In 2002, of the 42,815  fatalities on the nation’s roadways, 25,849 (60 percent) were on rural roads. Four Factors Contribute to Rural Road Fatalities

One or more of four factors contribute to rural road fatalities—human  behavior, roadway environment, vehicles, and the degree of care for  victims after a crash. Human behavioral factors involve actions taken by or  the condition of the driver and passenger of the automobile, including the  use or nonuse of safety belts, the effects of alcohol or drugs, speeding and  other traffic violations, and being distracted or drowsy when driving. Vehicle factors include vehicle- related failures and vehicle design issues that contribute to a crash and are  important in both rural and urban crashes. Not using safety belts contributes to fatalities in rural crashes. As a result of these  features, fatal crashes on two-lane rural roads are significant. For example,  FHWA reports that over 70 percent of single-vehicle run-off-the-road  fatalities occur on rural roadways and that about 90 percent of these were  on two-lane rural roads. In addition, the Emergency Medical Services  Division Chief at NHTSA told us that providing adequate medical care in  rural areas is more challenging due, in part, to the lack of trauma services. The states are ultimately responsible for deciding on the  use of the funding provided. Funding Is Provided to States to Eliminate Roadway Hazards and Improve Driving Behavior but Portion Used for Rural Safety Is Unknown

FHWA and NHTSA provide the states funding to support a variety of  programs, part of which was used to improve rural road safety. In fiscal  year 2003, FHWA provided states and the District of Columbia with about  $27.4 billion in federal-aid highway funds. For fiscal year 2003, about $648 million went to the states  for hazard elimination and highway-rail crossings programs—about $330  million of which went to improve rural road safety. The following are examples of rural-related projects supported in the five  states we visited. Safety Improvements to Rural Roads Limited by the Combination of the Millions of Miles of Rural Roads, Low Volume of Traffic, and High Cost of Construction

Due to the extensive size of the rural highway system, the low volume of  traffic on many rural roads and the high costs that would be incurred to  make major safety changes, state and local governments find it difficult to  undertake major safety construction programs on some rural roads. In addition, most of the rural  mileage is on the lowest functional class of rural roads—local rural roads— that account for about 68 percent of the rural roads (about 2.1 million  miles). States Are Limited in Using Federal Aid Highway Funds for Certain Rural Roadways

Because of program requirements, states cannot use all categories of  federal-aid highway funds for certain rural roads. Proposals for New Safety Research. Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

We provided copies of a draft of this report to the Department of  Transportation for its review and comment. In discussing this report,  agency officials noted that safety should be part of every project designed  and built with federal-aid funds. To meet  this requirement, we identified (1) factors contributing to rural road  fatalities, (2) federal and state efforts to improve safety on the nation’s  rural roads, and (3) challenges that may hinder making improvements in  rural road safety. To identify the factors contributing to rural road fatalities, we  supplemented an earlier GAO report, Highway Safety:  Research  Continues on a Variety of Factors That Contribute to Motor Vehicle  Crashes (GAO-03-436, March 2003), with information from the Federal  Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety  Administration, and other organizations with knowledge of this issue, such  as the National Association of Counties and the American Association of  State Highway and Transportation Officials. Examples of State Activities to Improve Rural Road Safety

We obtained information from five states (California, Georgia, Minnesota,  Pennsylvania, and Texas) on the number of fatalities on their roadways, the  federal funding they receive for safety purposes, and a description of the  types of projects these funds support.
Why GAO Did This Study

Traffic crashes are a major cause of death and injury in the United States. In 2002, there were 42,815 fatalities and over 2.9 million injuries on the nation's highways. Crashes on rural roads (roads in areas with populations of less than 5,000) account for over 60 percent of the deaths nationwide, or about 70 deaths each day. Further, the rate of fatalities per vehicle mile traveled on rural roads was over twice the urban fatality rate. GAO identified (1) the factors contributing to rural road fatalities, (2) federal and state efforts to improve safety on the nation's rural roads, and (3) the challenges that may hinder making improvements in rural road safety. GAO obtained information from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other organizations with knowledge of these issues. In addition, GAO analyzed fatal crash data on rural roads from Department of Transportation databases and visited five states that account for about 20 percent of the nation's rural road mileage. GAO also contacted academic experts and examined legislative proposals for improving rural road safety. We provided copies of a draft of this report to the Department of Transportation for its review and comment. In discussing this report, agency officials noted that safety should be part of every project designed and built with federal-aid highway funds.

What GAO Found

Four primary factors contribute to rural road fatalities--human behavior, roadway environment, vehicles, and the care victims receive after a crash. Human behavior involves the actions taken by or the condition of the driver and passengers. Human behaviors are important because almost 70 percent of the unrestrained (unbelted) fatalities between 2000 and 2002 occurred in rural crashes. Additionally, the majority of alcohol- and speeding-related fatalities occurred on rural roads. Roadway characteristics that contribute to rural crashes include narrow lanes, sharp curves, trees, and animals. Vehicle factors include problems that arise due to the design of vehicles and are important for both urban and rural roads. Care of crash victims also contributes to rural fatalities because of the additional time needed to provide medical attention and the quality of rural trauma care. In fiscal year 2003, FHWA provided about $27.4 billion in federal-aid highway funds to states. While many projects using these funds have safety features, the amount used for safety is not tracked. However, about $648 million of these funds went to the Hazard Elimination and Rail-Highway Crossings Programs and were specifically provided for safety purposes--about $330 million of which went to improve rural road safety. NHTSA provided about $671 million to states for activities that influence both rural and urban drivers' behavior in such areas as safety belt use, drunk driving, or speeding. States are ultimately responsible for selecting the projects to support with federal funding. The five states we visited used a portion of the funding received for rural road safety. Many challenges hinder efforts to improve rural road safety--for example, not all states have adopted safety belt and drunk driving laws that might curb behavior contributing to rural road fatalities. In addition, states are limited in using federal-aid highway funds for certain rural roads, and most rural roads are the responsibility of local governments that may lack the resources to undertake costly projects to improve road safety. Further, some states lack adequate crash data to support planning and evaluation of safety projects. Lastly, the nature of rural areas makes it difficult to provide adequate emergency medical care.