2014 Traffic and Safety Conference

Transcription

1 Office of Highway Safety 2014 Traffic and Safety Conference Dwight Foster Office of Highway Safety

2 NTSB Independent Federal Agency 5 Member Board President appointed Senate confirmed <400 Staff (24 in Highway) Investigates accidents in all modes of transportation Determine probable cause Issue recommendations

3 How We Pick Accidents 7 million highway accidents per year (19,000 per day) 32,788 deaths in 2010 (almost 100 per day) (Lowest Level in Recorded History) We can only launch on 4-5 major accidents each year 2 teams of 6-8 investigators

4 How We Pick Accidents 4 basic criteria in evaluating potential accidents for investigation. 1. Is there high public interest? 2. Have we done it before? 3. Can we make a difference? 4. Do we have the resources?

5 Minneapolis Bridge August 1, 2007 Bridge span collapsed into Mississippi River 13 fatalities 145 people injured 740 similar bridges

6 Boston Big Dig July 10, Buick Driver and Wife 1 fatal, 1 injured Central Artery/Tunnel Project 161 lane miles 5 miles of tunnels 38 section design contracts 142 construction contracts Most expensive in US history

7 How we investigate accidents Process of Elimination We aren t looking for the cause (directly) We are eliminating all possible causes. "Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains, must be the truth. Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four (1890)

8 What Business are we in? Accident Investigation business? Safety Recommendation business? Safety Improvement business? Restoring Public Confidence Business

9 1937 and 1940 Newsreels Restore Public Confidence

10 What s the most important thing? Restoring the Public s Confidence Independence

11 Outline 1. Impaired Driving 2. Technology

12 1. Impaired Driving Forum Wrong Way Driving crashes Study - Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Alcohol-Impaired Driving

13 Impaired Driving Forum 6 Recommendations: Improve Data Collection Place of Last Drink Data

14 Wrong Way Driving Crashes Rpt. Recommendations: Alcohol Interlock Devices In-vehicle alcohol detection technologies (DADSS) State Older Driver Safety Programs Improvements to Signage/Hwy Design GPS wrong-way navigation alerts

15 Improvements to Signage Courtesy of the New York State Department of Transportation 1

16 Study - Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Alcohol-Impaired Driving Recommendations:.05 BAC limit for all drivers High-visibility enforcement Passive alcohol sensing technology DUI courts to reduce recidivism Establishing measurable goals

17 Percent of Fatalities Associated with Alcohol-Impaired Driving: % 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

18 Crash Risk 6 Current BAC Limit Relative Crash Risk BAC

19 BAC Limits World Wide 19

20 2. Technology: Is it the problem or the solution? Two competing trends: 1. Technology as a Distractor 2. Technology as a Compensator Who will win the race? 2

21 Technology: The Distractor? 326 million wireless subscribers But only 314 million citizens Multiple devises Endless opportunities for distraction 2

22 Cell Phones The New Heroin 2

23 Cell Phones The New Heroin Cell phones have become the electronic equivalent of heroin. Just try to take away a teenager s phone. Try to take away your spouse's phone. Just try to give up your phone. 2

24 Cell Phone Recommendations Incremental Approach to Cellphones 1. Youthful drivers 2. Passenger carrier drivers 3. Commercial drivers (CDL) 4. All drivers Ban both handheld and hands free

25 Cell phone Accidents Largo, MD 2002 (5-fatal) Inexperienced SUV driver on phone Alexandria, VA 2004 Driver struck bridge Hands-free phone 12 ft 45 ½ 8 ½

26 Cell phone Accidents Munfordville, KY 3//26/10 11-fatal Truck Driver on cell phone Gray Summit, MO 8/5/10 2-fatal Texting Passenger Vehicle

27 Corporate Cell Phone Policy It is against NTSB policy for an employee to use any NTSB-issued wireless device (handsfree or otherwise) while driving even in offduty status

28 Cell Phones aren t the only distraction

29 Humans are not naturally good at paying attention for a long time They get distracted They get fatigued They get lazy They get bored They get impaired They don t follow procedures and They cut corners 2

30 Doswell, VA - Fatigue Video

31 Technology: The Solution? Technology can be your co-pilot Compensating for driver skills: Automatic transmissions ABS brakes ESC (Dolan Springs, AZ) (Indianapolis, IN) 3

32 Technology: The Solution? Compensating for driver inattention, distraction, and/or fatigue: Land Departure Warning (Dolan Springs, AZ) Collision Warning Systems (Osseo, WI) Adaptive cruise control Active Braking Fatigue Detection Technologies (NYC, NY) 3

33 ESC and Lane Departure Warning Dolan Springs, AZ 1/30/09 4-fatal motorcoach run-off-road accident

34 Dolan Springs, AZ Video

35 Collision Warning Systems 2005 Osseo, WI 5-fatality motorcoach collision with overturned tractor trailer; fatigued truck driver

36 Technology: The Solution? Compensating for all the other idiots on the road: Implementing all the above technologies in passenger vehicles V2I and V2V (Chesterfield, NJ) Google Car (truck?) 3

37 School Bus and Truck Collision at Intersection Chesterfield, NJ 2/16/12 3

38 Connected Vehicle Technology Source: U.S. DOT 3

39 Closing

40 You don t have to know all the answers. Einstein said The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Take action after every single event. Tell others what you did and encourage them to do the same.

41 Biology The most tried and true method or systematic improvement has been biology. By design, it evolves by constantly making small incremental improvements, generation after generation.

42 Don t be a Dinosaur Dinosaurs died out for a reason, they didn t change, they didn t adapt, they didn t evolve.

43 What s the most important thing? Restoring the Public s Confidence Stay out of the Oh the Humanity! business.

44 Questions? I got a lot of answers, but no one ever asks the right questions

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