Safer People

Encourage safe, responsible driving and behavior by people who use our roads and create conditions that prioritize their ability to reach their destination unharmed.

The safety of people is U.S. DOT’s core mission. Enabling people to be safer includes actions to encourage safer behaviors among the driving public, commercial drivers, and all road users. 

People generally use the roadway system in a safe manner on any given trip, but mistakes, lapses in judgment, and other more significant risky behaviors still occur.  

Behavioral Safety Factors

The three most frequent and persistent behavioral safety factors in fatal crashes are:

1. People in motor vehicles not wearing seat belts
2. Driving while impaired from alcohol
3. Speeding

The visual below highlights the impacts of these three critical behavioral safety factors in terms of passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2022. 

Behaviors of Passenger Vehicle Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes in 2022

The Impacts of Roadway Fatalities for Pedestrians, Cyclists, Motorcyclists, and Children

The below icons link to data visualizations that focus on some of the vulnerable groups who use our roadways. The information in these visualizations provides an opportunity to better understand the impacts of roadway fatalities for people who are walking, biking, riding motorcycles, or are children.

View full-screen versions of the data visualizations on roadway fatalities for:

• Pedestrians
• Pedalcyclists
• Motorcyclists
• Children

Through the National Roadway Safety Strategy, the Department will focus on using all available tools, including education, outreach, engineering solutions, and enforcement, to address persistent behavioral safety issues. A robust and comprehensive approach to influencing human behavior also requires deepening our understanding of underlying causes through research.