NTSB Pushes for Mandatory Safety Technology

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently recommended that the federal government require the automotive industry to install certain crash prevention technologies as standard equipment on new vehicles. WBTV 3 News reports that doing so could reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes by as much as half. Roughly 60 percent of the 32,000 traffic fatalities that occurred last year were caused by accidents where a vehicle ran off the road, collided with another vehicle while changing lanes, or rear-ended another vehicle. New technology currently available on higher-end vehicle models includes:

lane departure warning,
forward collision warning,
adaptive cruise control,
automatic braking,
electronic stability control,
tire pressure monitoring systems,
and speed limiting technology for commercial vehicles.

The NTSB has recommended similar regulations for certain sizes or makes of vehicles in the past, but this will be the first time officials have called for technology to be mandatory on all vehicles. Automakers state that such regulations could boost the cost of a new vehicle by several thousand dollars. However, experts say the technology will only cost a few extra dollars considering the new technologies run on the same electronic sensors and computers that are already in use. The NTSB also called for more technology that prevents cellphones within a drivers reach from being used. The Buffalo Car Accident Attorneys with William Mattar Law Offices are hopeful the new technology is successful in reducing the number of Buffalo Car Accidents.

NTSB Pushes for Mandatory Safety Technology on New Vehicles