The National Transportation Safety Board 10 Most Wanted Safety Improvements covers travel by road, rail and air. The list offers areas where all types of transportation can be made safer through, training, awareness and technological improvements. Over the following months, the NTSB will work with safety groups, industry leaders, regulators and individuals to make safety improvements that will reduce car accidents, aviation accidents, bus accidents and train accidents.
Of the 10 issues highlighted by the NTSB, only General Aviation safety is repeated from 2012 to 2013. The 10 items on the list are accompanied by safety recommendations that the NTSB believes would save lives if adopted. The list is as follows:
- Vehicle collision prevention
- Operator distractions
- Substance-impaired driving
- Airport runways
- General aviation
- Intercity buses
- Aging transportation infrastructure
- Pipelines
- Positive train control
- Fire prevention and suppression
The recommendations of the NTSB include a call for new rules requiring motor vehicle manufacturers to install collision-prevention technology in all new models. Safety systems such as land departure warning devices, electronic stability control and automatic braking would be included in every vehicle, rather than being options on only certain vehicles. The NTSB is further calling for a comprehensive approach to substance-impaired driving. Currently, the penalties and technology used to curb drunk driving varies widely from state to state.
The NTSB does not have the authority to force states or individuals to comply with its safety recommendations. Its goal is to help make transportation safer for everyone. The goal is to reduce the number of deaths caused by transportation-related accidents throughout the United States.
Source: Associated Press, “NTSB lists most-wanted safety improvements,” 14 November 2012
