Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. Safe vehicles play an important role in addressing this national epidemic. From vehicle crashworthiness and safety features that protect those inside the vehicle, to advanced driver assistance safety technologies, such as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking to protect those outside of and around vehicles, safe vehicles can prevent or mitigate the severity of the crash and the risk of death and serious injuries when a crash occurs. Unfortunately, we still have a safety gap between front and rear seat occupant safety features, and proven, life-saving driver assistance technologies are not standard in all vehicles. Additionally, connected vehicle technology (V2X) should be mandated and incorporated in all vehicles to ensure they can communicate with each other, as well as with infrastructure. As we look forward to a future with fully automated vehicles, current connected vehicle technologies are critical baseline features. All road users, especially bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, would benefit from safer vehicles.
The principles underpinning the Safe System approach acknowledge that:
- humans make mistakes that lead to traffic crashes, but no one should lose their life or be seriously injured because of a crash,
- the human body has a limited physical ability to tolerate crash forces,
- road safety is a shared responsibility, and
- all parts of the system must be strengthened so that if one part fails, road users are still protected.
Safe vehicles are an integral part of a Safe System.
In the third roundtable of our Safe System Series, we will define safe vehicles and discuss how vehicles can contribute to a Safe System. We’ll talk about how connected vehicles can prevent traffic crashes and lessen the severity of injuries and risk of death on our roads. Join Chair Homendy, NTSB staff, industry representatives, and advocates as we explore this important safety issue.
For more information, visit The Safe Systems Approach webpage.
Date: September 9, 2021
Time: 2:00-4:00pm ET
Where: The roundtable will be webcast only. On the day of the event you can access the webcast at the link http://ntsb.windrose.com/
Panelists:
- Rob Molloy, NTSB
- Cathy Chase, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
- Torine Creppy, Safe Kids Worldwide
- David Zuby, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
- Jake Nelson, AAA
- Scott Schmidt, Alliance for Automotive Innovation
- William Wallace, Consumer Reports
- Laura Chace, ITS America
- Scott P. Schloegel, Motorcycle Industry Council
Panelist Biographies
