Campaigns

Toward Zero Deaths

Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) is a national strategy on highway safety to advocate for eliminating serious injuries and deaths on our nation’s roadways, conceptualized by participants in a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) workshop in 2009.

The strategy calls for all stakeholders to champion the idea that one death on our nation’s roadways is too many, and we must all work together to bring the annual number of roadway deaths down to zero.

As the leader in the roadway safety industry, ATSSA was proud to be the first membership association to support the national TZD initiative.

• Background on TZD [PDF]
• ATSSA’s TZD policies and priorities [PDF]
• ATSSA’s TZD brochure [PDF]
• ATSSA TZD reauthorization proposal [PDF]

Learn more about the TZD initiative and access campaign materials on the TZD website.

Safer Roads Save Lives

ATSSA works daily to promote roadway safety with the goal of moving Toward Zero Deaths. Achieving that goal takes teamwork and funding. Join ATSSA in advocating for the reauthorization of long-term transportation funding for infrastructure projects, a sustainable Highway Trust Fund, and support for the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Safer Roads Save Lives.

Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)

The SHSP is a major part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act has continued HSIP as an important federal-aid program to assist state departments of transportation (DOTs).

SHSP is a coordinated safety plan on the state level that provides states with a framework for reducing serious injuries and fatalities on our nation’s roadways. A SHSP identifies a state’s safety needs and guides DOTs with investment decisions toward proven and effective countermeasures.

The comprehensive plan establishes goals, objectives and focus areas for each state that focus on education, engineering, emergency medical services and enforcement. SHSPs provide state partners with an ability to align goals and priorities, leverage resources and address roadway safety challenges. Learn more about the SHSP.

Get Involved With Your State’s SHSP

Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) are a state-level safety plan designed by state departments of transportation to outline and address a state’s roadway safety needs. The plan is designed to provide guidance on investments and actions that eliminate serious injuries and fatalities on our nation’s roadways.

ATSSA chapters are encouraged to become involved in the SHSP planning process as part of the Association’s state-level grassroots efforts. To get involved, contact the ATSSA Government Relations team at govrelations@atssa.com.

Support the Gas Tax

Cutting the gas tax is a COST we can't afford

42,000 lives lost
Fatalities on our roads have increased. According to estimates from the National Safety Council, the first half of 2021 saw an increase of traffic fatalities by 16 percent over the previous year.1

Consumers will not see savings
Producers are likely to enjoy savings from suspended gas taxes. However, it is unenforceable to ensure those benefits are passed on to consumers.

Continue to fund roadway safety
State gas taxes fund important safety projects. Short term political wins lead to long term complicated problems.2

Tremendous cost for infrastructure funding
State suspensions of gas taxes will cost about $100 million per month per state. States and localities collected $52 billion in gas taxes in 2019–-most of that is earmarked for transportation projects.

Gas taxes are the primary funding source for roadway safety projects. While the price of gas has risen recently, the federal gas tax has remained the same since 1993. And while some states have made small increases in their gas taxes, the gas tax continues to lose value due to lack of indexing for inflation in more than half of the states.3

Download this page as a PDF.

Sources
1) https://www.nsc.org/newsroom/nsc-preliminary-estimates-motor-vehicle-deaths-con

2) https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=10&t=10

3) https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/motor-fuel-taxes#revenue