Weighing the Importance of Public Dollars

Eliminating government programs is a necessary part of cutting budgets in these times of shrinking public revenues. But which ones should be cut and which ones should be saved in the interest of the public good? Some, obviously, are more important than others.

At the top of the list of programs to be spared are the ones that save lives. That’s what they are saying in Fairfax County where police fear that budget cuts could roll back substantial gains made in recent years in traffic safety. Other localities, including those in Central Virginia, could be facing the same situation.

As The Washington Post reported last week, at least 52 people a year died in Fairfax traffic accidents between 1998 and 2007. Often more than 60 fatalities occurred. But last year, thanks to a number of traffic safety programs, the number of fatalities in accidents dropped to 31.

Only two people 20 years old or younger died, compared with double digit figures in previous years. The number of alcohol related deaths dropped from 20 to 10. An aggressive truck inspection program kept tractor-trailers that were unsafe off roads in the county.

But the county is seeking to eliminate some of the programs that helped make county roads safer. With statistics backing up the value of these or any other programs, it would be prudent to look elsewhere in the budget for cuts.

The county’s motor carrier safety unit is one program facing cuts. It randomly inspected more than 1,300 trucks and 400 trailers last year and detected nearly 5,000 violations. Officers look for overweight vehicles and faulty equipment.

“We save a lot of lives that way,” said Capt. Susan Culin, commander of the Fairfax police traffic unit. She said that truckers have told officers they stay away from Fairfax when their trucks aren’t in top shape for fear of being pulled over. She added that if the truck inspectors are eliminated, word will get around that the county is no longer on the lookout for unsafe trucks.

Another program on the chopping block is one that uses teenage police cadets to try to buy alcohol from stores, bars and restaurants. The program seeks to discourage merchants from selling to teens, who might then drink and drive. In 2001, more than 25 percent of merchants sold to underage cadets. Last year, that number dropped to slightly more than 6 percent.

Sobriety checkpoints have been an important part of the traffic safety unit’s battle against drunken drivers. Last year, officers made 3,077 arrests for driving while intoxicated, the highest total in recent years. At the same time, the number of alcohol- or drug-related crashes dropped from as many as 1,000 to 795. Budget cuts have been proposed for the sobriety checkpoint program.

Other programs geared toward getting drivers and passengers to wear seat belts and the proper installation of child seats have been a priority for traffic officers. Police say that has made an impact on reducing fatal accidents.

The message that police are trying to send to the budget writers is that they fear that cuts to the traffic programs could cost lives. “We can’t afford to let these numbers climb and then decide to take (the eliminated programs) back,” Culin said. “Lives are at stake.”

Measuring government programs in terms of the number of lives saved brings an important new dimension to cutting those programs. It’s just one of the tasks facing local governing bodies — whether Fairfax or Lynchburg — as they assemble their budgets in these difficult economic times.