House subcommittee hearing: Members, safety groups and industry stress urgency as U.S. traffic deaths near 41,000 in 2023

Subcommittee Chair Rausser opened a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing by citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that "nearly 41,000 people died in motor vehicle related crashes in 2023." He called the decline from 2022 insufficient and flagged changes in driver behavior and reduced traffic enforcement since 2020 as central concerns for the next surface transportation reauthorization.

The hearing drew broad, cross‑sector agreement that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL, also called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) gave states and localities sustained funding—including large increases to the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and a new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program—but that more work remains on enforcement, roadway design and vehicle technology. "We have the knowledge and tools to respond to the urgency of the roadway safety crisis," Ranking Member Norton said, noting recent federal rules on automatic emergency braking and the BIL’s targeted safety investments.

Witnesses from state government, counties, industry and safety advocacy described complementary roles for infrastructure, enforcement and vehicle technology. Michael Hanson, director of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety and chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), urged streamlining of federal grant administration so more money flows to programs that reduce unsafe driving behavior. "These programs need to be more efficiently administered by NHTSA so that more of the federal funding can work towards improving safety instead of expanding resources demonstrating compliance," Hanson said.

Jim Wilcox, a county commissioner representing the National Association of Counties, said counties own or operate a large share of local roads and bridges and face unique rural constraints: limited tax bases, gravel roads that need different countermeasures than urban pavement, and complex federal permitting. "Before counties can begin many infrastructure projects, we must navigate a maze of federal permits," Wilcox said, urging greater flexibility for rural solutions.

Industry witnesses emphasized work‑zone safety and supply‑chain effects on delivering roadside safety infrastructure. Haley Norman, co‑owner of Direct Traffic Control Inc. and chair‑elect of the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), warned that Buy America changes and rising costs could delay safety projects and said work‑zone devices and in‑cab alerts help protect crews. Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, reiterated research backing infrastructure countermeasures such as roundabouts and pedestrian‑friendly redesigns and urged transparent grant metrics to ensure funds produce measurable safety benefits.

Committee members asked witnesses about several recurring themes: whether decreased traffic enforcement since 2020 has increased risky driving (witnesses said the data indicate it has), how technology such as automatic emergency braking and better data collection can reduce crashes, and how federal programs can better serve tribal and rural communities. Several members and witnesses pointed to programs—section 402 and 405 NHTSA grants, HSIP and SS4A—as critical tools that Congress should defend and refine in reauthorization.

The hearing included exchanges about autonomous vehicles (AVs) and impaired‑driving detection technology, with witnesses urging accountable deployment and improved data reporting before mass roll‑out. Witnesses repeatedly prioritized implementing known, evidence‑based countermeasures alongside careful introduction of new technologies.