A coalition of eight former U.S. secretaries of transportation is urging Senate leaders to prioritize technological innovation and performance-based regulations as Congress negotiates the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.
In a joint letter sent late last week to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the former secretaries argued that the best way to improve safety across America's highways, railways, and skies is to avoid rigid mandates that could quickly become obsolete.
"History demonstrates that durable safety improvements are best achieved through performance-based frameworks that establish clear objectives while allowing transportation stakeholders to identify the most effective means of achieving those outcomes," the letter stated.
The letter was addressed to Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and the signatories represent a broad swath of political history, having served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. They include James H. Burnley IV, Samuel K. Skinner, Andrew H. Card, Rodney E. Slater, Mary E. Peters, Ray LaHood, Anthony Foxx, and Elaine Chao.
As Congress prepares to replace expiring surface transportation authorizations, the former cabinet members noted that the nation stands at a "crossroads" where rapidly evolving technologies could drastically reduce accidents if federal policy allows them to flourish.
The letter highlighted several emerging technologies with promise for the future of transit, including artificial intelligence, automated inspection systems, connected infrastructure, and predictive analytics.
The former secretaries pointed to previous successes where federal flexibility allowed industry and regulators to collaborate on safety solutions, citing the implementation of Positive Train Control and automated track monitoring in freight rail, advanced driver assistance systems on highways, and data analytics in commercial aviation as examples of innovation driving down risks.
Rather than locking "today's solutions into tomorrow's transportation system," the group urged the committee to pass legislation that encourages the responsible development and testing of new technologies while maintaining rigorous federal safety oversight.
"The nation stands at a crossroads with abundant opportunity," the group wrote, "but technology must be harnessed responsibly to make the next leaps in safety."
