Nine for safety
Nine organizations-- The American Glass Bead Manufacturers Association, Pathways of Virginia Inc., National Association of County Engineers, International Municipal Signal Association, Vermont General Contractors, American Subcontractors Association, Fairfax (Va.) County Chamber of Commerce, Citizens for Roadside Safety and Hazelhurst (Miss.) School District--have announced their support for the Roadway Safety Program developed by the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA). The Roadway Safety Program proposes that specific funding be targeted to improving the areas of the roadway where the most people are killed or injured, including two-lane rural roads and the country's most dangerous intersections. Special focus would be given to make the roadways safer for older drivers and for workers in work zones. By the year 2020, one in five drivers will be over age 65. "We're gratified that these organizations have elected to support our proposal to attain a reduction in the 42,000 fatalities and 3.2 million injuries that occur on our roadways every year," said ATSSA President Kathi Holst. Funding for the Roadway Safety Program, proposed at $3 billion annually, would come from the transfer of the current 2.5 cents per gallon ethanol tax from the general fund to the Highway Trust Fund, reinstatement of interest payments to the Trust Fund and indexing of the federal motor fuel user fee. Monies collected above the $3 billion level would be used for other roadway and bridge improvements and for transit.
