The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) is a federal agency committed to promoting transportation safety on the roads, in the sky, and on open water. The agency routinely investigates some of the most serious accidents in the United States, including airplane accidents, mass transit incidents, and other serious auto accidents.
Because the NTSB continually sees many of the same factors behind serious transportation accidents, it also serves to raise awareness about transportation safety concerns and how to best address them. They achieve this by releasing an annual Most Wanted Safety List.
The 2015 NTSB Most Wanted List – released last month – features 10 of the most pressing safety concerns among various transportation systems. This year’s list featured helicopter safety enhancements, improved rail tank car safety, prevention of control loss in general aviation, positive train control, and the need for making mass transit safer.
The list also featured several concerns many California residents have seen themselves:
- Driver Distraction – Driver distraction has been called a dangerous epidemic by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and it is responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths every year. While many efforts have been made to address the problem, the NTSB suggests that states taker a tougher stance on passing and enforcing comprehensive distracted driving laws. In addition to education, legislation, and enforcement, the NTSB calls on communities to help create a cultural shift away from driving while distracted.
- Drunk & Impaired Driving – Substance impairment – whether by alcohol or drugs – continues to remain one of the leading causes of preventable injury and death, on roadways and in other transportation sectors. The NTSB recommends the collection of additional data to educate the public about this problem and to adopt countermeasures that include stronger laws, increased high-visibility enforcement, and expanded use of technology that can help prevent impaired driving.
- Trucking Safety – Commercial trucks are an important part of the American economy, but their size and inability to maneuver quickly also make them a danger on our roads. According to the NTSB, accidents, injuries, and deaths involving commercial trucks have been on the rise. To combat this, the NTSB wants state and federal regulators to improve oversight of trucking companies, their drivers, and their vehicles.
If you have questions about what you can do after being involved in any type of transportation accident, contact Mitchell & Danoff Law Firm for a FREE case review.