National Highway Traffic Safety Administration News

Federal Safety Regulators Criticized for Missing Bus Safety Hazards

U.S. bus regulators are overlooking or not catching serious safety hazards before fatal crashes and need to change their auditing practices, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration repeatedly has known about deficiencies before …

R.I. Dept. of Transportation Getting Grant to Combat Distracted Driving

Rhode Island is one of seven states receiving a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help reduce distracted driving. The state Department of Transportation will use the $459,000 grant to develop a distracted driving prevention program. The …

New Vehicle Safety Ratings Would Reflect New Technologies, Aid Older Drivers

The U.S. Transportation Department said on Thursday it is looking at ways to expand its vehicle safety ratings in response to rapidly changing technology, including the addition of ratings to help inform older drivers. Innovations such as blind-spot detection and …

North Carolina Bill Would End Motorcycle Helmet Mandate for Adults

Legislation that would end North Carolina’s mandatory helmet law and make it optional for riders age 21 and over won support from the majority in a divided state House panel this week. On a voice vote, the House Transportation Committee …

Deaths of Bicyclists, Large Truck Occupants Rise as Other Traffic Fatalities Fall

Deaths of bicyclists and occupants of large trucks rose sharply last year even as total traffic fatalities dropped to their lowest level since 1949, federal safety officials said Monday. Bicyclist deaths jumped 8.7 percent and deaths of occupants of large …

U.S. Transportation Department Proposes Black Boxes in All Cars

Devices that record crash-related data would be required in all new cars and light trucks under a U.S. Department of Transportation proposal made on Friday to broaden their growing use in the United States. The proposed rule, which may stir …

Electronic Stability Control in Cars Saving Lives: NHTSA

Electronic stability control technology (ESC) is saving an increasing number of lives each year, according to a three-year study by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA study estimates that ESC saved 2,202 lives …

Chrysler Recalling Dodge Durangos To Fix Air Bags

Chrysler is recalling more than 1,400 Dodge Durango SUVs because the rear side air bags may not work in a crash. The Detroit, Mich. company says in documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website that some 2013 …

Traffic Deaths Spike 13.5% in First Quarter

Traffic deaths soared 13.5 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, and the number of deaths per miles driven also rose significantly, according to preliminary government estimates. An estimated 7,630 people died …

Better Vehicle Design Is Saving Lives, Reducing Injuries

Better-designed, safer vehicles have contributed to an overall decline in crashes, deaths and injuries on U.S. roadways. In fact, design improvements between model year 2000 and model year 2008 cars helped save 2,000 lives and prevented one million occupant injuries …