Car accidents continue to be one of the leading causes of personal injury across the nation. Motor vehicle accidents can involve an array of different vehicles including cars, trucks, buses, trains, and scooters. Car accidents can be caused by distracted driving, drunk driving, drowsy driving, speeding, dangerous driving conditions, or equipment failure.
Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board released the leading transportation safety improvements they will focus on for 2015 to decrease all types of transportation accidents, including car accidents, and save the lives of individuals on the road.
-Disconnect from Deadly Distractions: The NTSB feels it is vital for drivers to decrease their use of technology while driving. According to the NHTSA, in 2012 3,328 drivers were killed in car accidents involving distracted drivers.
-Make Mass Transit Safer: While all mass transit systems have different equipment, operating systems, and obstacles to overcome, the NTSB stresses the importance of reinforcing each transportation system’s organizational safety codes.
-Improve Rail Tank Car Safety: There should be a focus on improving the current regulatory requirements, as well as strengthening existing rail tank cars.
-End Substance-Impaired Driving: It is crucial to create stronger laws, have swift enforcement of the law, and implement new technology to combat driving while impaired.
-Strengthening Commercial Trucking Safety: Due to increased trucking accidents and injuries the NTSB is working towards
improving the oversight of truck drivers, trucking operators and commercial trucks.
-Strengthen Procedural Compliance: NTSB is prepared to improve procedural compliance due to results from their investigations showing the continuing occurrence of airline and commercial accidents from procedural, training, or compliance problems.
-Implement Positive Train Control 2015: The NTSB plans to implement technology that could prevent rail accidents before they occur.
-Require Medical Fitness for Duty: It is important to assess the risks of an individual who has any type of medical condition that would cause impairment while operating a vehicle. If a person has a medical condition it is important that they receive the proper treatment to decrease the risk of injury to others.
