For Immediate Release: March 2, 2010

New York State Thruway Authority Announces 2009 Safest Year Ever in Thruway’s 56-Year History

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced that 2009 was the safest year ever along the New York State Thruway, which was opened in 1954.

“I commend the Thruway Authority and State Police Troop T in their strong commitment toward making the State's roadways the safest in the nation,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “With 2009 the safest year ever in the Thruway's 56-year history, this success demonstrates that properly investing in infrastructure and enforcing the vehicle and traffic laws helps us to reach our goal -- reducing crashes and saving lives.”

“The Thruway is continually rated as one of the safest highways in the nation and this safety record can be attributed to the Authority’s maintenance and operation of the system and the more than 300 dedicated members of State Police Troop T who patrol the Thruway exclusively,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Michael R. Fleischer.  “To continue this trend, the Authority is committed to properly investing in the highways and bridges, as well as safety improvements, clearing snow and ice from the highway and bridges, and around-the-clock Troop T enforcement.”

Fleischer said the Thruway Authority is the process of delivering important capital investments as part of its 2005-2011 Capital Program “to retain good highway and bridge conditions ratings and to preserve the levels of safety and service our customers expect.”

“The primary mission of the New York State Police Troop T is public safety,” said Troop T Commander Major Robert C. Meyers. “The members of Troop T make a personal commitment to ensure all patrons of the NYS Thruway use the system in the safest manner.  Speed, unsafe lane change, cell phone usage and all hazardous violations are historically recognized as the leading contributing factors in motor vehicle accidents.  Troopers on the Thruway are keenly aware of this and dedicate themselves to identifying and citing violators.” 

A primary measure of safety is the fatality rate, which is calculated as the number of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles (MVM) traveled. More than 248 million trips were taken on the Thruway in 2009, representing more than 8.1 billion miles traveled.

In 2009, there were 26 fatal accidents on the Thruway resulting in 27 deaths, reflecting a fatality rate of 0.27 per MVM, the lowest rate in the Thruway’s 56-year history. 

“While one fatality is one too many, the Thruway’s rate was nearly 1/5 that of the overall national fatality rate and 1/3 that of all roads in New York State,” said Fleischer.

“With our commitment to maintaining the Thruway’s excellent safety record, the Authority and State Police Troop T will continue with education and enforcement efforts to improve seat belt compliance and to combat unsafe driving along the New York State Thruway,” added Fleischer. 

For example, during the 14-day November 2009 “Buckle Up New York” seatbelt enforcement initiative, members of Troop T issued 4,516 occupant restraint tickets to Thruway motorists violating the law.

In 2009, Troop T issued more than 180,000 tickets including 17,747 for safety restraint violations.  Twenty-four percent of all fatal accidents for 2009 involved those motorists not wearing safety restraints. 

A reminder to all motorists: as of November 24, 2009, New York State’s Child Restraint Law changed. For more information, visit the Thruway Authority’s website at www.nysthruway.gov/travelers/safety/buckleupny.html, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee website at www.safeny.com  or visit the New York State Police’s website at www.troopers.state.ny.us/Traffic_Safety/Child_Safety_Seats/. 

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