In September 2002,
NHTSA formed four Integrated Project Teams
(IPTs) to conduct an in-depth review of four priority areas:
1) Safety Belt Use; 2) Impaired Driving; 3) Rollover Mitigation; and 4) Vehicle
Compatibility. These teams were chartered to support the agency's strategic
planning work by using comprehensive, science and evidence-based analyses
to identify innovative solutions and recommend effective strategies in their
respective issue areas.
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Initiatives to Address Safety Belt Use
- The following report presents an in-depth look at one
of the most significant safety issues impacting highway safety and the success of NHTSA’s
mission – safety belt use. This document describes the safety problem represented by the failure
to use safety belts and provides strategies the agency plans to pursue in increasing safety belt use,
thereby saving lives. In addition to the full agenda of highway safety issues, impaired driving,
rollover mitigation and vehicle compatibility are the other priority issues set by NHTSA to reduce
the occurrence and consequences of motor vehicle fatalities and injuries.
- PDF Version
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- Vehicle
Compatibility
- Recent sales and registrations
of light trucks and vans (LTVs), including sport utility vehicles(SUVs)
have steadily increased as a percentage of the passenger vehicle fleet,
with LTVs representing 50 percent of new vehicle sales in 2001 and 37
percent of vehicle registrations. Consequently, this has led to an increased
number of fatalities to car occupants who are struck by LTVs. This increase
in passenger car fatalities has occurred even while the overall fatalities
for the U.S. fleet has stabilized or decreased over the past several
years. Therefore, NHTSA has made vehicle compatibility one of the agency’s
highest priorities. Initiatives the agency plans to pursue in improving
vehicle compatibility are included in this report.
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- Rollover
Mitigation
- Many factors contribute
to the occurrence of rollover crashes. Rollover crashes closely
correlate with unsafe and reckless driving behaviors, poor road
design and vehicle type. Certain categories of vehicles, such as
sport utility vehicles and small pickup trucks, are more prone to
rollover than other classes of light motor vehicles. In recognition
of the increasing rollover problem, NHTSA has also made finding
solutions one of the agency’s highest priorities. Initiatives
the agency plans to pursue in reducing deaths and injuries attributable
to rollover crashes are included in this report.
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