National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA

1
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA)

• Creating legislation
• Highway Safety Act of 1970
• One of 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of
  Transportation (US DOT)
• Run by an administrator who reports to the
  Secretary of Transportation

2
Auto Safety Legislation

• National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
  (1966)
• Amendments in 1969

3
NHTSA Regulation

• Safety
• reducing deaths, injuries from motor vehicle
  crashes
• sets and enforces safety performance standards
  for motor vehicle equipment
• grants to state and local governments to conduct
  local highway safety programs

4
On the Safety Front ...

• Writes rules for crash tests and does tests
• Tests of child restraint systems and motorcycle
  helmets
• Makes test results available to public

5
More On the Safety Front...

• Usually conducts voluntary recalls of motor
  vehicles with safety-related defects
• Only 60-70 of recalled vehicles are repaired

6
NHTSA Regulation

• Damageability
• Authorizing legislation is the Motor Vehicle
  Information and Cost Savings Act (1972)

7
NHTSA Regulation

• Fuel Economy Research Program
• CAFE levels - Corporate Average Fuel Economy
  standards
• Highly controversial
• Consumers are at best ambivalent

8
TREAD

• Investigate and punish auto manufacturers and
  supplier that knowingly sell defective products
• Tell NHTSA about recalls in foreign countries
  and deaths or injuries from possible defects
• NHTSA to test vehicles to determine the
  likelihood they will rollover and update its
  standard for testing tires
• Mandates the installation of systems in vehicles
  to warn motorists about under-inflated tires

9
NHTSA Resources

• FY02 Budget was 419 million
• Has about 700 employees including those in
  regional offices

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Other Programs

• Odometer fraud
• Theft program
• Uniform Tire Quality Grading System

11
NHTSA Opponents and Supporters

• Opponents
• Proponents

12
Current Issues

• Just HOW safe should we make vehicles?
• Questions about air bags
• What should we test?

13
Ongoing Initiatives

• Encourage safety belt use (90 by 2005)
• Reduce alcohol-related fatalities
• Reduce child fatalities
• Reduce pedestrian bicyclist fatalities