USDOT Launches ‘Freedom to Drive’ Initiative Targeting Congestion Bottlenecks

Infrastructure investments aim to reduce congestion and accidents.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on April 20 launched the Freedom to Drive initiative, a national effort inviting states to partner with the department on tackling congested corridors through expanded roadway capacity, accelerated project delivery and private-sector partnerships.

For the collision repair and auto insurance claims industries, the initiative’s focus on infrastructure-driven incident reduction has direct bearing on claims frequency and shop volume. A flagship project cited by USDOT — an Atlanta-area public-private express-lanes expansion — is projected to reduce traffic incidents by 8 percent,