WASHINGTON (Nov. 8, 2021) -- National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Monday the recently passed infrastructure bill will advance more than a dozen NTSB safety priorities.
“This is a very big win for transportation safety,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “From protecting vulnerable road users to equipping vehicles with advanced drunk driving prevention technology, this legislation will save lives.”
The legislation advances more than a dozen NTSB recommendations, including:
- Protecting vulnerable road users through a “Safe System Approach,” and:
- updating the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) including incorporation of vulnerable road user safety, consistent with NTSB recommendations H-15-06, -07, H-18-43, and H-19-36.
- requiring the Department of Transportation to allow for vehicles to have adaptive headlamp systems, consistent with NTSB recommendation H-18-40.
- requiring further research to examine how connected vehicle systems can account for bicyclists and other vulnerable road users, consistent with NTSB recommendation H-19-37.
- Improving school bus safety by requiring review of effective state laws on school bus safety, consistent with NTSB recommendation H-20-11.
- Requiring all new passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems, and lane departure and lane keeping assist systems, consistent with NTSB recommendations issued as part of its rear-end crash prevention and mitigation safety report (SIR-15/01).
- Improving rail safety by:
- incorporating recommendations from the Dupont, Washington investigation, including emergency lighting and (R-19-13) and speed limit action plans (R-19-09 and -10).
- requiring substance abuse testing for all rail safety-sensitive employees (R-08-07).
- requiring railroads to provide State and local officials information regarding hazardous materials through their communities, consistent with NTSB recommendation R-14-14.
- In addition, the legislation includes dozens of other provisions to address safety issues in highway, rail, transit, and marine.
“While the bill addresses so many of our recommendations for transportation safety, our work is far from done,” Homendy said. “With more than 20,000 people dying on our nation’s roads in just the first six months of the year, we need a new approach to road safety.”
The NTSB has placed the
Safe System Approach on its
Most Wanted List.
A Nov. 10 NTSB roundtable hosted by Chair Homendy will discuss how a national road system based on the Safe System Approach will eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. More information:
https://go.usa.gov/xebCA
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
