FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2021
CONTACT: Pete Daniels / [email protected] / 301-442-2249 (C)
Statement of Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), On the 2021-2022 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements
Advocates for Highway Safety (Advocates) thanks the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB, Board) for its leadership in bringing the national spotlight on leading causes of death and injury on our roadways and identifying available and proven solutions. As the Board stated during its meeting on the new Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements (MWL), all of NTSB’s recommendations are science-based, data-driven and deserving of implementation, but those selected for the Most Wanted List represent areas that are “ripe for action.”
Swift implementation of the recommendation to require collision avoidance technology on all new vehicles would be a game-changer to enhance safety on our roads. Advocates calls upon the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to heed NTSB’s recommendation and advance rules for verified lifesavers including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW) and blind spot detection (BSD), and ensure the technology detects and responds to all road users. By doing so, these technologies, which are financially out of reach for many and may not perform as they must, will equitably benefit consumers.
Additionally, we laud the NTSB’s support for a Safe System approach to protect vulnerable road users, a focus on preventing impaired driving, and eliminating distracted driving as well as speeding-related crashes.
It is now time for the MWL to be transformed from recommendations on paper to enactment of policy so that the public benefits from safer vehicles, safer drivers and safer roadways.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.
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