The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its 2013 Most Wanted List, a new annual list of the independent federal safety agency’s top advocacy priorities, and mandating motor vehicle collision avoidance technologies has come in at No. 10.
"These technologies are available today in many vehicles. However, they are options that a vehicle owner can add, and some technologies are not even required to meet performance standards," said the NTSB. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should establish performance standards where still needed and mandate that these technologies be included as standard equipment in cars and commercial motor vehicles alike. Their full life-saving and crash-avoidance potential will not be realized until supported by federal rulemaking and related standards."
The new list calls for ending distraction in all modes of transportation. Distraction was the cause of multiple accidents investigated by the agency in recent years, and its deadly effects will only continue to grow as a national safety threat.
"Transportation is safer than ever, but with 35,000 annual fatalities and hundreds of thousands of injuries, we can, and must, do better," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "The Most Wanted List is a roadmap to improving safety for all of our nation’s travelers."
"We’re releasing the list now so it is available to policymakers at the state and federal levels as well as industry groups as they craft their priorities for 2013. We want to highlight the results of our investigations and ensure that safety has a seat at the table when decisions are made."
The NTSB’s 2013 Most Wanted List of transportation priorities includes:
• Improve Safety of Airport Surface Operations
• Preserve the Integrity of Transportation Infrastructure
• Enhance Pipeline Safety
• Implement Positive Train Control Systems
• Eliminate Substance-Impaired Driving
• Improve the Safety of Bus Operations
• Eliminate Distraction in Transportation
• Improve Fire Safety in Transportation
• Improve General Aviation Safety
• Mandate Motor Vehicle Collision Avoidance Technologies
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