NHTSA
NHTSA Touts Decrease in Traffic Deaths, But 32,719 Ain’t No Vision Zero
Twenty-four-year-old Taja Wilson was killed near the Louisiana bayou in August when a driver swerved on the shoulder where she was walking. Noshat Nahian, age 8, was killed in a Queens crosswalk on his way to school in December by a tractor-trailer driver with a suspended license. Manuel Steeber, 37, was in a wheelchair when he was killed in Minneapolis while trying to cross an intersection with no crosswalk or traffic signal on a 40-mph road. One witness speculated that Steeber must have had a "death wish."
December 22, 2014
8 Takeaways From the Bike League’s Study of Cyclist Fatalities
When someone is killed while riding a bike in the United States, the most follow-up you'll usually see is a newspaper article or two. There's rarely a trial or a detailed examination of what went wrong.
May 22, 2014
The Death Toll From Cars Is Even Higher Than You Thought
Ten days ago, four-year-old Zain Ali Hussain was killed near Houston when a neighbor backed his pickup truck over him. At least 50 times a week, people back their cars over kids in the U.S. On average, two of those 50 incidents are fatal. But you won’t see them represented in official crash statistics.
April 21, 2014
NHTSA Chief David Strickland Gets Caught in the Revolving Door
When David Strickland announced last month that he was stepping down as the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, he didn't give any clues about where he might be going. The news came out this week: The nation's top auto regulator is going to be a lobbyist at a law firm that deals with auto regulation, raising concerns that he's going through the revolving door between the public and private sector, more to the benefit of industry than the public.
January 10, 2014
It’s Official: 33,561 People Killed in Traffic on American Streets Last Year
The official 2012 death toll is out for our nation's poorly-designed, auto-centric transportation system. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic injuries on the nation's roadways claimed the lives of 33,561 people. The headline of the agency's press release, "NHTSA Data Confirms Traffic Fatalities Increased In 2012," is quickly walked back by the subhed, which attempts a silver lining: "Highway deaths over the past 5 years remain at historic lows."
November 14, 2013
U.S. DOT Launches “Everyone Is a Pedestrian” Campaign
UPDATED 5:43 p.m. with more details from NHTSA on eligible grant activities.
August 6, 2013
Pretty Please: U.S. DOT Asks Carmakers to Limit Onboard Distractions
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's signature issue has been distracted driving. He's spent the last four years amplifying the heartbreaking voices of those who have suffered the consequences of this highly dangerous habit. The stories of the needless loss of so many people, especially children and teens, are tragic.
April 25, 2013
Lawmakers Fret About Impact of Budget Cuts on Transit
“In 2014, federal investment in surface transportation -- which is currently about $50 billion per year -- will drop to $6 billion or $7 billion. In one year.”
March 14, 2013
In New NHTSA Report, Scarce Information on Causes of Pedestrian Deaths
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported last December that while overall traffic fatalities in the United States dropped in 2010, pedestrian deaths rose higher – up four percent in 2010 over 2009. Yesterday, the agency released some more detailed statistics about those crashes [PDF], but the report includes scarcely any data or analysis about the underlying causes of pedestrian deaths.
August 7, 2012