[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 134 (Wednesday, October 1, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10293-S10294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERREY:
  S. 1243, A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to enhance 
safety on two-lane rural highways; to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works.


                      the rural highway safety act

  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I recently introduced the Highway Safety 
Priority Act which proposed to make safety a primary consideration in 
highway investments.
  Traffic accidents are part of a national health epidemic responsible 
for the loss of 1.2 million preretirement years of life a year; more 
than is lost to cancer or heart disease. It is the leading cause of 
death for Americans between the ages of 15 and 24. Last year, more than 
41,900 Americans died from this epidemic and more than 3 million 
suffered serious injury. In Nebraska traffic accidents claimed 293 
lives in 1996 up from 254 the year before. Most tragic, is the fact 
that this epidemic is almost 100 percent preventable.
  To address this problem, the Congress must focus resources where they 
will do the most good. Throughout America there are two lane, two way 
roads which expose drivers to an unacceptably high level of risk. These 
high risk ``killer roads'' suffer from poor engineering, poor pavement, 
narrow shoulders and increasing levels of traffic. Because these roads 
are often in rural areas, feeding into the larger arteries, they are 
frequently overlooked by State and local roads departments in favor of 
the larger more modern and inherently safe portions of the National 
Highway System.
  If we are to be serious about reducing death and accidents on 
America's roads, we need to pay greater attention to the roads which 
feed into the National Highway System. The Lincoln Journal Star 
reported in May that 70 percent of all Nebraska accidents occur on 
rural roads.
  Today, I introduce legislation which proposes an aggressive efforts 
to make

[[Page S10294]]

killer roads safer. This legislation, like the Highway Safety Priority 
Act was prepared with significant assistance of Dr. Jerry Donaldson, of 
Advocates for Highway Safety. Dr. Donaldson is one of the Nation's pre-
eminent highway safety experts.
  As the Senate prepares to consider the new highway bill, I urge my 
colleagues to consider and support the Rural Road Safety Act.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the ordered to be printed in the Record, as 
follows:

                                S. 1243

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Highway Safety Act''.

     SEC. 2. RURAL 2-LANE HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, 
     is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``Sec. 162. Rural 2-lane highway safety program

       ``(a) Establishment.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a 2-lane 
     rural highway safety program (referred to in this section as 
     the `program') to ensure the systematic reconstruction of 
     rural 2-lane arterial and collector highways of substantial 
     length that are not on the National Highway System.
       ``(2) Principles.--Reconstruction under the program shall 
     be carried out in accordance with state-of-the-art principles 
     of--
       ``(A) safe alignment and cross-section design;
       ``(B) safe roadside conditions;
       ``(C) safety appurtenances;
       ``(D) durable and safe pavement design (especially long-
     term skid resistance);
       ``(E) grade crossing safety; and
       ``(F) traffic engineering.
       ``(3) Cooperation with states and private sector.--The 
     Secretary shall carry out the program in cooperation with 
     State highway departments and private sector experts in 
     highway safety design, including experts in highway safety 
     policy.
       ``(b) Apportionment.--For each fiscal year, the Secretary 
     shall apportion--
       ``(1) 50 percent of the amount made available under 
     subsection (e) to the States in the ratio that--
       ``(A) the number of miles in the State of rural 2-lane 
     arterial and collector surface roads that are not on the 
     National Highway System; bears to
       ``(B) the number of miles in all States of rural 2-lane 
     arterial and collector surface roads that are not on the 
     National Highway System; and
       ``(2) 50 percent of the amount made available under 
     subsection (e) to the States in the ratio that--
       ``(A) the percentage of the population of the State that 
     resides in rural areas; bears to
       ``(B) the percentage of the population of all States that 
     resides in rural areas.
       ``(c) Selection of Projects.--
       ``(1) In general.--The States shall select projects to 
     receive funding under the program based on--
       ``(A) criteria established in cooperation with the 
     Secretary and other persons that give priority to highways 
     associated with persistently high rates of fatal and non-
     fatal injuries due to accidents; and
       ``(B) to the maximum extent practicable, value engineering 
     and life-cycle cost analysis.
       ``(2) Compatibility with management systems.--To the extent 
     that a State selects projects in accordance with a 
     functioning safety, pavement, bridge, or work zone management 
     system, projects selected under the program shall be 
     compatible with each management system.
       ``(3) Statewide transportation planning.--The selection of 
     projects by a State under the program shall be carried out in 
     a manner consistent with the statewide transportation 
     planning of the State under section 135.
       ``(d) Report to Congress.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than December 31, 2003, the 
     Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the results of 
     the program.
       ``(2) Contents.--The report shall include--
       ``(A) detailed travel and accident data by class of vehicle 
     and roadway; and
       ``(B) an evaluation of the extent to which specific safety 
     design features and accident countermeasures have resulted in 
     lower accident rates, including reduced severity of injuries.
       ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
     $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1998, $125,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 1999, $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $100,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2001, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and 
     $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 1 of 
     title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:

``162. Rural 2-lane highway safety program.''.
                                 ______