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Idaho Transportation
Department

Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
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Board to consider safety report, request

The Idaho Transportation Board will review results of the 2004 collision report for Idaho and the FY 2006 Office of Traffic and Highway Safety’s (OTHS) proposed safety performance plan when it meets in Pocatello Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 17-18).

As noted in the Aug. 5 Transporter article, Improved fatality rate among nation’s seven best, Idaho’s highway fatalities dropped from 293 in 2003 to 260 last year. OTHS research analyst Steve Rich will elaborate on the 2004 Idaho Traffic Collision Report in a presentation to the board. Among the report’s findings are:

  • Idaho’s fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled reached an all-time low of
  • 1.75, although the state’s rate is still significantly higher than the national rate of 1.48.
  • Almost 40% of the motor vehicle fatalities in Idaho were the result of impaired driving.
  • Aggressive driving was a contributing factor in 56% of the motor vehicle collisions.
  • 18 pedestrians and three bicyclists were killed in 2004.

FY06 Highway Safety Performance Plan
In other major discussion, the board will consider the OTHS highway safety performance plan that is funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s safety grant program.
The goal is to reduce deaths and serious injuries resulting from motor vehicle collisions by implementing programs to address driver behaviors. An annual highway safety plan identifies Idaho’s most critical behavior-related problems and develops strategies to address them.

The Idaho Traffic Safety Commission is charged with reviewing traffic safety problems, developing effective plans for additional local-state cooperative activities, recommending programs that use federal aid for highway safety and recommending future traffic accident-prevention activities.

The commission identified the following areas to address in the coming fiscal year: safety restraint use, impaired drivers, aggressive driving, youthful drivers, roadway safety/traffic records, bicycle and pedestrian safety and emergency medical services.

The annual project selection process starts by notifying state and local public agencies involved in traffic-related activities of the availability of grant funds. RFPs (requests for proposals) are solicited that relate to the focus areas.

ITD staff review applications based on criteria it established. The Traffic Safety Commission then reviews staff’s recommendations before developing the plan and presenting it to the board for approval.

The FY06 plan, which is approximately $2 million, will fund a variety of projects, such as salary and training expenses for law enforcement officials for DUI enforcement, educational efforts on the dangers of aggressive driving, and extrication equipment to aid rescue personnel in the removal of crash victims.

Projects also are recommended that enable OTHS to implement educational and informational campaigns to address the focus areas and to conduct seat belt surveys.

FY05 Financial statement summary
ITD Controller Dave Tolman will provide a summary of the final FY05 financial statement to board members. The department’s overall revenue in the State Highway Fund increased 5.5 percent from the previous year while expenditures were approximately 8 percent greater in FY05. Total revenue and transfers in was close to $456 million, with expenditures in the amount of $436.5 million.

The State Aeronautics Fund also noted a revenue increase of approximately 3% in FY05.

District 5 board tour
The board will start its District 5 tour with a visit to the Pocatello Regional Transit bus depot. Along with a tour of the facilities, the board will meet with local elected officials to discuss regional transportation issues. It also will travel to Blackfoot to participate in a ribbon–cutting ceremony for the Greater Blackfoot Area Greenbelt that was constructed through public and private partnerships.

Workshop on SAFETEA-LU
Wednesday afternoon, board members will learn more about the new federal transportation bill – Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETA-LU).

Idaho’s federal funding will increase approximately 30 percent from the previous bill, known as the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century. (See Transporter article of Aug. 5.)

A reauthorization implementation team is being established to review the bill and its impact on transportation in Idaho. The team will provide recommendations for action and implementation to the board in the future.