Trucks 5,374 people died in truck crashes in 1998. There's a national shortage of 28,000 truck parking spaces in rest areas. State policies putting tired truckers back on the road has to stop and more spaces and rest areas need to be built. Economic Costs and Funding Federal funding contingent on State action creates piecemeal funding and results in fragmented efforts. 225,000 more trucks are added to the fleet each year.
Highway safety is primarily a State government function.
States must take the lead. Graduated licensing laws represent a good example. States collect safety data inconsistently. Leadership needed to make tough decisions should come from NGA and from each Governor. More lives can be saved if highway safety is the number 1 priority than any other action a Governor can take.