Next testimony on roadway safety before a senate commerce, science, and transportation subcommittee from transportation policy advocates and local officials. They discuss roadway facilities, infrastructure needs, Pedestrian Safety and the integration of Autonomous Vehicles. This is an hour and 40 minutes. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] the subcommittee will come to order. Today, the subcommittee for surface transportation, maritime, freight, and ports will examine the roadway safety crisis and the solutions that we must implementor in response. We certainly would like to thank my Ranking Member, senator young, as well as chair cantwell and Ranking Member cruz for the health and convening this very important hearing. Every day unfortunately more than 100 americans lose their lives on our roads. If trends continue we expect more than 40,000 fidelitys this year, and hundreds of thousands ofof serious injuries. That means thousands of families are going to be torn apart by preventable crashes. Those families deserve our recognition as we work to address this problem. Thats why i wouldg like to enr into the record statements made by victims families who have written to this committee to s urge further action on roadway safety. Without objection, those letters will be introduced in the record. Record. I also dedicate todays discussion to them as a families know all too well, safety situation on our roads constitutes a national crisis. In 2021, the national Highway SafetyTraffic Administration estimated that the u. S. Had the highest number of fatalities since 2005. Unfortunately, the trend the trend has not significantly improved over the past two years. According to nhtsa, roadway dk remain elevated05 with only a 3 reduction in 2023. These numbers do not reflect the harm done to our drivers and passengers, but also vulnerable pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists will continue to be disproportionately harmed on our roads. Also overrepresented in these tragedies are black, hispanic, and native americans as well as americans living in rural areas. We need a strong and comprehensive response and today will discuss a holistic safe Systems Approach to addressing the roadway safety crisis and how we can implement that approach all across our country. The state Systems Approach ensures that all aspects of our roadways account for inevitable human error. It emphasized building multiple layers ofr r protection so that even when mistakes are made, death and injury are unlikely. This framework focuses on five key categories. Safer people and behaviors, safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads, and improving the post crash care. I believe emerging technologies are going to play an Important Role inn this endeavor. New intervention from Digital Infrastructure that improves crash response, to predictive road maintenance and active Traffic Management are absolutely essential to achieving safe system goals. That also includes the safe and accountable development, testing, and deployment of Autonomous Vehicles which can help us reduce serious injuries and death on our roadways. I expect our Witnesses Today to discuss the principles and data behind the state Systems Approach as well as how we can better support communities and limiting the solutions on the ground. We have already made important progress. Congress took one key step toward supporting roadway safety with the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021. Theti law provides 5 billion in safe streets for all grants for local, regional and tribal communities to prevent roadway deaths and injuries using a safe distance approach and requires them to measure their success along the way. The bipartisan infrastructure law is also the first piece of legislation to establish requirements for complete street standards. These ensure that our roadways can safely accommodate all traffic. That includes vulnerable road users like pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and people with disabilities as well as the elderly. And finally with theat help of michigander, tell you, the for sexual included honoring the abbas family legacy to terminate drunk driving accident a requirement for the inclusion of Impaired DrivingPrevention Technology in our vehicles. Today we will learn more about the challenges and the opportunities these provisions are opposing for communities on the ground. But the vibrance and infrastructure law was just the beginning. There is still so much more that we can and we must do. In order to address this crisis. Our witnesses will also help us examine what solutions need to come next i would like to thank each of you for being here today and for the expertise that youre going to share with this committee and for all you do each andan every day to make our streets and highways safer. We now invite Ranking Member young for any opening remarks that you have. Well, thank you, mr. Chairman. And i want to thank all of our witnesses for joining us today to discuss a topic of paramount importance. Roadway safety in the United States. Today, i want to highlight ourr nations alarming roadway fatalities and crash statistics, discussed the significance of innovation and enhancing roadway safety, and call attention to the Important Role that tried and true Infrastructure Investments play in keeping our roads safe. Every year thousands of lives are tragically cut short due to the vehicle crashes. In 23 alone nearly 41,000 people lost their lives on american roads. This statistic is not just a number. E it represents parents, children, friends and colleagues whose absence leave a void in their families and communities. Additionally, millions of crashes occur annually leading to severe injuries in substantial economic losses. These staggering figures underscore the urgent need for Innovative Solutions to make our roads safer. If we all come together in a bipartisan basis to prioritizent human lives over political and parochial interests, we can significant Leverage Technology to create safer roadways for everyone. One of the most promising areas of technological innovation lies in the development of Autonomous Vehicles, which have the potential to revolutionize roadway safety. Unlike human drivers, Autonomous Vehicles do not get distracted, tired or impaired. They can react to hazards more quickly and make splitsecond decisions based on vast amounts of data that no human could process. Ke Widespread Adoption of Autonomous Vehicles could reduce traffic the top of these by up to 90 , potentially saving tens of thousands of lives each year in the United States. This technology isnt just futuristic. Its a tangible solution that can transform how we think about road safety, and massively reduce the number of deaths on our roads every year. However, the benefits of innovation extend beyond autonomouson vehicles. Smart infrastructure is another critical component of a safer transportation ecosystem. Intelligent Traffic Signals, for example, can adjust in realtime to traffic conditions, reducing congestion and minimizing the likelihood of accidents. Connected Vehicle Technology allows cars to gimmicky with each other and with infrastructure, providing drivers with realtime information about Road Conditions, hazards, and traffic patterns. This interconnected network and significantly enhance Situational Awareness and reduce the risk ofn collisions. This interconnected network can significantly enhance Situational Awareness and reduce the risk of collisions. Further more, Public Education and awareness campaigns are essential to ensuring that drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users can understand and embrace these new technologies. Public acceptance and trust are crucial for the successful integration of Innovative Solutions into our daily lives. Public awareness and education efforts are vital to addressing long standing roadway safety issues in a Cost Effective way. Not the least of which is one that any parent should be extremely concerned about and that is school bus safety. Specifically related to Illegal School bus passings. School bus safety should be at the top of our list when it comes to roadway safety and unfortunately it hasnt received the attention it deserves. Estimates show more than 43 million violations occur during every 180 day school year. My stop for School Buses Act which chairman peters coled with me was signed into law in 2021 and directed the department of transportation to review Illegal Passing laws and potential technological solutions. Along with developing a Public Safety messaging campaign. With all of these things said, Public Safety campaigns and technological innovation on their own are not enough. We just also focus on improving our roadway infrastructure to improve safety. This includes maintaining road quality and focusing federal funding to focused federal funding to leverage state, local and private funding for Infrastructure Projects that will vastly improve roadway safety. 97 miles of public roadways. Hoosiers rely on transportation infrastructure. In evansville, indiana ive been working hard for years to secure federal funding for the i69 ohio River Crossing project to fill a crucial gap in the nations transportation infrastructure as it links i69 between indiana and kentucky over the ohio river. This type of project which will mitigate traffic congestion, improve roadway safety and significantly leverage nonfederal dollars is where federal infrastructure dollars should be focused. While the statistics on roadway fatalities and crashes are alarming, they also serve a powerful motivator for change. By embracing technological innovation and investing in our infrastructure, we have the opportunity to significantly improve roadway safety in the United States. Autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure and Infrastructure Investments hold potential to save lives and prevent injuries. Let us commit to supporting an all of the above approach to advancing roadway Safety Innovations working together to create safer roads for everyone. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member young. Were joined by the Ranking Member of the full committee. Senator cruz. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Last year 40,990 people died on roads in the United States. I expect that we will hear that number multiple times today. And thats because its a tragic number, especially for all of those who lost loved ones. There are many reasons that go into this. One of which is lack of adequate infrastructure. Lack of sufficient freeways. Lack of sufficient space that creates more traffic. Unfortunately the Biden Administration has consistently failed to prioritize new freeways, has consistently failed to prioritize infrastructure and instead the Biden Administration has allowed itself to be distracted by political pet projects. Things like bike lanes. Things like the allegation that there are racist roads we need to be worried about. Instead of focusing on the important task of building more roads. On this committee im proud to have led the way on multiple pieces of Bipartisan Legislation that have been signed into law to expand our critical infrastructure. Passed unanimously and was signed into law. That interstate is critically needed throughout west texas, east texas and each of the states that i14 will run through all the way to the atlantic ocean. Likewise, i was the lead author of legislation designating i 27. The ports to planes corridor. That bill was introduced with another democrat, another member of this committee. I27 will run from laredo, texas up north through west texas through the panhandle of texas into new mexico all the way up to canada. It will be a major artery for north south trade and commerce. Likewise i was the lead author of legislation to build and expand four new bridges from south texas to mexico across the rio grande river. Those bridges were being delayed by bureaucratic road blocks put up by the Biden Administration. Repeatedly i went to the secretary of transportation to the secretary of state asked them to stop those bureaucratic road blocks. They refused to do so. Every one of those projects was delayed three, four, five years until i authored legislation streamlining the permitting of that legislation of those bridges. Another way is Public Safety. Sadly we have seen democrats spend much of the past few years disparaging Law Enforcement and were learning that less enforcement of Traffic Safety potentially leads to more traffic crashes. That makes sense if you think the police are not going to enforce laws and people are going to be more likely to break the laws. In his written testimony for todays hearing, mr. Nelson notes that quote, rising traffic fatalities are correlated with drops in the enforcement of life saving traffic laws and parts of the country have seen a decrease in citations by as much as 50 for dangerous activities like speeding or Impaired Driving. An article from october 2023 titled the decline in Police Traffic stops is killing people points out that cities like seattle, new york city and st. Louis saw traffic stops decline and saw a significant increase in traffic fatalities. Previous research has also drawn a link between declines in Traffic Enforcement and accidents. Another notable issue is drugged driving. A 2022 Research Paper found from 2009 to 2019 let legalization of Recreational Marijuana was quote, associated with a 6. 5 increase in injury crash rates and a 2. 3 increase in fatal crash rates. Biden Administration Rather than working to keep our families safe on the roadways has instead di creed it will classify marijuana from a schedule one substance to schedule three. The American Trucking association quickly followed this news with a letter highlighting that rescheduling marijuana without an explicit allowance for a test for its use would create confusion and result in quote, topics. Our first witness is sam krassenstein. Serves as the chief of infrastructure for the city of detroit. He is responsible for leading the citys infrastructure and transportation priorities. Collaborating with state and federal partners. Executing Major Projects and overseeing grant funding. He has an mba and a masters in urban planning from the university of michigan. Welcome, mr. Krassenstein. Please proceed. Good afternoon. Im humbled at the opportunity to appear today at this important hearing to represent the city of detroit and the state of michigan as a transportation official proud detroit resident, motorcyclist, husband and father. Im here because detroit has the unenviable position of having the second highest traffic fatality rate in and the third highest rate for pedestrians in the country. Last year alone we lost 132 lives to traffic violence amidst the 40,990 People Killed nationwide. Our Street Network was built for a city of nearly two million people. Almost three times our current population. Like many urban areas nationwide, overbuilt streets creates the perfect scenario for speeding, dangerous driving and treacherous conditions for our most vulnerable residents trying to catch the bus or cross the street on foot. We had an opportunity to make real change with new programs like safe streets for all. Weve been extremely fortunate to receive two grants totaling 49. 6 million across 2022 and 2023. Systematic Infrastructure Improvements across 30 miles of roads. Basically the roads with the highest rate of crashes resulting in it injuryes. Many of these intersections are partially or under county or state jurisdiction and required close collaboration to be able to apply. Last week in partnership with michigan d. O. T. We submitted another ssa request this time for a pilot for safety county measures. The part within detroit is one of the most dangerous roadways in the state for drivers and pedestrians alike. Grashet is the perfect example. Its a nine lane surface arterial street that cuts through the heart of detroits east side. The road design has been virtually unc