American roads are becoming more dangerous for everyone – especially those traveling on foot, in a wheelchair, and on a bike. Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), joined us to discuss the need for widespread adoption of the Safe System Approach, putting Vision Zero into action, the greater risks that larger vehicle designs pose to vulnerable road users, and why Al Roker, one of America's favorite TV personalities, has become a champion for walking. We interviewed Jonathan ahead of GHSA's Annual Meeting in New York City from August 13-16, so we were also able to get a sneak peek at the safety topics that will be discussed at the conference.In this episode, we explored...- The national challenge of improving traffic safety. The U.S. finally has a national goal of zero traffic deaths through the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Roadway Safety Strategy – but in the same year that was released, we hit a 16-year high in traffic deaths. Fatalities have exceeded 40,000 for the past two years, reaching levels we haven't seen since before the Great Recession. - Pedestrian fatalities are at a 41-year high, and increasing faster than all other traffic-related deaths. See GHSA's latest pedestrian safety report here: https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians23- The Safe System Approach, which has been adopted by USDOT, presents actionable strategies for enhancing traffic safety by looking at the entire system rather than addressing individual contributors to risk. Read more about the Safe Systems Approach here: https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS/SafeSystemResourcesLearn more about GHSA on their website: https://www.ghsa.org/ Follow Jonathan on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanghsa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jraindc Follow GHSA on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/governors-highway-safety-association/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/ghsahqAs always, you can follow The Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @MoveGreg, @Pete_Gould, @SmarterTranspo.

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