Contact: FHWA.PressOffice@dot.gov

This week Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster highlighted the U.S. Department of Transportation’s latest actions under the Trump Administration to improve safety on the nation’s highways, roads and bridges, including efforts to make traffic incident management safer for first responders, as well as the agency’s ongoing work with its State DOT partners to make travel safer for all road users.

SAFE ROADS

On November 14, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced that U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has secured nationwide participation from all state partners for the agency’s Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies (SAFE ROADS) initiative. Launched to reduce roadway fatalities, SAFE ROADS emphasizes the Trump Administration’s effort to get back to basics and address safety on non-freeway arterials, where more than half of all U.S. roadway deaths occurred in 2023.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

“Our SAFE ROADS initiative is about putting the well-being of you and your family first,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “I’m grateful for our state and local partners for putting politics aside and identifying critical investments that will keep drivers and pedestrians safe.”

“Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, the Department is empowering states to take control of safety on their roads,” said Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster. “Full participation underscores that our partners are implementing our core mission of driver and pedestrian safety.”

Brief descriptions of state priority projects identified as part of the SAFE ROADS initiative can be found here. For more information on the SAFE ROADS initiative, please visit https://highways.dot.gov/safety/safe-roads/.

CRASH RESPONDER SAFETY WEEK

In honor of Crash Responder Safety Week 2025, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steven G. Bradbury joined officials from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), committing to train one million responders and reduce roadway injuries and fatalities. They were joined by key partners, including the Powhatan County (VA) Sheriff’s Office, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

More than 300 first responders have lost their lives responding to crashes in the last five years.

You can view the livestream of the 2025 Crash Responder Safety Week event here.

Since 2012, more than 800,000 responders have completed FHWA Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training and the agency is committed to increasing the number of those trained to one million in order to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities. More information on TIM can be found here: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tim/training/.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

“The Trump Administration is committed to keeping our first responders and travelers on our nation’s roadways safe,” said U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury. “At USDOT, we are getting back to basics and advancing our top priority – transportation safety.”

“This week, the Trump Administration honors the brave men and women who have been injured or lost their lives while saving others on our roadways,” said Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster.  “As we urge every driver to ‘Slow Down and Move Over,’ we are calling on states to help train one million crash responders so they are prepared to act safely.”

“Every responder on our roadways puts their life on the line to save others, and that sacrifice is met with wholehearted support from USDOT,” said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek D. Barrs. “FMCSA is committed to strengthening safety, expanding training, and holding unsafe operators accountable so emergency personnel can do their jobs and go home safely. Protecting those who protect us is not optional; it is our duty.”

“Far too many crash responders are killed on our roads every year by drivers failing to slow down, change lanes, and pay extra attention when passing vehicles on the roadside,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Jonathan Morrison. “Moving over doesn’t just save lives — it’s the law. We applaud the states that have expanded their safety laws to all vehicles stopped with flashing lights.”

AASHTO ANNUAL MEETING

On November 20, Sean McMaster spoke at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Annual Board of Directors Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT and commended State DOTs for their hard work on the SAFE ROADS initiative. Looking to the future, McMaster stated that FHWA wants to give more flexibility to state and local governments and get back to basics by building big, beautiful bridges and roads, since State DOTs and local agencies understand their transportation needs best.

During the event, McMaster also pledged to have FHWA work together with State DOTs to solve problems and accelerate project delivery. In 2026, FHWA hopes to invite the State DOTs back to USDOT Headquarters to discuss how to continue making roads across the country safer and accelerate project delivery. McMaster also challenged all states to identify their top three priority projects so that FHWA can help make them a reality.

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