The new Delaware 2021-2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan released March 8 by the Delaware Department of Transportation seeks to reduce the total number of fatalities and serious injuries by 15 percent over the next five years, and to achieve at least a 50 percent reduction by 2035.
[Above photo by the Delaware DOT.]
The agency said that, since 2010, more than 1,100 people have died and 5,600 people seriously injured due to motor vehicle crashes on Delaware’s roadways. Furthermore, in 2015 and 2019, the state experienced its highest number of fatalities over the last decade, with 133 reported in those years.
“The number of fatalities on our roads continues to be too high, and of real concern,” explained Governor John Carney (D) in a statement. “The Delaware Strategic Highway Safety Plan is an important tool our state agencies can use to make our roads safer for all Delawareans and visitors.”
“Safety is our number one priority [and] we are committed to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Delaware roadways,” added Nicole Majeski, recently confirmed as Delaware’s secretary of transportation.
“Working collectively with our partners, we can implement strategies and safety countermeasures to work towards our goal of zero deaths,” she said.
The Delaware DOT noted that the state’s 2021-2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan is a collaborative effort between itself and the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Delaware Office of Highway Safety, Delaware State Police, Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Meanwhile, the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles said it would soon offer a digital identification credential to state residents via a new mobile application called Delaware Mobile ID.
That app allows Delaware’s more than 800,000 licensed drivers and ID cardholders to use their smartphones as a form of identification – a “significant step,” according to the agency, in the fight against identity theft due to several security features.
Specifically, it requires users to capture and upload their physical ID as well as a live selfie to compare against the individual’s file with the Delaware DMV. After approval, users unlock the app using their face or fingerprints, ensuring only they can access their ID.
However, the Delaware DMV stressed that, by law, state residents are still required to carry their physical credential as applicable for age and identity verification.
“Mobile ID has additional benefits that a physical identification card simply does not have, and Delaware is proud to be one of the first states to pilot this technology,” explained Jana Simpler, director of the Delaware DMV, in a statement. “We are happy to be able to provide this voluntary option to our customers.”
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