The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) used the recent Washington, D.C. Auto Show to tout automobile safety worthiness of the newest technology.
NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said the auto industry has maxed out the crashworthiness of vehicles and now is focusing on technology to make auto travel even safer, according to the web site, occupationalhealt&safetyonline.com.
"For several decades, the number of fatalities has been dropping, and more importantly, the fatality rate has also been dropping," said Rosenker. The chairman attributed the progress to seatbelts, child-restraint apparatuses, airbags, antilock brakes, crash-absorbing vehicle frames and drunk-driving awareness.
Rosenker went on to say the auto industry has "reached some practical limits in combating the physical forces involved in crashes. In recognition, the auto industry is moving beyond crash mitigation into an era where technology will help us prevent accidents."
At the show, the chairman specifically talked about these crash avoidance technologies:
§ Vehicle-based Crash-Avoidance Systems - Rear-end crash warning systems, adaptive cruise control and automatic braking systems are designed to prevent or at least mitigate this most common type of crash. Lane departure avoidance systems and curve-speed warning systems are being developed to target the most fatal type of accident – driving off the road.
§ Infrastructure Telematics - A Department of Transportation (DOT) initiative that provides drivers with information about their vehicles and the road, such as location-specific weather conditions, route-specific road closures and the changing status of construction or debris-removal work zones. Adverse weather is associated with 800,000 injuries and more than 7,000 fatalities a year, the DOT reported.
Rosenker noted that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is revising its New Car Assessment Program, which ranks automobiles on their crashworthiness using a 5-star system. Reason for the modification is 95 percent of 2006-year vehicles received 4 or 5 stars. The new assessment program will reflect the adaptation of crash-avoidance technology.
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