 Public
transit provides a flexible alternative to automobile and highway
travel, offering a higher degree of safety as well. Public expectations
for safety are much higher for transit than they are for highway
travel.
Reduce the rate of transit fatalities.
| Transit
fatalities per 100 million passenger-miles traveled.
Target: 1999 2000 2001 2002
2003 2004
.507 .502 .497 .492 .492 .492
Actual: .530 .499(r)
.480(r) .487#
|
(r) Revised; # Preliminary estimate.
As
the population grows, public transit use will increase commensurately.
DOT resources attributable to
this performance goal are depicted below:
Through Formula Grants, Capital Investment Grants,
and the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, FTA invests in public
transit infrastructure. Part of that investment improves transit
safety by replacing older bus and rail systems with newer, safer
ones and by improving track and transit facility condition. For
new projects, safety is a design consideration from the beginning.
FTA planning and research funds assist States, local transit authorities,
and the transit industry by providing safety technical assistance,
improving compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act’s
safety requirements, and by improving technology and training programs.
FTA also oversees State commuter rail safety programs and alcohol
and drug testing programs, and collects data on safety and security
standards and accident causal factors for use by FTA, States, and
local transit agencies.
In FY 2004, FTA will provide $5.4 million in Transit
Planning and Research funds to continue improving transit fatality
and injury rates by:
• safety training for transit professionals
in over 200 offerings of 28 courses on topics such as system safety,
accident prevention, emergency management, industrial safety, alternative
fuels safety, bus operator safety, and fatigue awareness;
• collecting, analyzing and disseminating transit
safety, security, and drug and alcohol test result data in the Transit
Safety Clearinghouse website, which can be accessed and used by
transit decision makers in improving transit system safety and security;
• evaluating the impact of new vehicle and infrastructure
technologies on transit safety, especially for bus safety; and
• conducting safety awareness outreach.
| Transit
injuries per 100 million passenger-miles traveled.
Target:
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
123.2 121.9 120.7 109.4 108.3 107.2
Actual: 114.9 111.7 102.1(r)
N/A* |
r) Revised; N/A Not available;* no data to comparable
2001 due to revised definition of “transit injuries”.
Note on data: For 2002 and following, the definition
of what constitutes a reportable transit “injury,” was
changed in the new National Transit Database (the source of the
transit injuries data). Only incidents involving immediate medical
treatment away from the scene now qualify as a reportable transit
injury. FTA made this change in consultation with the transit industry.
Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: FTA collaborates
with NTSB to resolveNational Transit Safety Board (NTSB) findings
and recommendations related to public transportation safety. |
