Traffic Payout

Let me start by wishing you a very happy and safe New Year. Let’s make 2012 a record year in lives saved on our roads. And, it starts with you. Each of us has a responsibility when we get behind the wheel as the driver and as a passenger.

As I reflect on 2011, I think about how often I have commented on driver behaviors regarding traffic safety. And, that is why it comes as no surprise that for the fourth consecutive year the Foundation’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index finds that drivers continue to exhibit a “Do as I say, Not as I do” attitude behind the wheel.

While the Department of Transportation recently released updated fatality and injury data which indicates that 32,885 lives were lost in automobile crashes in 2010, fewer deaths on record than any time for the past 60 years, I feel that even one death on our road is too many.

Our survey confirms that Americans desire a greater level of safety than you now experience on our roads and are open to more government action to make it happen. Yet, from driving drowsy to not wearing a seatbelt, many are unwilling to change potentially deadly driving behaviors and candidly admit they are part of the problem. That is why I am challenging you to examine your driving habits and make a resolution to drive safer in 2012 and beyond.

In the upcoming weeks I will share key findings from this study along with other research projects the Foundation is conducting. However, invite you to learn exactly what drivers are saying in the 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index.