National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) keeps records of various types of police-reported accidents [18]. The file of reported accidents is known as the National Accident Sampling System (NASS), and it was started in the late 1970s. An accident to be included in NASS must satisfy the following three conditions [18,19]  

The NASS investigation team examines the accident scene and vehicle, reviews medical and driver records, and interviews all vehicle occupants. Each year, over 10,000 cases are investigated by various NASS teams. Some of the main strengths of the NASS are as follows [18]  

In contrast, two main weaknesses of the NASS are the lack of detailed analysis of fhe causes of accidents and the small number of heavy-truck accidents in the database. 

---

While a new tire may have excellent resistance to crack initiation and propagation between the steel belts, an aged tire of the exact same construction can exhibit dramatically reduced crack growth resistance, which in some cases may contribute to tire failure. To further underscore the point, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that tire aging was a main contributor to the Firestone Wilderness AT tire recall [1]. Figure 34.1 shows the failure rate of Wilderness AT tires as a function of tire age (determined from date of tire manufacture). 

NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... 

These three tests, under the sponsorship of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), were further developed under experimental conditions and under field conditions. It was found that if one failed the one-leg-stand test, the officer... 

At other times, the public criticizes government attempts to go beyond the simple provision of information. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tried to recall certain General Motors trucks whose gas tanks explode more easily in side-impact collisions, rather than just informing consumers of the facts. The political controversy was so great that the agency retreated (Bennet 1994). The slow approval of AIDS drugs and the ban on saccharin have also provoked opposition. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that over 200,000 automobile crashes are caused by drowsy drivers every year, resulting in over 1,500 deaths, 70,000 injuries, and an estimated 12.5 billion in lost productivity and property loss. The National Sleep Foundation s 2002 Sleep in America poll showed that over half of Americans said they have driven while feeling drowsy, and approximately 17% said they had actually fallen asleep while driving. ... 

Preusser, D.F., Ulmer, R.G., and Preusser, C.W., Evaluation of the impact of the drug evaluation and classification program on enforcement and adjudication, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 808 058, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., 1992. 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Drug Evaluation and Classification Program, U.S. Department of Transpor tation, Washing ton, D. C., 1991. 

Dinges DF, Mallis MM, Maislin G, Powell JW. Evaluation of techniques for ocular measurement as an index of fatigue and the basis for alertness management. Final report for the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA Report No. HS 808 762. 1998. 

The results of sleep deprivation have been linked to motor vehicle accidents, major industrial accidents such as the Exxon Valdez, and Three Mile Island, and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (2). The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1999 estimated that 56,000 police-reported crashes and 4% of all traffic crash fatalities (1550 cases) involved drowsiness and fatigue as principal causes (3). Sleepiness was a probable cause in about one third of all fatal-to-driver motor vehicle accidents involving commercial truck drivers (4). 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States estimates that it takes a 170-pound male 4-5 drinks (5 ounce glasses of 11 percent wine) within an hour on an empty stomach to reach a BAL of 0.08 percent. Conversely, it is estimated that a 137-pound female requires only three drinks over the same time frame to reach the same BAL. Therefore, the difference between 0.08 and 0.10 percent could be one drink in an hour for a large man, or half a drink for a small woman. The significance of BAL in terms of behavior and toxicity is shown in Table 3.7. 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS A), Car and Van Fire Research Work Conducted under the General Motors Corporation—Settlement Agreement—Section B. Fire Safety Research at the web site http //dms.dot.gov/, Docket 3588... 

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Transportation, Chapter V, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, Part 571, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, 571.301 Standard No. 301 Fuel system integrity. 

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at any given moment during the day, 974,000 cars on the road are being driven by... 

U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (USNHTSA). (1997). Setting limits, saving lives. Ihe case for. OS BAC laws. Washington, DC U.S. 

Transportation Department, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Highway Safety Pro-grams Conforming products list of screening devices to measure alcohol in bodily fluids. Fed Reg 2001 66 22639-40. 

In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone. Driving indices measured included reaction time, visual search frequency (driver checking of side streets), and the ability to perceive and/or respond to changes in the relative velocity of other vehicles. ... 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) Notes. Marijuana and alcohol combined severely impede driving performance. Ann Emerg Med 2000 35 398-399. 

Melvin, J.W, King, A.I., and Alem, N.M., AATD System Technical Characteristics, Design Concepts, and Trauma Assessment Criteria, AATD task E-F Final Report, DOT-HS-807-224, US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington DC, 1988. 

Alcohol screening device (ASD) A breath or saliva device (other than an evidential breath testing device (EBT)) that is approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and placed on a conforming products list for such devices. 

Federal motor vehicle safety standard no 320 — flammability of materials - passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses. Washington, USA US Federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Leaf, W.A., and Preusser, D.F, (1999). Literature Review on Vehicle Travel Speeds and Pedestrian Injuries. US National Highway, Traffic Safety Administration, http //www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/hs809012.html (last visited March 15, 2005). 

---