no traffic deaths in 30 years?

ARLINGTON, Va.—The Obama administration on Wednesday committed to a goal of eliminating traffic deaths within 30 years, setting a timeline for the first time on an ambitious agenda that relies heavily on the auto industry's development of self-driving cars.

The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other agencies committed to the objective after a sharp uptick in roadway deaths.

Although U.S. auto-safety regulators had previously said their goal was to someday eliminate road fatalities altogether, Wednesday's announcement marks the first time they've identified a specific timeline.

For starters, NHTSA, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Safety Council will coordinate efforts to promote safe driving through a campaign called Road to Zero, which will include marketing efforts and the installation of basic safety infrastructure such as rumble strips. The Transportation Department will spend $1 million per year for the next three years on grants.

But those baby steps belie what will become a much more substantive push to promote the development of self-driving cars, road infrastructure that can communicate with vehicles and advanced safety systems in vehicles.

It's an especially ambitious goal — some might say unrealistic — especially considering that the number of people killed on the road in the U.S. soared 7.2% to 35,092 in 2015, marking the deadliest year on the road since 2008.