state level.
Today, I'm happy to present the latest episode of "On The Go." Many thanks to all those who sent in their questions.
This time around, I'm answering questions about inland ports, farm-to-market infrastructure, and how the public can advocate for high-speed rail. I also have a response to the question, "Where can the next Secretary do the most good?"
But although I answered that one, let's not put the cart before the horse. I'm still here, and I'd like to do one last episode soon. So, start thinking about what question you want to ask and stay tuned to the Fast Lane
In the meantime, enjoy this episode. For those of you curious about such important issues, there's even an answer to the oft-asked, "How many times have you said 'lookit' in your four years as Secretary?"
Traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death
for youth in the United States. There is much we can and must do to reduce
their risks and keep them safe on our highways.
We now have a generation of young drivers who are coming into the driver
learning experience with a device they hold dear--and have a hard time
disconnecting from when behind the wheel.
Our
challenge at National Organizations for Youth Safety
(NOYS) and its member organizations is to engage and empower youth leaders to work together with their
peers to become a generation of texters who text responsibly and not when they
are behind the wheel of an automobile.
Youth from around the
country apply and are chosen to attend the Washington, DC Teen Distracted
Driving Prevention Summits and become the leadership teams that host summits in
their states and communities. In the tradition
of NOYS, these Summits are youth-organized and youth-led. You can watch someof the activity from the 2012 Teen Distracted Driving Summit here.
As you can imagine, they put bring a lot of youthful energy and spin.
As part of their efforts, some of our young leaders developed a distraction driving prevention toolkit for adults trying to reach young
people.
NOYS would like to take this opportunity to invite you
to join us in Washington, D.C. on May 8th for the launch of Global Youth
Traffic Safety Month™! For more information on Global Youth Traffic Safety
Month and the 2013 Teen Distracted Driving Summit, or to get involved, email info@noys.org or visit www.noys.org.
As part of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, teens around the country are
hosting Act Out Loud rallies. To find a rally near you visit www.actoutloud.org.
Every
day, more and more people are hopping on a bike and heading out to work,
school, the grocery store—wherever they need to go--using their bikes not for recreation, but for transportation. Every day, more
communities are taking bikes into consideration when they plan transportation
projects—creating livable neighborhoods, building bike paths, and launching bike share programs.
In
fact, 41 cities nationwide have bike shares today—with more cities joining the ranks this year. One of those cities is Tampa, FL, where DOT held its first Bike Safety Summit today.
But
as more people turn to biking for their transportation needs, it is
increasingly important that we do everything we can to ensure their safety,
just as we do for all other forms of transportation. Recent data shows
that in
2011, the number of bicyclists killed jumped by nearly 9 percent. In Florida
alone, 534 cyclists died in traffic crashes between 2006 and 2010.
So, as thrilled as we are that more people are riding
bikes—and that more communities are thinking about bikes as they plan for the
future—we have important safety work ahead.
And that’s why we’re having these Bike Safety Summits--our second summit will be in Minneapolis on April 29. We need to look at
how we can make our infrastructure safer for everyone. Because even one cyclist
killed is one too many.
On May 18, 2008, the
family I knew ceased to exist. A three-vehicle collision initiated by a cell
phone distracted driver took the lives of my parents, Jean and Jay Good, and left me on the brink of death. I wasn't expected to survive.
Miraculously, I did survive, but was left with several
permanent handicaps.
Obviously this crash has had an overwhelming impact on me
and my loved ones, but such tragedies don't merely impact the people in the
cars. Like dropping a stone in a pond, there is a far-reaching ripple effect on
people who have been deeply impacted by the preventable pain caused by a single moment
of inattention.
Thankfully my brother
was not in the car that day, but that meant he had the responsibility of
gathering our aunts, uncles, and grandparents to tell them that their sibling or
their child was gone forever. While clinging to the hope that I’d survive, they were left with the task of planning my parents’ funeral.
This is the raw pain
felt within the first ripple of tragedy.
Jean and Jay Good.
But the effects go so
much further than that. My mom was the awesome eighth grade English teacher
everybody wanted to have at Ephrata Middle School. The day after she was
killed, a substitute teacher, along with several guidance counselors and school
psychologists brought in to assist the school’s own support team, informed 300
13-year-old students that Mrs. Good wasn’t there and was never going to return.
For so many of those students Mrs. Good was a
foundation of their education. She genuinely loved every student equally and
provided support that many of them never saw at home. These students graduated
high school four years later in June 2012, and at that ceremony four students
were selected as speakers. Three of those four talked about Mrs. Good--how
much they loved her, how much they missed her, and how much losing someone
so important to them at such a critical age had changed their lives forever.
I was lucky enough to
get to share my story and the power we have to prevent such horrible pain with
these students last spring. I have spoken at more than 150 high schools through my
career as a Hang Up And Drive public safety advocate, but I have never hugged so many crying young adults.
Through the last four years, every one of those grieving students needed friends and family for support; as the
ripples traveled outward from my single incident, the number of “victims”
spiraled into the thousands.
Since
day one, more than four years ago, President Obama and all of us at the
Department of Transportation have been committed to putting people back
to work rebuilding and repairing our infrastructure.
Beginning
with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the most
significant public works program since the New Deal, we awarded $48
billion for more than 15,000 transportation
projects across the nation which created tens of thousands of jobs.
The Recovery Act projects lead to nearly 42,000 miles of road improved,
over 2,700 bridges improved or replaced and the purchase or
rehabilitation of over 12,220 transit vehicles. And we
continued that work over the next four years, from our TIGER grants and
our new fuel-economy standards to our passenger rail improvements, to
help put people back to work and help them get where they need to go as
efficiently and affordably as possible.
Today,
the President laid out a budget that builds on the progress we’ve made
by investing in the things we need to grow our economy, create jobs, and
strengthen the middle class, all while
further reducing the deficit in a balanced way. The President’s budget
funds critical investments in our nation’s infrastructure, furthers our
promise to deliver 21st century transportation, and continues our deep
commitment to safety.
The President’s 2014 budget requests $77 billion for the Department of Transportation.
On top of that, the
budget requests an additional $50 billion for immediate
investments to support critical infrastructure projects, such as
improving America’s roads, bridges, transit systems, border
crossings, railways, and runways. This includes $40 billion in
“fix-it-first” investments for improving existing infrastructure assets
and $10 billion to help encourage State and local innovation in
infrastructure development.
Together,
these proposals will help us create jobs and invest in the 21 century
transportation that our businesses need to compete. They deliver on the
President’s vision in his State of the
Union address to prove there’s “no better place to do business than the
United States of America.”
This past weekend, on April 6, we
celebrated my daughter Casey’s 25th birthday. But Casey wasn’t
there. She was killed in 2009 by a distracted driver, a 58-year-old man behind the wheel of a van. He took his eyes off the road for just a few seconds.
Pink was Casey’s favorite color, so
we released pink balloons in her memory. As the balloons drifted upwards, I
thought of her smile, the last time I heard her say “daddy,” how caring,
compassionate, and loving she was, and her incredible zest for life. I
also thought of her last moments, how she suffered, how afraid she must have
been, and the last words she spoke before she died: “I want my mom.”
Following Casey’s death, our
family established the Casey Feldman Foundation and created EndDD.org, “End
Distracted Driving.” We are keeping Casey’s memory alive through EndDD.org by
raising awareness about distracted driving and changing driver behaviors – especially
among young people. We want to spare other families from the suffering we have
endured.
Two years ago, Casey became one of
Secretary LaHood’s “Faces of Distracted Driving.” I created the video to share the story of
Casey’s life and death with the world, and I was proud to see it become the
first public submission in the “Faces” series.
Today, that same video is the
centerpiece of EndDD.org’s Student Awareness Initiative. We worked with experts to develop this
interactive presentation with the goal of change driving attitudes and
behaviors of teens and their parents. By the end of 2013, nearly 200,000 people
– mostly teenagers – in more than 40 states will have participated in the
EndDD.org program.
On October 23, 2008, I had the unfortunate task of working a
fatality that involved a young male driver. The
circumstances surrounding the crash are all too common. The young man had been texting
on his cell phone and attempted to pass a vehicle. He had failed to check carefully for oncoming traffic and struck
another vehicle head-on.
The other
vehicle was brand new; a young woman had it out for a simple test drive with an auto salesman.
The scene that day was more disturbing than usual. The roadway was littered with debris strewn from
both vehicles. Both vehicles showed
extensive front end damage. The vehicle
being passed did not sustain any damage. The young man who was driving the passing vehicle did not survive
the crash. The young lady and the car
salesman sustained severe injuries.
But we got the survivors ready to travel by ambulance to the hospital, where a long road to recovery would be certainly be required. We conducted a detailed accident investigation as usual, noting the witnesses' observations and the roadway's 65 mile-per-hour speed limit. We notified the young man's family.
The roadway was cleared, and soon traffic moved through the area as if nothing had ever happened.
But something had happened. Several families had their lives forever changed. Obviously, a crash of this nature is tragic for the people directly
involved and their families. But the memories of every crash stay with every person
involved--every trooper, every emergency medical technician, and
every witness.
Americans continue to use electronic devices while driving, despite
warnings that it causes their own driving to deteriorate and can lead to
crashes, injuries and even death.
So, if you didn't know that April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, you will soon. For the next two weeks, I'm turning over one blog post a day to a series of guest authors who are deeply involved in the fight for road safety.
According to the new Safety In Numbers newsletter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at any given daylight moment across America, about 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices behind the wheel. With that many people texting or talking while driving, 3,300 people were killed in distraction-related crashes in 2011 and another 387,000 were injured.
Because of the dangers electronic device distraction poses to everyone on our roads--drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians--I am devoting the next two week on the Fast Lane to a variety of compelling voices.
Hurricane
Sandy showed us that our coastal communities are vulnerable to flooding. And,
as we saw last fall, the storm also dealt a devastating blow to the
transportation system in the Northeast. Flood damage to infrastructure caused
travel delays for our airport, transit, passenger rail and bus systems.
At
the Amtrak electrical substation I visited yesterday with HUD Secretary Shaun
Donovan, major flooding caused the station to lose power. That power failure
affected both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit--as well as the many travelers and
commuters who depend on those important systems.
Secretary
Donovan, Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari, and I were in New Jersey yesterday to discuss new standards from the
Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to help ensure that flood damage from
future storms won't have the same impact.
With Secretary Donovan and Deputy Secretary Porcari, photo courtesy Alyssa Ki, Jersey Journal
The
new building elevation standards mean that any structure more than half
destroyed by Sandy--and being rebuilt with federal funds--must be lifted higher
than before. Building owners seeking federal support will consult an updated
FEMA flood map, find the new recommended height for their structure, and raise
it a foot above that.
Transportation
stakeholders in the region understand that the federal investment in rebuilding
should be used to help prevent the kind of infrastructure damage and delays we
experienced after Sandy.
Listening to Amtrak deputy chief engineer Verhelle, photo courtesy John Munson, Star-Ledger
I was in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, last week tell a Senate Banking Committee hearing what our
new surface transportation law, MAP-21, can do for folks living in rural
communities, small cities like Sioux Falls, and on tribal lands.
Demand for
public transportation in rural America has risen steadily over the last four
years in response to trends like rising gas prices and the higher proportion of
rural Americans choosing to age at home.
So it makes
sense that under MAP-21, we’ve boosted funding for rural programs by nearly 30
percent; doubled tribal transit assistance; and increased funding to enhance
mobility for seniors. These increases come on top of FTA’s success in roughly
doubling investments in rural transportation between 2005 and 2010.
This is great
news for seniors, veterans, and hard-working families living in rural and
tribal towns where transit is not a luxury but a lifeline—often the only way to
travel to work, school, and other key destinations.
When I was in
Sioux Falls, I met Cosette Fester, a local resident who was disabled in a car
accident in 1997. Today, she depends on being able to call for a ride in a
wheelchair-accessible van, known as paratransit, to get to work and to
participate in her community.
Today on our YouTube channel, DOT is launching a new series of videos about women in transportation. Unlike the valuable historical resources we added to DOT's Women And Girls website last month, the Women In Transportation series is very much about the present...and the future.
The
new series shares the stories of women who are working--and thriving---in
the transportation field – what they do each day, how they’re
making a difference, and
how they got where they are today.
By
showcasing the exciting career opportunities available, and the tremendous possibilities for success, we hope more
women and girls will consider choosing careers in transportation.
I was happy to announce the new series this morning at a White House forum on Women In Transportation, where I was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls.
Today's forum is focused on increasing opportunities for women in transportation through education,
recruitment, retention, and leadership development. We hope these
discussions will help generate strategies for overcoming the gender disparity in transportation careers.
After all--regardless of gender--everyone uses our transportation systems. And those systems will serve us more effectively when they're planned, designed, engineered, and built by professionals who represent all of us.
I had plenty of reasons to be happy about Monday's opening of the Macomb Transit Center in western Illinois.
First, when I was growing up in Peoria, we thought of McDonough County as something of a neglected land --we even called it "Forgottonia." The roads were crumbling, and they seemed to have been forgotten by state and national leaders.
Photo courtesy Jackie Smith, McDonough County Voice
So seeing how things have changed in the last couple of decades was very impressive. Macomb was always somewhere important to those who lived there, and the transit center that welcomed area residents Monday is a testament to their vision and persistence. Macomb Mayor Mike Inman and McDonough County Public
Transportation have done an outstanding job of making sure that Macomb is truly on the map.
Second, this
70,000 square foot facility, funded in part by this Department and by the Illinois DOT, will be a hub of activity for area
transit--a place where vehicles will be maintained and drivers
will be trained.
Last year, MCPT provided approximately two million rides. The new center
will ensure that MCPT can continue to serve the hardworking families,
seniors, and Western Illinois University students who depend on GoWest buses and Bridgeway vans to get them where
they need
to go.
In times of budgetary cutbacks, it's often difficult for leaders to make the bold plans we need to ensure a competitive future. Although long-proposed development of a former industrial waterway and its shoreside acreage would transform the Chicago River into a new economic corridor for the Windy City, funding the city's innovative Riverwalk has been frustrating for Chicagoans and their elected officials.
The City of Chicago plans to transform this gray riverscape
That's why DOT's Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program (TIFIA) is so important. With TIFIA support, communities like Chicago can leverage loans and credit assistance from the federal government into further financing from other sources. Since its launch, the TIFIA program has made possible 31 projects and
turned $10.5 billion in DOT support into more than $42 billion in infrastructure
investment across America.
Last year, when President Obama signed MAP-21, he made TIFIA a centerpiece of the new transportation law.
And last week, I was pleased to invite the City of Chicago to apply for a loan from the expanded TIFIA program to help complete its terrific Riverwalk project.
TIFIA capital assistance is intended for projects of national or regional significance, like the Chicago Riverwalk. And when complete, the Riverwalk will be a model for how infrastructure
investments can revitalize communities. It represents the kind of big and
bold thinking we need right now in America.
America's aviation system is the largest and the safest in the world,
and at the U.S. Department of Transportation, we work around the clock
to keep our nation flying safely.
As we undergo the difficult process of making drastic, across-the-board
budget cuts required by Congress under so-called sequestration, we will
not deviate from our safety mission.
It's important to remember that these cuts were never meant to go into
effect. Sequestration was intended by Congress to force action on the
deficit - not ever to become law. So it's no surprise that these cuts
are painful.
Under sequestration, the DOT is required to cut nearly $1
billion. The majority of that money - $637 million - has to come from
the Federal Aviation Administration's budget in the next six months.
The FAA is cutting costs by furloughing employees, instituting a hiring
freeze, slashing travel, and significantly cutting contracts.
As part of that effort, the FAA must close 149 air-traffic control
towers around the country that are run by contractors. These towers
control traffic at airports with lower activity levels. Together, they
handle less than 3 percent of commercial operations nationally, and less
than 1 percent of air passengers.
The
resurgence of bicycling in America is apparent from coast to coast and north to
south. And DOT is proud to have played a role in re-establishing bicycling as a
way of getting from place to place. But, we also know that even more people
would take to two wheels if they were confident that the nation's roadway
infrastructure helped keep them safe.
Last month at the National Bike Summit, I said "It's time to take the bicycling renaissance to the next level." And I proposed to help do that by changing the conversation from "Bicycling has earned a seat at the transportation table," to "Like all forms of transportation, bicycling must be safe."
Today, we're announcing the latest steps in our effort to help protect bicyclists from harm on our roadways: two bike safety summits--one in Tampa on April 11 and one in Minneapolis on April 29.
I want to thank Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak for their generosity and their partnership. At each of these two sessions, we'll hear from the respective mayor about the bicycle safety steps his city has taken, and we'll hear from experts in the industry and from the
people who ride and walk our roads.
We're going to learn from communities
what works and what doesn't work. And once we figure out what the best
practices are, we're going to team up with the bicycling community to
help ensure that when cities, towns, states, and counties think about creating new bike infrastructure, they'll have the tools to implement
those practices and keep all users of our roads as safe as possible.
After all, whether you're driving a tractor-trailer, sitting in the back seat of a minivan, or pedaling a bike, the road safety you enjoy shouldn't depend on the number of wheels you're riding on.
On October 29, 2012, roughly 50 million people living on the Eastern seaboard faced down one of the worst natural disasters in memory – Hurricane Sandy. The storm was also by far the worst disaster ever to hit public transportation in a region that accounts for well over a third of all the daily transit riders in the nation. In fact, at the height of the storm, approximately 40 percent of our nation’s transit riders were at a standstill from Washington, DC to Boston.
President Obama directed DOT to waste no time in coordinating a response to the disaster. And that’s exactly what we did, working closely with our partners at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the area’s transit providers. While touring some of the most storm-ravaged areas, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff and I, along with Governors Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo, the Congressional delegations, and Mayor Bloomberg, saw first-hand just how much work was needed to return to normal.
In order to help these communities rebuild, DOT is announcing a third round of emergency aid, totaling $1.42 billion.
With U.S. Senator Schumer (NY) and NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn last month
As part of President Obama’s initiative to double our national exports by 2015, DOT has been committed to investing in our nation’s aging infrastructure and ports.
In keeping with that commitment, on Tuesday, Maritime Administrator David Matsuda helped break ground on the “Green Port Gateway,” a major port-to-rail infrastructure expansion project in Southern California.
Funded in part by a $17 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, this project will help reduce congestion and improve the environment at the Port of Long Beach by shifting more cargo from trucks to trains.
When completed, the $83.5 million project will improve the connection between the Port of Long Beach and the Alameda Corridor, a rail line that carries about 15 percent of all waterborne containers entering or leaving the United States.
MARAD Administrator David Matsuda, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, Congressman Alan Lowenthal,
California Transportation Commissioner Fran Inman, and Port Commission
President Susan Wise.
If you’ve ever driven behind a tanker on the highway, you’ve probably noticed its hazmat labels. But labels are just part of what it takes to maintain a safe and reliable commercial transportation system – hazmat investigators work on the front lines of transportation safety every day so that we don’t have to worry about how products like gasoline or disinfecting aerosols get to our local gas stations and stores.
Hazardous materials like these appear in the products that homes and businesses use every day and are a vital part of the economy. In fact, there are nearly one million shipments of hazardous materials along our highways, railroads, waterways, and in the air every day.
And as both the population and demand for commercial transportation continue to grow, DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) needs more people to join the field as investigators, to ensure those shipments are all made safely. Check out the agency’s new video featuring hazmat investigators who explain their duties, what they enjoy about their jobs, and why what they do is so important.
I’ve talked a lot about how the Department of Transportation is a data-driven organization – data helps ensure we are as effective as possible when it comes to improving our country’s safety, mobility, and economic competitiveness.
Without good data, we wouldn’t be able to plan as effectively for the future or identify trends as they first start emerging. That’s exactly what was on Deputy Research and Innovative Technology Administrator Greg Winfree’s mind when he addressed the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Forum last week.
As the Deputy Administrator noted, committing to an approach that leverages research, technology, and data to address key transportation issues and guide public policy just makes sense. Today, innovations such as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, GPS, and remote-sensing can advance safety and improve performance with fewer dollars and better results.
Every day, millions of Americans wake up and travel by plane, train, or bus to their destinations. Many will board that vehicle and not think about safety. That’s because safety is DOT’s job, and it is one that we take seriously.
Yesterday, Deputy Secretary Porcari, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro, and I met with over 50 special investigators from across the nation, each passionate about safety, who will lead the charge to step up FMCSA’s oversight of bus operators.
Each investigator was specially chosen from the many who applied, and brings a unique perspective and commitment to safety. In speaking with the group, many expressed their readiness to change attitudes within the industry and bring a lasting impact to the standard of bus safety.
We will leverage their experience and expertise, equip them with new tools and new strategies, and return them to the field to advance new best practices to ensure safety comes first and unsafe operators are shut down.
Fifty investigators from around the country gathered with FMCSA officials at DOT headquarters for the kick-off of their specialized training to utilize unique investigative techniques aimed at improving the safety of bus operators.
When President Obama told the nation that he wanted America to be a “magnet for jobs,” he envisioned an economy that invested in our country’s workforce and brought business to our shores.
And with last Thursday’s launch of the Bravante V from the Eastern Shipyard in Panama City, Fla., it’s clear that vision – and the hard work that followed – is paying off.
The Bravante V is a platform supply vessel owned by Boldini S.A., of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. But thanks to a $240.8 million loan guarantee from the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) in 2011, Boldini selected the Panama City-based Eastern Shipbuilding Company to construct Bravante V and four additional platform supply vessels over the next three-and-a-half years.
Despite the snow covering much of the U.S. today, spring construction is in full bloom across the nation, meaning that drivers will soon see the bright orange vests and hardhats of construction crews popping up along America’s highways.
As the number of workers on roads and highways increases, the risk of crashes and fatalities also increases. These risks apply to drivers, passengers, workers, bicyclists and pedestrians alike. In fact, drivers and passengers are at the highest risk.
Last Thursday, at a new heavy equipment plant in
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, the first American-made Volvo Wheel Loader rolled off the
line.
And joining Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström and Volvo
Construction Equipment President Pat Olney to cut the ribbon on the company's Region
Americas headquarters was Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez.
The new wheel loader is exactly the kind of heavy equipment
crews use in highway maintenance and upgrades across the United States. So,
like all of us at DOT, Administrator Mendez is happy to see a roadwork-ready
heavy loader made in America.
As the Administrator said, "I can’t wait to see
the Made in America equipment you’re producing here being put to work on
highway projects all across this great country!"
Administrator Mendez also pointed out that we are now in the
middle of economic recovery as we work our way out of the worst economic crisis
since the Great Depression. Unemployment is now at its lowest level in four
years. Companies are hiring.
If you're part of DOT's Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, or if you live along the Great Lakes, today is the real first day of spring.
Why? Because today in St. Lambert, Quebec, SLSDC Acting Administrator Craig Middlebrook joined his counterpart, Terence Bowles of Canada's Seaway Management Corporation, to open the binational waterway for its 55th navigation season.
With the newly built Baie St.
Paul transiting the St. Lambert Lock, the Seaway was declared officially open. Depending on the weather--and despite the calendar, snow is still a distinct possibility on the Seaway--the vessel is expected to transit the two U.S. locks in New York State later tonight or tomorrow.
We're happy to see the debut of a new vessel series being built specifically
for use in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The new vessels promise to burn 15 percent less fuel and will emit significantly less carbon into the atmosphere on and near the Seaway.
We're even more excited by the outlook for Seaway freight volume this season, with the total for 2013 expected to top 40 million metric tons.
As Acting Administrator Middlebrook said, "The resurgence of manufacturing in North America is fueling demand for both traditional
and new Seaway cargoes, with positive implications for Great Lakes shipping."
Yesterday, I wrote about the value of good port infrastructure to America's export businesses, but the need for safe, efficient freight movement is much broader than that. A modern transportation system of roads, rails, runways, waterways, and pipelines is important to all American businesses.
And it's important to us at the Department of Transportation.
That's why Deputy Secretary John Porcari talked with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Transportation Infrastructure and Logistics Committee yesterday about DOT's efforts to improve our nation's freight movement. And he had plenty to talk about.
Over the last four years, the Obama
Administration has made considerable investments in our national freight
network. Through four rounds of our popular TIGER Grant program,
DOT has directed $1 billion toward projects that primarily address freight. This includes more than $650 million to projects that
strengthen freight rail infrastructure, reduce freight bottlenecks, and
alleviate congestion issues. And we’ve invested more than $350 million in our
port system.
About 48 million tons of goods—from
refrigerators to smart phones--are transported across America each day. That’s
$46 billion worth of commerce. And that's just one day.
By 2050, America will be home to more than
100 million additional people – and our freight network will need to haul 4
billion more tons of freight per year than it currently does. That means our freight
system – which is already the strongest in the world – will need to become even
stronger
So it's good news that the new
transportation bill, MAP-21, includes a number of ways for us to continue making progress on freight.
This morning, we're proud to join the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration in announcing a "SaferCar" app for iPhones,
iPad, and iPod Touch devices. This new app puts the power of NHTSA's tremendous
volume of vehicle safety data, including real-time
vehicle safety information from NHTSA’s SaferCar.gov site, at the
fingertips of American consumers.
NHTSA’s SaferCar app allows users to search its 5-Star Safety Ratings for
vehicles by make and model, locate car seat installation help, file a vehicle
safety complaint, find recall information, and subscribe to automatic notices
about vehicle recalls.
As a key partner in the White House Safety Data Initiative, the
Department of Transportation (DOT) made a commitment at the Safety
Datapalooza last September not only to make car safety data available
through an easy-to-use app but also to give developers and entrepreneurs
real-time access to the underlying government data through Application Programming Interfaces
(API), so they can integrate these data into new and existing apps to further
empower consumers. These APIs are now available, and developers can learn more
about them at Safety.Data.Gov. NHTSA is also planning to publish an online
course that teaches developers how to build safety tools using these APIs.
Millions of Americans already rely on these data to inform their
purchasing decisions on popular automobile review sites; with the SaferCar app
and others that will follow, they’ll be able to access these data in real-time.
That includes:
5-Star Safety Ratings: Consumers considering
vehicle purchases can look up crash test ratings and compare them across
different makes and models.
Recalls and Complaints: Consumers can
register their vehicles to be notified by NHTSA if a safety issue is
discovered. The app also makes it simple to submit complaints to NHTSA
regarding possible safety problems with a particular vehicle.
Help Installing Child Seats: Get
driving directions to the nearest child seat inspection station and get
assistance to properly install car seats and boosters.
Safety Headlines and Alerts: Receive
important news and information from NHTSA, as well as recall notices and
push notices on their recorded vehicles.
Unleashing open data in formats that are easy to use in new and
innovative ways, while rigorously protecting privacy, has been a priority for
the Obama Administration. We applaud the NHTSA team for this latest
contribution to the cause of open data and transportation safety!
Last June
I wrote about the Export-Import Bank re-authorization passed by Congress
and signed by President Barack Obama. By providing financing for thousands of
businesses trying to sell more American products overseas, this legislation supports the
President‘s goal of doubling U.S. exports, insourcing jobs to American shores, and ensuring that we make
the products that the rest of the world buys.
Gamesa, a Spanish clean-energy company whose North American
headquarters is in Pennsylvania, is a great example of how the re-authorization
can create jobs in the U.S. Using a $152 million Ex-Im bank loan, Gamesa manufactures wind turbine blades here in the United States, assembles the finished turbines here as well, then exports these complex assemblies to Uruguay and Mexico. Production here supports 510 American jobs.
The turbines will be shipped by Intermarine’s Ocean Freedom,
a specialized U.S.-Flag heavy lift vessel operating between the Ports of Philadelphia and Houston. These shipments support 36 steady jobs for skilled
American mariners.
Seventy-five percent of American exports travel through U.S.
seaports. These facilities are key to our
ability to transport American products overseas, and their collective
modernization is a crucial part of the President’s export initiative.
If you're a commercial bus or truck driver using a GPS navigation system that doesn't
tell you about important route restrictions--like low overpasses--that
shortcut you take to save time and fuel could end up costing you more
than you bargained for.
The differences among navigation systems might seem small, but they can make a big difference in safety. Especially for those who drive commercial motor vehicles, a lack of information can leave you unprepared and can lead to dangerous incidents like crashing into the underside of a low-clearance bridge.
At DOT we think one bridge strike is too many. That's why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is taking new
steps to ensure that those who drive our nation's commercial motor
vehicles are aware of the different information provided by different
navigation systems.
A typical system that a consumer buys at an electronics or auto parts store--or that comes with a newly purchased car--might not have the ability to show low bridges, tunnel restrictions, and other information relevant to commercial bus and truck drivers. And for those drivers, that information is crucial for safe navigation of America's roads.
So, we're arming commercial drivers with good information so they can make better safety decisions.
FMCSA is working with its state partners
and the industry to make sure professional truck and bus drivers recognize the
importance of using navigation systems intended for commercial vehicles.
As FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said, “By using the right navigation system and
driving the safe route, commercial drivers put safety first.”
To support this safety message, FMCSA has created a visor card--available for printing at www.fmcsa.dot.gov-- specifically for truck and bus drivers on how to choose the right navigation system.
Officially, the first day of Spring is tomorrow, but our Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is getting a jump on the season today with a safety message I hope you'll read...and share.
Whether the calendar says so or not, when the weather warms and the crocuses pop up, we know that spring is here. And
for tens of millions of Americans, that means it’s time to do some yard work.
One call to 8-1-1 just
two to three days ahead of time prompts local companies to mark their nearby underground
utilities for free so that you’ll know what’s below and dig safely.
Underground
pipelines deliver most of the energy we use to heat, cool and operate our homes, cars and businesses. Underground utility lines provide power,
cable and water.
Serious accidents
are rare, but the consequences can be fatal. In fact, excavation
damage is the number one cause of pipeline incidents involving death or
serious injury.
More commonly, you could cut off electrical power to your neighborhood or flood a nearby street. While these incidents cause less harm, they can still cost you plenty of money, discomfort, and embarrassment.
PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman notes, "There are millions of miles of pipelines and utility lines like cable and
power under our yards, streets and communities. Striking one of these lines
while digging can cause major inconveniences for you and your neighbors. And if you hit a natural gas pipeline, death and serious injury are also possible."
So don’t assume
that you know what’s below; before you pick up a shovel, pick up a phone and make the call to 8-1-1.
Paint and flags mark underground pipelines so
that you'll know what's below - and be able to dig safely
America's
state legislatures are on the front lines of governance; when the federal
government holds back on infrastructure, state legislators must explain to
constituents why their bridges need repair and why local businesses struggle to
ship raw materials in and finished goods out to world markets.
So
when I spoke to the leaders of the National Conference of State Legislatures
last week, they wanted to know what kind of support they could expect from the
Obama Administration and Congress to help their residents get where they need
to go safely and conveniently--and to help their states' businesses remain
competitive in the global economy.
Like
President Obama, our state legislatures understand that their economic
competition isn't coming from the state next door, but from countries and
international businesses around the world. They know that, if we want America
to continue to lead—to be a magnet for jobs and manufacturing—we must work
together to invest in our infrastructure.
And
that's why, in his State of the Union address, President Obama put forth a plan
to rebuild and upgrade our infrastructure so our businesses have the tools they
need to compete.
The
President’s plan includes a “fix-it-first” policy to ensure that repair and
maintenance of our existing roads, bridges and public transportation systems
take priority. It also includes a “Rebuild America” Partnership to attract
private capital to build the infrastructure our states' businesses need most.
Right
now, we have an opportunity to think big and be bold--as the generation that
came before us did, and as the generations that came before them did.
The White House Champions of Change program highlights the
stories and examples of citizens across the country who are “Building an
America to Last” with projects and initiatives that move their
communities forward. Each week, The White House invites Champions to share their ideas
and to empower and inspire others.
Soon, the White House will select Champions for a May 8, 2013, event honoring people who are making a difference in transportation, and we want to hear from you about who should be on the list.
White House Champions of Change in transportation meet with DOT leaders in August 2012; photo credit Julie Fischer-McCarthy, DOT
In the past, we've been fortunate to have many terrific Champions of Change in Transportation. For this round of Champions of Change, DOT is looking for nominees who are creating "Transportation Technology Solutions for the 21st Century."
And we need your help to identify them.
If you know of an individual or organization providing leadership in
transportation technology solutions that either enhance performance,
reduce congestion, improve safety, or facilitate communication, please let us know by March 28.
One thing I won't ever get tired of saying is that, at DOT our number one priority is safety. That means protecting your safety in our nation's skies, on our roadways, on our railways, and on our transit systems. It also means protecting our nation's cargo, the goods we need and use every day and the supplies, raw materials and finished products that fuel our economic engine.
America's freight and passenger railroads provide a safe way to help people and freight get where they need to go. And
I'm happy to say that by, virtually every statistical measurement, 2012 was the safest rail year on record.
Compared to 2011, last year's train accident rate per million train miles was down 19 percent. And the grade crossing collision rate fell by 8 percent.
According
to Federal Railroad Administration data, from 1980 to 2012, the U.S. train accident rate fell 80 percent and
the U.S. rail employee injury rate fell 85 percent. Since 2000, those declines
have been 45 percent and 52 percent, respectively. Train collisions per million
train-miles have dropped 87 percent since 1980 and 36 percent since 2000.
