Finkenauer and Westerman Introduce Bipartisan Rural Road Safety Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (D-IA) and Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced the Rural Road Safety Act, which would provide federal funding for communities to make critical safety improvements to their rural roads.
A disproportionate number of traffic fatalities happen on America’s rural roads. While carrying 30% of the country’s traffic in 2017, 47.5% of fatalities happened on rural roads.
That same year in Iowa, the state’s rural roads accounted for:
56% of all fatal crashes
44% of fatal lane-departure crashes
65% of speed-related crashes
56% of crashes involving older drivers
“The data is clear: we can and must do more to make our rural roads safer for everyone—whether you’re a driver, a state trooper on duty, or working to improve our roads,” Congresswoman Finkenauer said, “Congressman Westerman and I worked on this bill with the goal of saving lives. We looked at what previously worked, and we found that ensuring federal money gets invested into rural roads helped save lives. This bill is a return to what worked.”
“Whenever I’m driving back in my district, I see the dangers of traveling on rural roads,” Westerman said. “This bipartisan bill will re-implement investments that worked in the past, with the ultimate goal of saving lives. Whether you are using a rural road for commuting, visiting friends or driving to the grocery store, these roads should be safe to drive on. As co-chair of the Road Safety Caucus, I’m glad to cosponsor this legislation with Rep. Finkenauer.”
The Rural Road Safety Act would ensure states are investing a portion of federal Highway Safety Improvement Program money into their high-risk rural roads by re-establishing a set-aside which existed from 2005 to 2012. After the set-aside was eliminated, rural road fatalities have declined at a far slower rate. The bill will also update the 2014 Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety Toolkit to include new best practices for reducing fatalities on rural roads. This toolkit helps rural communities identify their safety needs and prioritize the safety projects that will work best for them.
Most rural roads are locally owned, and counties often struggle with paying for the necessary safety improvements on those roads. Earlier this year, Congresswoman Finkenauer toured Buchanan County with County Engineer Brian Keierleber and Bremer County with County Engineer Landon Moore to learn how Iowa counties are using their limited funds to improve their infrastructure.
“Here in Buchanan County, we’re doing everything we can to reduce traffic fatalities—and it’s working, but these projects can be expensive,” said Buchanan County (IA) Engineer Brian Keierleber. “The Rural Road Safety Act will help Iowa’s rural counties get federal funding for critical road safety improvements, and I applaud Congresswoman Finkenauer for her efforts to keep all rural road users safe.”
“When Congresswoman Finkenauer came to Bremer County last month, we talked about the importance of making sure everyone in the county can get around safely,” said Bremer County Engineer Landon Moore. “I appreciate Congresswoman Finkenauer’s focus on making sure rural communities like ours can get federal funding for our infrastructure projects, and I look forward to working with her to improve roadway safety in Northeast Iowa.”
Congresswoman Finkenauer and Congressman Westerman are both members of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, where Congresswoman Finkenauer serves as Vice-Chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. Westerman is the co-chair of the Road Safety Caucus.
Support for the Rural Road Safety Act:
The Rural Road Safety Act is supported by the AARP, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, American Traffic Safety Services Association, International Union of Operating Engineers, National Association of Counties, National Association of County Engineers, National Troopers Coalition, and North America’s Building Trades Unions.
“On behalf of AARP and its over 38 million members, we would like to thank Congresswoman Finkenauer and Congressman Westerman for their leadership in sponsoring the Rural Road Safety Act,” said Bill Sweeney, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at AARP. “By dedicating funding and other resources for rural roads, the bill will help address the disproportionate number of traffic fatalities among older Americans living in rural communities.”
“It is clear more must be done to reduce fatalities on rural roadways. We applaud Congresswoman Finkenauer and Congressman Westerman for introducing legislation that will empower states by restoring funding dedicated to improving safety,” said Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “Rural communities experience a disproportionate number of traffic deaths compared to the rest of the country, which is why this commonsense legislation is vitally important. Safer rural roads save lives.”
“The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) commends Reps. Finkenauer and Westerman for highlighting the need to invest in roadway safety infrastructure projects on America’s rural roads,” said Nate Smith, Vice President of Government Relations at ATSSA. “In 2016, more than 18,500 people were killed in rural areas, making the fatality rate on rural roads 2.5 times higher than on urban roads. We must address these roadway safety infrastructure challenges and significantly reduce roadway fatalities in rural America. Their legislation shines the spotlight on the need to do just that. With leadership from members of Congress like Reps. Finkenauer and Westerman, ATSSA members in Iowa, Arkansas, and across the nation can take the necessary steps to help reduce fatalities and serious injuries on U.S. roadways toward zero.”
“The International Union of Operating Engineers proudly supports the Rural Road Safety Act, legislation designed to improve public safety on the transportation routes that connect rural American communities,” said James T. Callahan, General President of the International Union of Operating Engineers. “We appreciate Congresswoman Finkenauer’s leadership on essential legislation to rebuild America’s transportation infrastructure and look forward to working with her to enact this into law.”
"The nation’s County Engineers maintain our local roads to ensure public safety, transport goods to market and most importantly, bring our families home safely each day," said National Association of County Engineers Executive Director Kevan Stone. "Congresswoman Finkenauer and Congressman Westerman recognize the crucial importance of safe local roadways, and we commend their efforts to improve and enhance their safety through the High Risk Rural Roads program. We fully support their goal of making sure every county and rural community has the necessary life-saving tools to make these safety improvements a reality.”
"Counties own and maintain 45 percent of America’s roadways, and safety is always our top priority,” said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. “The High Risk Rural Roads program will provide counties with additional resources to ensure that even the most remote roads have appropriate safety measures in place. We applaud Congresswoman Finkenauer’s and Congressman Westerman’s efforts to invest in safeguards that will ultimately save lives.”
“On behalf of the National Troopers Coalition, we commend Congresswoman Finkenauer and Congressman Westerman for their efforts to improve rural road safety,” said Andrew Matthews, Executive Director of the National Troopers Coalition. “Thirty percent of all automobile traffic runs on the rural roads where people live, work and play. Importantly, one-third of heavy truck traffic runs on rural roads. Our troopers and other law enforcement office who patrol these roads can attest to the added dangers on rural roads, and we support efforts like this to improve the safety of our highways.”
“I want to commend Congresswoman Finkenauer for her leadership on the Rural Road Safety Act. This important bill will increase safety on rural roads, which are critical to the movement of goods and people across the entire nation,” said Sean McGarvey, President, North America's Building Trades Unions. “Furthermore, projects funded under this bill will not only make much needed infrastructure improvements, but with accompanying prevailing wage standards, will improve the financial trajectory of families and communities in rural America.”