Document 5ba5J0gbGQvxGDM7RDroybbQV

U.S.Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Administration OCT 0 7 2019 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 Susan A. Fleming Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) 441 G Street NW Washington, DC 20548 Dear Ms. Fleming: Reducing traffic fatalities and injuries is the top priority for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA has developed a performance management framework to increase accountability and transparency of actions taken to reduce fatalities and injuries on America's roadways. The agency has made great strides over the last decade in moving to a performance-based approach. Specifically, NHTSA is working closely with State Highway Safety Offices to improve the use of performance measures to focus efforts on evidence-based programs to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries and improve accountability. NHTSA continues to improve upon its implementation of the performance management framework by: Helping to strengthen the collaboration among State Departments of Transportation, Highway Safety Offices and other safety stakeholders on performance measurement and target setting; Issuing a rulemaking and working with States to link funding decisions with "data-driven" targets; Providing technical assistance to encourage States to develop realistic and achievable targets and use problem identification to direct funding to programs that are proven effective; Implementing measures to ensure that, where a State has not met its performance targets, it will describe how it will adjust its upcoming Highway Safety Plan to better meet performance targets; Establishing a process for posting State performance targets and achievement on NHTSA's website. Upon review of the GAO's draft report, we concur with the two recommendations to (I) provide additional direction and clarification to ensure States assess and report progress in meeting fatality targets, and (2) develop a method to communicate to Congress and other stakeholders States' final achievement of targets. We will provide a detailed response to each recommendation within 180 days of the final report's issuance. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the GAO draft report. Please contact Madeline M. Chulumovich, Director Audit Relations and Program Improvement, at (202) 366-6512 with any questions or if you would like to obtain additional details. Sincerely, eKto Keith Washington Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration OST-2025-1105 Page 00432 Sierra Club v. Dept. of Transp. - 3:25-cv-06221 SC_EVERSPLIT0008755