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Response to DOT Request for Information on Transportation Equity Data
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
July 22, 2021
Contact: Jason Levine, [email protected] or (202) 328-7700
Re: Request for Information on Transportation Equity Data, Docket No. DOT-OST-2021-0056
Dear Secretary Buttigieg,
The Center for Auto Safety (CAS) fully supports the Department of Transportation (DOT) in its efforts to ensure better data is acquired to advance transportation policy, and particularly transportation safety initiatives. The DOT’s Request for Information on Transportation Equity Data1 is an important initial step in the administration’s efforts to ensure that all Americans have safe and equitable access to multiple modes of transportation.
There is little question that there are disparate impacts on underserved communities when it comes to motor vehicle crash deaths. Socioeconomic status as well as race and ethnicity are too often predictors as to who is most likely to be among the almost 40,000 crash fatalities on U.S. roads every year. The first step in addressing this problem is to be sure that useful data is collected, which in turn enables policymakers to understand the scope of the issues and create solutions to improve road safety for everyone.