Transportation leaders from across the United States and Europe gathered virtually on Monday (June 23, 2025) to launch the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA’s) second annual Global Road Safety Week.
Under the theme ‘Be Safe Together, Be the Highway Hero’, the event highlighted both sobering statistics and promising innovations as the global tolling community works to address the grim fact that 1.2 million people lose their lives on roads annually worldwide.
Multiple speakers emphasized that any number of deaths above zero is unacceptable. “Zero accidents is the only possible target. Zero fatalities. There’s no right number,” said Tanguy Bertolus, chief technical and operations director of Vinci Highways, which operates more than 3,500 kilometers across 14 countries.
You can view virtual events from across the week in the IBTTA videos playlisted on the TTi YouTube channel
New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Francis O’Connor, who began his career as a toll collector, echoed this sentiment when discussing the state’s Target Zero initiative to reach zero fatalities by 2040. “Some people say that’s unrealistic,” he said. “Then I say to them, ‘Well, what is a good number? 10 deaths, 100, 200 fatalities – what is a good number?'”
O’Connor noted that New Jersey has already seen progress, with fatalities down 66 compared to the previous year, though he added, “We still lost 222 New Jerseyans this year.”
The webinar showcased cutting-edge technologies being deployed across toll networks to enhance safety. James Hofmann, IBTTA President and CEO of the North Texas Tollway Authority, revealed that NTTA has achieved 90% camera coverage of its roadways, utilizing AI and machine-based analytics to identify anomalies in real-time.
“Instead of having operators needing to look at camera feeds from several thousand cameras, it’s actually identifying anomalies that occur on our roadways, whether it’s traffic that’s backing up when we don’t expect it, somebody pulling off the road, a mattress that’s flying off the back of a truck,” said Hofmann.
Vinci Highways has developed an innovative AI-powered system called Patrol Care that detects dangerous vehicle behaviors around patrol vehicles. “Less than two seconds after the emergency vehicle has stopped, a perimeter is automatically defined using a camera that captures 200 to 250 meters behind the van,” Bertolus explained. “These images are then analyzed in real time by an AI system which is capable of detecting potentially dangerous vehicle trajectories.”
Record safety investments show results
Ohio leads the nation with the highest per-capita safety program investment, according to director Pamela Boratyn of the Ohio Department of Transportation. Under Governor Mike DeWine’s leadership, the state’s safety program budget increased from $86 million to $191 million.
The investment is paying dividends. “We saw traffic deaths and serious injuries decline for three years in a row. Pedestrian crashes have declined also for three years in a row. As of June 16, traffic fatalities are down 19% compared to last year, 24% lower for pedestrians,” Boratyn said.
Specific engineering solutions have shown remarkable effectiveness. Ohio’s installation of 60 single-lane roundabouts resulted in a 69% reduction in injury crashes and a 40% reduction in total crashes.
International success stories
The webinar demonstrated international cooperation in road safety. Emanuela Stocchi, President of PIARC (World Road Association) representing 129 countries, emphasized the importance of education and culture change, particularly in low and middle-income countries. “For these low- and middle-income countries, road safety is also a question of education, of creating a culture on road safety in the ministries, in the road administrations,” said Stocchi.
European toll operators shared impressive safety achievements. Bill Halkias, CEO of New Attica Tollway Concession and founder of the “Be Safe Together” campaign, reported that Greek motorways have seen total fatalities drop by 70%, with a 50% reduction across the entire country.
The Greek Hellastron network operates more than 20 traffic management centers around the clock, with 150 patrol vehicles driving 25 million kilometers annually – equivalent to 1.7 times the Earth’s perimeter. Their average incident response time ranges from six minutes in urban areas to 20 minutes in inter-urban areas.
French motorway operators have been conducting comprehensive fatality studies for over 30 years. Christophe Boutin, Executive Director of the Association of French Motorway Companies, emphasized the dual purpose of their data collection.
“This is a very powerful tool, first of all, because it allows us to figure out where we need to have some improvement of the infrastructure,” Boutin explained. “But second, we use those data to communicate with the public, because when you have those data, when you explain the data, when you deliver the message, then you get the attention of the media.”
Federal leadership
Gloria Shepherd, executive director of the Federal Highway Administration, outlined the administration’s commitment to the “safe systems approach,” which recognizes that “death and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are vulnerable, and responsibility is shared.”
In fiscal year 2025, FHWA provided over $3.1 billion to states for safety improvements, funding 4,284 projects and improving 66,000 miles of roadway, with 10% of projects specifically targeting vulnerable road users.
Despite technological advances, speakers consistently returned to the critical importance of human behavior. Shepherd noted that “statistically, the cause of most of our accidents and fatalities is because of distracted drivers.”
Maryland DOT’s deputy secretary Samantha Biddle advocated for bold messaging to combat distracted driving: “I think we need to be comfortable making people uncomfortable with some of these messages, because what we’ve done in the past hasn’t gone far enough and hasn’t gotten the attention that we’ve needed.”
Looking Forward
As the global tolling industry continues to innovate and invest in safety, the message from leaders was clear: the goal of zero fatalities is not just aspirational but achievable through continued collaboration, investment, and technological advancement.
“Around every corner and behind every system, you are the highway heroes making the real difference,” said Halkias, whose “Be Safe Together” campaign has gained international momentum since its launch.
IBTTA President Hofmann concluded the session with a personal appeal: “As the parent of two young men in their mid-20s, I know how important distracted driving can be at times. One life lost is one life too many.”
The event underscored that while the challenge of road safety is global, the commitment to solving it through innovation, investment, and international cooperation has never been stronger.
The IBTTA Global Road Safety Week continues through the week with additional sessions and initiatives as part of the international “Be Safe Together” campaign.
You can watch a full recording of the webinar on IBTTA’s YouTube channel
