Traffic Fatality and Injury Prevention

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. In 2017, there were 42,159 unintentional pedestrian, motor vehicle, motorcyclist and cyclist fatalities in the United States. In 2016, 10,497 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for 28 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. Governors are an essential part of any solution to improve coordination and strengthen existing efforts across state agencies to adopt strategies to reduce traffic fatalities and improve safety on the roadways for all users.

NGA Resources

Governors Leading to Strengthen Traffic Safety by Reducing Impaired Driving

Governors Leading to Strengthen Traffic Safety by Reducing Impaired Driving

This report looks at the findings from a 2019–2021 learning collaborative in which NGA hosted experts from academia, government, and the private sector to discuss a range of emerging issues ...
Marking the Road: Infrastructure for Improving Safety

Marking the Road: Infrastructure for Improving Safety

Our roads are at the center of a public health crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100 people die every day in the United ...
Driving the Conversation: Safer and Smarter Roadways

Driving the Conversation: Safer and Smarter Roadways

Despite several years of improved safety on our roadways, recent trends have shown troubling increases in traffic fatalities. In fact, vehicular crashes, 94-percent of which are caused by human error, ...

NGA to Assist 13 States in Strengthening Policies Against Impaired Driving

Columbus, Ohio, Summit Kicks Off Technical Assistance to States To address the grim and growing toll of impaired driving, the National Governors Association is working with 13 states on efforts ...

States Work to Improve Traffic Safety

WASHINGTON - The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) today announced five states, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia, have been selected to participate in a learning ...

State Public Safety and Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Autonomous vehicles have the potential to revolutionize how we move people and goods. As states navigate implementing this new technology, they face a number of potential public safety opportunities and ...
State Strategies to Reduce Highway and Traffic Fatalities and Injuries: A Road Map for States

State Strategies to Reduce Highway and Traffic Fatalities and Injuries: A Road Map for States

Summary With 39 states reporting an increase in traffic fatalities in 2016, traffic safety policy, programs and practices remain a pressing concern across the nation—and governors are an essential part ...

States Focus on Reducing Traffic Injuries and Fatalities

WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) announced that five states, Colorado, Connecticut,Minnesota, Washington and Utah, have been selected to participate in a learning lab that will ...

States Strategize to Increase Traffic Safety

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) today announced four states, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina and South Dakota, have been selected to participate in a learning lab ...

External Resources

Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States (MV PICCS): CDC offers an interactive calculator called MV PICCS 3.0 (Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States). This tool can help state decision makers prioritize and select from a suite of 14 effective motor vehicle injury prevention interventions. MV PICCS 3.0 calculates the expected number and monetized value of injuries prevented, lives saved, and the costs of implementation, while taking into account available resources. For more information, visit CDC Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States (MV PICCS).