The Safe System Consortium is a group of engineers, scientists, public health professionals, and safety experts working to reimagine road safety and equity in the United States, convened by Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy (JHCIRP) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) with the support of the FIA Foundation.

Road safety progress in the United States of America (US) has stalled in recent years, with almost 40,000 deaths and 3 million serious injuries annually resulting in close to $1 trillion in comprehensive economic impact. Traffic injury is the leading cause of death for young people in the US and there are associated endemic inequities rooted in the country’s road transportation system.

The group focuses on the way the Safe System approach can shape how roads affect US lives and communities. A consensus report published in 2021 focused on the benefits of the Safe System approach for racial equity and included 34 recommendations for planning, funding, and implementation. Additional funding has been secured from AAA Foundation for future consortiums.

The report was delivered to the US Congress in time to be influential in helping to shape a new sweeping one-trillion dollar infrastructure policy proposal. The bill marks the first time that federal road policy explicitly supports the Safe System approach and this endorsement is anticipated to have far-reaching implications for adoption. Several life-saving Consortium recommendations have been integrated into the bill, including biennial Vulnerable Road User Assessments and road changes (consistent with the safe systems approach) to address gaps; funding traffic calming, speed reduction and road improvements to separate vehicles from pedestrians and cyclists; funding Safe Routes to School infrastructure improvements and annual financial support to States for Vision Zero. The Department of Transportation National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) was launched in January 2022 to work towards the long-term goal of reaching zero roadway fatalities.

Read the Safe System Consortium Report