A 21st Century roadmap to prioritize safety and health in transportation policy and practice

Traffic injuries and deaths touch the lives of all people and remain a major health problem that requires renewed priority. While the health implications of traffic incidents are well-documented, there has been limited health involvement in transportation planning and implementation. Even less attention has been given to cross-sectoral partnerships and how injury prevention champions can collaborate with other health fields (e.g., chronic disease prevention) and non-traditional partners (e.g., economic development).

This session will highlight opportunities to reinvigorate federal, state, and local priorities for traffic injury prevention and delineate a progressive 21st Century transportation agenda that prioritizes health and safety throughout transportation policies and practices. The session will emphasize opportunities in the upcoming reauthorization of the federal transportation bill and share resources commissioned by the National Convergence Partnership (CP) that describe promising and evidence-based strategies. Strategies were compiled and analyzed from literature reviews, expert interviews, and policy and research reports. The CP is a national group of funders committed to a multi-sectoral collaboration to foster healthy environments through equitable policy and organizational practice changes.

The key to making health a central concern in transportation policies is to ignite a cross-sectoral partnership united around a strategic agenda with approaches that achieve multiple health benefits. Success stories will be shared from around the country with examples of how strategies can be tailored to fit specific needs of communities. Building on the history of traffic safety success, this agenda will mobilize a broad constituency of support for health, equity and safety for all travelers.