Virginia’s Transportation Funding Crisis Raises Safety Concerns By Col. Gerald Massengill, Virginians for Better Transportation
The severity of Virginia’s transportation funding crisis should not be underestimated and one important aspect we need to recognize is the safety concerns associated with the condition of our current transportation system.
In lieu of the fact that transportation funding in Virginia is at a crisis point, transportation safety is a major concern, both on the national and regional levels. As a retired superintendent with the Virginia State Police, I have a vested interest in this issue and am truly concerned about the safety of our families, friends and co-workers.
In 2002, there were 6.4 million motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide resulting in more than 42,000 fatalities and 3 million injuries.
In 2003, there were approximately 155,000 accidents on Virginia roads including approximately 37,000 crashes in the Fairfax District, 34,000 in the Portsmouth District and 32,300 in the Richmond District. Three years ago, 943 of our loved ones lost their lives due to accidents involving pedestrians, accidents related to the roadway and crashes involving large trucks. Nearly 79,000 people were injured that year as well.
The cities of Virginia Beach, Richmond, Norfolk and Hampton had the highest number of automobile crashes in the state in 2003. Without sustainable funding for new investments and maintenance to our roadways, the traffic and congestion will only get worse, increasing the chances of anyone of us becoming one of the statistics.
And, to that point, Virginians must understand the current condition of our transportation system – in terms of safety. As an example, if your loved one experiences a heart attack, or some other type of life threatening condition, it is imperative that he/she gets to the hospital within five to 10 minutes to address the health issues properly within that first critical hour. Without significant funding, adequate improvements or new investments to our roadways, there will be more obstacles and less of a chance that your loved one gets to the hospital in adequate time.
For those who have young children, did you know more than 900,000 students get on 14,000 school buses every morning and every evening? As parents, it must be a top priority that we ensure the state keeps our roadways and school buses maintained and updated, and always considers new investment opportunities for alternative routes in order to keep our children safe.
It is also imperative that Virginia is able to continue to provide funding for security at our rail, air and port facilities. Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as state police superintendent, I traveled to Washington, D.C. and understand firsthand the importance of national and state security. We expect our national and state leaders to protect us, but without significant funding to secure our state’s transportation facilities, our safety and quality of life will be in jeopardy.
Virginians must realize that these issues will affect all of us if long-term, multimodal solutions to the transportation funding crisis are not determined quickly. We have reached a crisis point and cannot wait any longer to address these concerns. Our safety and quality of life depend on finding sustainable solutions. It’s Time Virginia...before it’s too late.
*Statistical data included in this story was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s NationalCenter for Statistics and Analysis and the Federal Highway Research and Technology Program.
Col. Gerald Massengill is a retired superintendent of the VirginiaState Police and is an executive council member for Virginians for Better Transportation (VBT). For more information about the It’s Time campaign and ways you can help be part of the solution, log on to www.itstimevirginia.org and become a VBT supporter.
