October 10th is "Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day"

The seventh annual “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” (PBFD) will be celebrated in communities throughout America to encourage public participation in becoming better drivers and achieving a reduction in the number of traffic deaths for themselves, family members and others.  The goal is to encourage everyone – whether as a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist – to take extra caution this day to prevent crashes from occurring and to improve their habits for driving, riding and walking every other day of the year.

On July 23, 2007 Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced the number of people who died on the nations’ roads fell in 2006.  This resulted in the lowest highway fatality rate (per 100 million vehicle miles) ever recorded and the largest drop in total deaths in 15 years.  In 2006, 42,642 people died in traffic crashes, a drop of 868 deaths compared to 2005.   “Tough safety requirements and new technologies are helping make our vehicles safer and our roads less deadly, Secretary Peters said.  “But we all must do more when so many are killed or seriously hurt on our roads every day.” A fatality occurs approximately once every 12 minutes or 118 every day.

In 2007 the T&DI of ASCE became the lead national organization for the PBFD Program.  The T&DI Safety Committee created a PBFD subcommittee to work with other partner organizations to maintain a web site (www.brakesonfatalities.org) with traffic data, a brochure that can be copied, posters and stickers that can be ordered, and a tool kit that provides example public service announcements and commemorative day proclamations plus other material for creating a local event.   The web site provides material to use by ASCE members who wish to become involved by holding an event in their community, with other organizations or within their companies. For specific questions or to become involved with the national PBFD program please email pbfd@asce.org or rbowman@asce.org.  Please visit the web site to become informed about the program.

In addition to many events being held by PBFD partners throughout the country the T&DI Safety Committee is planning a recognition for PBFD on October 10th at the combined meetings of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and Intertraffic North America 2007 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. October 9-12, 2007.