Highway Safety
Improving safety features on New Hampshire's roads and highways would result in a decrease in fatal traffic accidents.
- Roadway conditions are a significant factor in approximately one-third of traffic fatalities. There were 127 traffic fatalities in 2006 in New Hampshire.
- Where appropriate, highway improvements such as removing or shielding obstacles, adding or improving medians, widening lanes and shoulders, upgrading roads from two lanes to four lanes, and improving road markings and traffic signals can reduce traffic fatalities and accidents and improve traffic flow to help relieve congestion.
- According to a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, $100 million spent on highway safety improvements will save 145 lives over a 10-year period.
- A total of 718 people died on New Hampshire's highways from 2002 through 2006. Nationwide, 76 percent of all fatal crashes occur on two-lane roads while only 14 percent of fatal crashes occur on roads with four or more lanes. In New Hampshire, 74 percent of major roads, excluding the Interstate, are two lanes.
Travel on New Hampshire's Interstate highways is safer than travel on all other roadways in the state. New Hampshire's Interstates provide travelers with a network of highways with a variety of safety designs that greatly reduce the likelihood of serious accidents.
