U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced legislation to increase funding for rural road safety Thursday.
The High Risk Rural Roads Safety Act of 2021 would increase funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and create a $750 million set aside solely for safety projects on high-risk rural roads. The legislation would direct $150 million of the funding to tribal lands.
The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) endorsed the bill because it would ensure safety becomes a priority for locally owned rural roads and addresses the significant safety challenges in rural America.
