Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety held a press conference today which I watched live-stream. They released their 13th Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws–outlining the 319 proven safety laws which many states have not adopted, including such things as seat belt usage, motorcycle helmet laws, impaired driving, child passenger safety, teen graduated licensing laws, and distracted driving.

http://saferoads.org/roadmaps/

I submitted several questions online, and they replied to this one: “What is causing resistance to these laws being adopted?”

The reply: lobby groups, laws getting stalled in committee. Joan Claybrook encouraged the public to get involved because it can make a difference.

I also asked the question: “How might a National Vision Zero Goal overcome the problem of looking at safety measures in terms of states rights? Establish national safety standards and require them to be adopted by states.”

The reply was a simple: Setting goals is not enough.

No, setting goals is not enough. Which is why, in my efforts to push for Vision Zero, I have clearly laid out specific means of practical implementation. And it is why I have called for President Obama to set a Vision Zero Goal and follow it up with a very detailed Vision Zero Executive Order which will give DOT the authority to implement a Vision Zero rulemaking policy. Purpose: to move things along faster and with more teeth to save the most lives possible.

Check out the details of our Vision Zero Petitions here:  https://annaleahmary.com/2016/01/adopt-a-national-vision-zero-goal-save-lives-not-dollars/

But I don’t think that all of my question was really addressed. Isn’t it a role of the federal government to protect its citizens? Is the federal government protecting its citizens from Death by Motor Vehicle?

Would it not make sense for these proven laws to be made Federal Law and that adoption of them by every state in the nation be mandated? Is not anything less abdicating from the responsibility to protect its citizens?

• THE FIRST DUTY OF GOVERNMENT:
  PROTECTION, LIBERTY AND THE
  FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT  http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3172&context=dlj
• “government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm”  http://www.laissez-fairerepublic.com/benson.htm

As far as I am concerned, it is not violating individual rights to mandate safety measures which are proven to protect individual citizens by saving their lives. What is stopping us from doing so?

Why should states waste time (Read that as LOSE MORE LIVES) re-inventing the wheel and crawling through the red tape and battling the lobbyists who only care about their pocketbook?

NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind made the point today that the number of crash deaths in our country have gone up at least 8.1% (maybe more) in 2015 from the 32,675 people who lost their lives on the roads in 2014. And we don’t want to rise up and say, “Enough is enough!”?

Example of state laws being compatible with federal regulations:  COMPATIBILITY OF STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS AFFECTING INTERSTATE MOTOR CARRIER OPERATIONS,

• To promote adoption and enforcement of State laws and regulations pertaining to commercial motor vehicle safety that are compatible with appropriate parts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. . . https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/part/355
• The purpose of this part is to ensure the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), States, local government agencies and other political jurisdictions work in partnership to establish programs to improve motor carrier, CMV, and driver safety to support a safe and efficient transportation system by https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/350.103
• What jurisdictions are eligible for MCSAP funding?  https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/350.107
• Traffic enforcement means enforcement activities of State or local officials,  https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/350.111
• The national program elements include the following five activities:  https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/350.109
• How does a State demonstrate that it satisfies the conditions for Basic Program funding?  https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/350.209
• The State’s certification must be consistent with the following content: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/350.211
• Adopting and enforcing compatible laws and regulations.  https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/355.25