Applying New Technology To Highway Safety (NAPSA)—An organization committed to reducing highway fatalities is asking professionals in different fields to help make safer roads a priority. The organization’s goal is zero fatalities on the nation’s highways—a significant change from the estimated 42,000 fatalities that are said to be generated by the nation’s transportation system each year. The organization—ITS America (Intelligent Transportation Society of America)—aims to improve highway safety by promoting research, deployment and operation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). In this case, ITS refers to a broad range of diverse technologies, including information processing, communications, control, and electronics. It is the belief of the organization that joining these technologies to the nation’s transportation system will save lives, time, and money. Transportation planners, it contends, need more powerful technology and tools to ensure that transportation flows efficiently and safely throughout the nation. Organization president and CEO Neil D. Schuster explains this new way of thinking will enable us to eliminate delays and ory ITS technologies give transportation engineers and system designers the tools to achieve “zero fatalities.” congestion, improve the transport of people and goods and increase the efficient use of roadways. “Each year, transportation accidents and delays cost over $300 billion,” Schuster says. “This is no longer acceptable. We must make improvements.” Public safety in transportation is a priority for the organization. To that end, it has created a coalition of like-minded organizations to develop information, resources, and tools intended to put safety first when designing transportation systems. Issues and ideas to improve our nation’s transportation system, like the Vision Zero plan, will be reviewed and discussed at ITS America’s annual meeting. To learn more, visit www.itsa.org. eeWeen a nee nee en eee ee en een eee Note to Editors: The ITS America conference will be held April 26-28, 2004 in San Antonio, Texas. Conference registration is free for members of the press. For more information about the conference or about ITS America, contact Director of Communications Nancy Mayes at 202-721-4203 or e-mail nmayes@iisa.org.
