The Action Program for Highway Safety

Abstract

History shows that the Action Programs for Traffic Safety of both the United States and Canada have evolved as a result of half a century of seemingly unrelated ef forts to cope with the growing problem of motor vehicle acci dents. In both countries, public officials have the primary re sponsibility for traffic safety. Equally important, however, is the active support of citizen leaders to meet the needs of and to secure the proper operation of official traffic agencies. This dual approach is predicated upon close co-operation between traffic officials and citizen leaders in developing and securing understanding and acceptance of the official traffic safety pro gram of a jurisdiction. The Action Program first developed in 1946 and revised slightly in 1949 stands as the master plan for this balanced comprehensive program; it is applicable in whole or in part by all governmental jurisdictions and by organiza tions of private citizens. New concepts of traffic accident pre vention are developing: driver behavior research is being probed; important developments in vehicle and highway en gineering are taking place; new formats are being explored for the enlistment of citizen support leadership; and basic re search into accident causes is getting under way. Many of the recommendations set forth in the Action Program are likely to face substantial change under the impact of future develop ments.