The Traffic Justice Institute was a different
approach from many of the meetings the National Center
for Bicycling & Walking has run in conjunction with
the Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conferences. We had a panel of speakers
with various perspectives on how to get America to look
at crashes and the true costs in human life, medical payments,
and more. But we also asked the meeting participants themselves
to engage in interactive breakout sessions to give their
ideas on how to launch a national campaign that raises
these issues.
"I liked the fact that we were calling
attention to this important issue, and that there was
agreement on the need for starting a serious campaign,"
said one participant. "I also liked the ALARA model
presentation by Khal Spencer," and the valuable pre-conference
reading that was posted on the web site." (We've
retained a number of those items, so you can still download
and read them.)
"Moving the country towards a new
view of road crashes and injuries is exciting," said
another TJI participant. "Raising the bar is a great
goal."
Traffic Justice
Initiative
We typically speak of “accidents”, rarely
of crashes or road violence; and rarer still do we treat
them as matters of systematic injustice. Yet they are
more than an accumulation of random events, more than
a series of regrettable yet unavoidable byproducts of
our transportation system. They constitute a violent and
anti-social assault on life, health and community.
We plan to mount a campaign to redefine
our societal perspective on motor vehicle crashes, and
substantially reduce their occurrence. We will come at
this goal from every possible angle, including transforming
public discourse about road safety, holding drivers accountable
for their actions, changing highway design to better limit
motor vehicle speeds, fully enabling the employment of
every enforcement technology, and curtailing the use of
distracting electronic devices.
We see this as a national campaign, fueled
by local groups. A small national staff will provide a
broad perspective, technical advice, advocacy support,
position papers, press releases, and coordination among
local initiatives. Local groups will provide success stories
through implementing a menu of local initiatives based
on local needs and local interests.
We began this effort in Madison, Wisconsin
on September 5, 2006. Some seventy people met for a day
to discuss how we might proceed. After distilling all
recommendations, we at the National Center for Bicycling
& Walking have agreed to take the following steps:
