Transportation leaders from throughout america and Europe gathered just about on Monday (June 23, 2025) to launch the Worldwide Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Affiliation’s (IBTTA’s) second annual World Street Security Week.
Underneath the theme ‘Be Protected Collectively, Be the Freeway Hero’, the occasion highlighted each sobering statistics and promising improvements as the worldwide tolling group works to deal with the grim proven fact that 1.2 million folks lose their lives on roads yearly worldwide.
A number of audio system emphasised that any variety of deaths above zero is unacceptable. “Zero accidents is the one doable goal. Zero fatalities. There’s no proper quantity,” stated Tanguy Bertolus, chief technical and operations director of Vinci Highways, which operates greater than 3,500 kilometers throughout 14 nations.
New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Francis O’Connor, who started his profession as a toll collector, echoed this sentiment when discussing the state’s Goal Zero initiative to achieve zero fatalities by 2040. “Some folks say that’s unrealistic,” he stated. “Then I say to them, ‘Nicely, what is an effective quantity? 10 deaths, 100, 200 fatalities – what is an effective quantity?’”
O’Connor famous that New Jersey has already seen progress, with fatalities down 66 in comparison with the earlier yr, although he added, “We nonetheless misplaced 222 New Jerseyans this yr.”
James Hofmann
The webinar showcased cutting-edge applied sciences being deployed throughout toll networks to boost security. James Hofmann, IBTTA President and CEO of the North Texas Tollway Authority, revealed that NTTA has achieved 90% digicam protection of its roadways, using AI and machine-based analytics to establish anomalies in real-time.
“As a substitute of getting operators needing to have a look at digicam feeds from a number of thousand cameras, it’s really figuring out anomalies that happen on our roadways, whether or not it’s site visitors that’s backing up after we don’t count on it, someone pulling off the street, a mattress that’s flying off the again of a truck,” stated Hofmann.
Vinci Highways has developed an modern AI-powered system referred to as Patrol Care that detects harmful car behaviors round patrol automobiles. “Lower than two seconds after the emergency car has stopped, a fringe is robotically outlined utilizing a digicam that captures 200 to 250 meters behind the van,” Bertolus defined. “These photos are then analyzed in actual time by an AI system which is able to detecting doubtlessly harmful car trajectories.”
Report security investments present outcomes
Ohio leads the nation with the very best per-capita security program funding, in keeping with director Pamela Boratyn of the Ohio Division of Transportation. Underneath Governor Mike DeWine’s management, the state’s security program finances elevated from $86 million to $191 million.
The funding is paying dividends. “We noticed site visitors deaths and critical accidents decline for 3 years in a row. Pedestrian crashes have declined additionally for 3 years in a row. As of June 16, site visitors fatalities are down 19% in comparison with final yr, 24% decrease for pedestrians,” Boratyn stated.
Particular engineering options have proven exceptional effectiveness. Ohio’s set up of 60 single-lane roundabouts resulted in a 69% discount in damage crashes and a 40% discount in whole crashes.
Worldwide success tales
The webinar demonstrated worldwide cooperation in street security. Emanuela Stocchi, President of PIARC (World Street Affiliation) representing 129 nations, emphasised the significance of schooling and tradition change, notably in low and middle-income nations. “For these low- and middle-income nations, street security can also be a query of schooling, of making a tradition on street security within the ministries, within the street administrations,” stated Stocchi.
Invoice Halkias
European toll operators shared spectacular security achievements. Invoice Halkias, CEO of New Attica Tollway Concession and founding father of the “Be Protected Collectively” marketing campaign, reported that Greek motorways have seen whole fatalities drop by 70%, with a 50% discount throughout your entire nation.
The Greek Hellastron community operates greater than 20 site visitors administration facilities across the clock, with 150 patrol automobiles driving 25 million kilometers yearly – equal to 1.7 occasions the Earth’s perimeter. Their common incident response time ranges from six minutes in city areas to twenty minutes in inter-urban areas.
French motorway operators have been conducting complete fatality research for over 30 years. Christophe Boutin, Government Director of the Affiliation of French Motorway Firms, emphasised the twin goal of their information assortment.
“It is a very highly effective software, to start with, as a result of it permits us to determine the place we have to have some enchancment of the infrastructure,” Boutin defined. “However second, we use these information to speak with the general public, as a result of when you may have these information, whenever you clarify the info, whenever you ship the message, you then get the eye of the media.”
Federal management
Gloria Shepherd, govt director of the Federal Freeway Administration, outlined the administration’s dedication to the “secure methods method,” which acknowledges that “demise and critical accidents are unacceptable, people make errors, people are weak, and duty is shared.”
Gloria Shepherd
In fiscal yr 2025, FHWA supplied over $3.1 billion to states for security enhancements, funding 4,284 tasks and bettering 66,000 miles of roadway, with 10% of tasks particularly concentrating on weak street customers.
Regardless of technological advances, audio system persistently returned to the essential significance of human conduct. Shepherd famous that “statistically, the reason for most of our accidents and fatalities is due to distracted drivers.”
Maryland DOT’s deputy secretary Samantha Biddle advocated for daring messaging to fight distracted driving: “I believe we must be snug making folks uncomfortable with a few of these messages, as a result of what we’ve completed prior to now hasn’t gone far sufficient and hasn’t gotten the eye that we’ve wanted.”
Trying Ahead
As the worldwide tolling business continues to innovate and put money into security, the message from leaders was clear: the objective of zero fatalities is not only aspirational however achievable by way of continued collaboration, funding, and technological development.
“Round each nook and behind each system, you’re the freeway heroes making the true distinction,” stated Halkias, whose “Be Protected Collectively” marketing campaign has gained worldwide momentum since its launch.
IBTTA President Hofmann concluded the session with a private attraction: “Because the mum or dad of two younger males of their mid-20s, I understand how essential distracted driving could be at occasions. One life misplaced is one life too many.”
The occasion underscored that whereas the problem of street security is world, the dedication to fixing it by way of innovation, funding, and worldwide cooperation has by no means been stronger.
The IBTTA World Street Security Week continues by way of the week with extra periods and initiatives as a part of the worldwide “Be Protected Collectively” marketing campaign.
You may watch a full recording of the webinar on IBTTA’s YouTube channel
