Panelists discussed ongoing efforts to reduce highway and transit fatalities during a session titled "Keeping the Safety Momentum Going: The Need for Reauthorization."

Paula Hammond, Washington state transportation secretary, moderated the session. She provided an overview of the national effort to integrate safety into the transportation planning process.

Joe Toole, associate administrator for safety at the Federal Highway Administration, outlined a plan to set a national goal of zero highway fatalities and encourage safe driving practices. Funding for safety programs has increased due to public support, Toole said, and this trend is expected to continue.

"We all have the same objective in moving toward zero deaths," he said. "I think we all agree that there need to be national goals."

Reducing fatalities to zero would require legislative action and greater vigilance from the motoring public, Toole said. A key message must be that motorists have to put down their mobile devices while driving, he said.

Lynne Judd, administrator of the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles, praised U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for making safety a priority. She cited the USDOT's campaign to end distracted driving as an example.

Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said GHSA supports a national goal of zero fatalities but believes states should be free to set their own goals.

"We have all signed on to the idea of zero deaths," Harsha said.

Sean Libberton, deputy associate administrator at the Federal Transit Administration, said that public transportation is the safest mode of travel, and that transit officials should focus on promoting best practices within the industry. Transit agencies could do a better job of telling commuters what to do in case of an emergency, he said.

Anna Laitin, a staffer for the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, also participated in the discussion.