DetNews.com
Traffic deaths fell to the lowest level in 56 years in 2009, with fewer than 34,000 people killed, the government reported today.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the data just a few hours ahead of a House hearing on the future of the agency that is expected to be harshly critical of its handling of Toyota Motor Corp.’s sudden acceleration complaints. NHTSA had eight separate investigations since 2000 of Toyota sudden acceleration complaints and did little until late last year.
Several congressional committees have said NHTSA failed to do its job and have called for a major overhaul of the agency.
Overall road deaths fell 8.9 percent from 2008 to 2009, to 33,963 — the least killed since 1954 — a drop of 3,300 deaths over 2008.
Road deaths have fallen by nearly 10,000 since 2005, when 43,510 people were killed.
NHTSA said deaths declined for the 15th straight quarter and the overall fatality rate fell to its lowest level ever, according to preliminary calculations, to 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled.
“This continuing decline in highway deaths is encouraging, but our work is far from over,” said NHTSA chief David Strickland. “We want to see those numbers drop further. We will not stop as long as there are still lives lost on our nation’s highways. We must continue our efforts to ensure seat belts are always used and stay focused on reducing distracted and impaired driving.”
Strickland told a House committee today that the administration is considering asking Congress for more authority.
“The reality is that while the current authority works and the various constituencies have learned to work with them, they were written in the 1960s and 1970s, when the world and the automobile market were profoundly different,” Strickland told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s panel on commerce, trade and consumer protection. “The question I pose, and the answers I want to have, is whether NHTSA’s statutory authorities accommodate the modern automobile?”
He said the study would review if NHTSA needs more tools.
“More importantly, do they allow us to regulate in a way that allows the industry to build and sell safe products that the consumer wants to drive? Do they allow us to promote safety, innovation and fuel efficiency while still providing effective regulatory and enforcement oversight?” Strickland said. “Do they allow NHTSA to move at pace with the industry? I’ve asked our legal and program staff to take a look at our existing authorities, to answer these questions and to make their best recommendations.”
One factor in the decline in road deaths is motorists drove less in 2009 because of the weaker economy. Another is automakers adding new safety features that are becoming mandatory, such as side airbags.
Dave McCurdy, the president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers — the trade group representing Detroit’s Big Three automakers, Toyota and seven others — will tell Congress today that NHTSA should have adequate funding, but that the United States has the safest fleet of vehicles on the roads.
