Highway safety remains vital as we enter an age where technology can protect us in ways that haven’t been possible before. However, some of those systems have not been implemented in a rapid enough manner, and the National Transportation Safety Board would like to see that change.
The NTSB just released a list of the ten safety improvements they would like to see made by new vehicles. This list is compiled each year by the organization, but what’s unique about this year is the fact that never before has the NTSB directly addressed lawmakers and government officials and called upon new technologies to be implemented on every new automobile to come off a production line.
A letter sent to the current administration detailed the NTSB’s concerns. Among those systems they they could prove beneficial are those that might be available in certain high-end automobiles now but are not commonplace across the country. The systems include things like forward collision warning, electronic stability control, lane departure warnings, and other things that the NTSB says could cut down on numerous highway accidents. According to them, 60% of traffic fatalities are the result of lane changes, lane departures, and rear end collisions, the very types of accidents that would be limited with the tech.
Whether your car has these systems or not, safety should remain paramount on the road. You can’t always rely on safety systems, especially with older models, so be sure that you’re always aware of your surroundings so as to protect vehicle occupants.