By: Garcia S.C.R. No. 42
(In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2017; March 22, 2017, read
first time and referred to Committee on Transportation;
April 18, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9,
Nays 0; April 18, 2017, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Among states with populations greater than five
million, the State of Texas has the nation's second-highest rate of
traffic deaths per capita; and
WHEREAS, Every day, 10 people die on Texas roads, and 50
suffer debilitating, life-changing injuries in traffic accidents;
federal transportation laws already require each state to develop a
strategic highway safety plan that focuses the efforts of all
safety partners on the highest priority needs, but what Texas
requires is the unification of stakeholders in support of an
overarching program designed to end acceptance of traffic mayhem as
a normative occurrence; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, Sweden adopted Vision Zero, a systems
approach to enhancing traffic safety; it places core responsibility
for crashes on overall system design, addressing safety through
infrastructure design, vehicle technology, and enforcement; as a
result of this bold initiative, the Scandinavian nation now has one
of the lowest annual rates of road deaths in the world, with only 3
out of 100,000, roughly a quarter of the rate in the United States;
and
WHEREAS, Other European countries have significantly reduced
fatalities through Vision Zero initiatives, and Spain more than
halved its number of traffic deaths; in the United States, Vision
Zero has proven effective in many places, reducing fatalities by 40
percent or more in Minnesota, Utah, and Washington State; New York
City achieved a tremendous reduction in pedestrian fatalities,
which in 2014 fell to the lowest number since records began about a
century ago; and
WHEREAS, Vision Zero is based on four principles: ethics,
responsibility, system safety, and mechanisms for change; human
life and health are paramount, providers and regulators of road
traffic systems share responsibility with users, and systems should
take account of human fallibility to minimize opportunities for
error and the harm done when mistakes occur; finally, providers and
regulators must do their utmost to guarantee the safety of all
citizens, cooperating with road users, and all three elements must
be prepared to undergo necessary change; and
WHEREAS, Loss of life is not an acceptable price to pay for
mobility, and the state must take a more comprehensive approach to
traffic safety, guided by a zero-fatality goal; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby direct the Texas Department of Transportation to adopt a
Vision Zero strategy to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an
official copy of this resolution to the chair of the Texas
Transportation Commission and the executive director of the Texas
Department of Transportation.
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