Speaking at the 2008 Washington, D.C. Auto Show, Mark V. Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), recognized auto manufacturers for their efforts to create innovative vehicle-based crash avoidance systems to help reduce the number of highway fatalities and injuries in crashes.

According to government data, nearly 250 million vehicles are registered in the United States. The operation of those vehicles results in an average of six million police-reported crashes and more than 42,000 fatalities a year. Since the decreases in fatalities and injury rates have leveled off in recent years, Rosenker believes that efforts to further reduce the rate will center on developing new technology that will prevent accidents.

In addition to electronic stability control, required on all new vehicles by 2012, manufacturers are increasingly offering an array of crash-avoidance systems that target specific events. For example, in an effort to prevent and manage rear-end collisions, manufacturers are working on rear-end crash warning systems, adaptive cruise control and automatic braking systems. Lane-departure avoidance systems and curve-speed warning systems are under development to target run-off-the-road events, the most fatal type of accident. Manufacturers are also focusing on infrastructure telematics, a road-based system that will allow drivers to obtain real-time information about their vehicles and the road.

While Rosenker is optimistic about the technology and the safety opportunities it will provide motorists, he notes that success of these technologies will depend on the public’s readiness to accept them.