[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9430-S9431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAUCUS:
  S. 3011. A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to establish 
programs to encourage economic growth in the United States, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the MEGA Safe 
Act. Maximum Economic Growth for America Through Safety Improvements.
  Safer roads save lives. Improving traffic and roadway safety is one 
of the biggest challenges facing the government today. Traffic deaths 
are consistently one of the top ten causes of deaths each year. 
Accidents involving motor vehicles affect all of us.

[[Page S9431]]

  This bill is only a beginning in our Nation's efforts to curb roadway 
accidents and deaths, in a way that best addresses the needs of our 
States.
  A large cause of accidents is the poor quality of signs in and around 
crosswalks, school and bicycle crossings. Highway signs marking 
pedestrian, bicycle, and school zone crossings help to alert motorists 
to the increased risks associated with these locations.
  This bill establishes a grant program to improve safety at 
pedestrian, school and bicycle crossings by marking them with 
fluorescent yellow-green, signs. FYG signs are currently the most 
reflective signs available.
  The Secretary of Transportation is directed to set aside $25 million 
each fiscal year from the Surface Transportation Program to finance 
these safety improvement grants. The funds may be obligated for 
eligible projects located on any public road.
  I've been hearing from County Commissioners from Montana as well as 
other States, about how much they need direct funding for local roads. 
These localities are hard pressed for funds and many of these roads are 
unsafe. This bill would establish a pilot program, at $200 million 
annually from fiscal year 2004-2009, to address safety on rural local 
roads. Funds could be used only on local roads and rural minor 
collectors, roads that are not Federal-aid highways.
  The program does not affect distribution of funds among States, as 
funds will be distributed to each of the 50 States in accord with their 
relative formula share under 23 U.S.C. 105. Funds could be used only 
for projects or activities that have a safety benefit. By January 1, 
2009 the Secretary of Transportation is to report on progress under the 
provision and whether any modifications are recommended.
  This bill takes a different approach to the issue of aggressive 
driving. Rather than sanctioning drivers who display aggressive 
behavior, this section seeks to lessen that negative behavior by 
removing some of the frustration that causes that behavior.
  This section applies to all Federal interstates. It names the left 
lane as the ``National Passing Lane.'' It requires all vehicles to use 
the left lane for passing only. It further requires that all drivers 
allow other vehicles to pass them in the left lane. I believe that one 
of the big frustrations of drivers in this country is being held up by 
someone going slow in the left lane. It contributes to driver 
aggression and to congestion. The MEGA Safe Act seeks to alleviate 
that.
  An amount of no less than $1 million will be given to each State each 
year of the bill, 6 years, to educate the driving public about this new 
law and the proper behavior.
  Each State will decide how to best enforce this law, for example, 
enforcement of ticketable offenses such as if a driver does not allow 
another to pass or the driver is holding up the left lane with a line 
of cars behind him.
  Additionally, the bill funds a study to make recommendations on 
instituting measures that will help the federal government and states 
teach motorists and truck drivers how to effectively share the road 
with each other.
  Recently the American Automobile Association, AAA, unveiled a study 
that shows that the majority of highway crashes that involved trucks 
are caused by the car or cars involved.
  MEGA Safe would give $1 million to the American Trucking 
Associations, ATA, and AAA to issue a report making recommendations on 
how the Federal and State governments can better teach car drivers and 
more carriers how to share the road.
  It requires a preliminary report in a year and the final report a 
year later.
  Finally, the MEGA Safe Act would address Work Zone Safety by ensuring 
that, for each project that uses Federal funds, a trained and certified 
person would be given the responsibility for assuring that the traffic 
control plan is effectively administered. This would help reduce the 
number of deaths occurring in work zone safety areas.
  The MEGA Safe Act is by no means a comprehensive safety proposal, but 
I believe that these ideas are a good foundation for our safety 
policies as we embark on the Reauthorization of TEA 21.
                                 ______