Safety Research on Highway Infrastructure and Operations. Improving Priorities, Coordination, and Quality; Special rept

摘要

Fatalities and injuries resulting from road traffic crashes remain a major public health concern in the United States, with more than 42,000 people killed and 2.5 million injured in 2006. Research on road traffic safety over the past five decades has led to important reductions in death and injury rates. An important question going forward is how best to use the limited available research funding to achieve further reductions, particularly now that some of the most obvious and effective strategies, such as seat belt legislation, already have been widely implemented. As understanding of road safety moves toward a scientific basis, as opposed to conventional wisdom and observation of practice, numerous research opportunities have been identified, some of which could yield costeffective safety improvements. The challenge for those who fund research is threefold. It requires (a) devising a sensible process for identifying and prioritizing the best research opportunities, (b) ensuring that the high-priority research is funded and conducted without unnecessary duplication of effort, and (c) ensuring that the research conducted produces reliable and useful results.