Benefits of Safety Programs at the Road Commission for Oakland County, Michigan

摘要

Improving road safety requires a combination of engineering initiatives, education and enforcement. It has been recognized that legislative and enforcement initiatives, such as seat-belt laws have reduced the number of crash injuries. Similarly, in-vehicle systems, such as traction control have contributed to reducing the collision frequency and severity. Effective road engineering improvements also provide road safety benefits due to improved road design, construction and traffic operations. In 1977, the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) declared road safety as the number one priority. Countless programs and activities were introduced to ensure decreasing number of traffic crashes and fatalities. As a result of the combined efforts of RCOC, law enforcement agencies, and safety organizations, the fatality rate in the county has dropped from 6.8 per hundred million vehicle miles traveled in 1967 to 0.6 in 2004, with a corresponding drop in annual fatalities from 206 to 85. This has been accomplished despite a dramatic increase in both population and vehicle miles traveled. The key to the success of RCOC in the safety arena is the continued and frequently demonstrated support and encouragement of safety initiatives by the leadership of the agency. Leaders' commitment coupled with employees' buy-in created a safety culture that has provided a remarkable benefit in saving lives on the roads of Oakland County. The paper describes programs and measures RCOC implemented. The paper discusses a variety of safety activities divided as follows: Road safety efforts; Employee safety efforts; Examples of applied research.