USDOT Office of Inspector General To Conduct Safety Audit of NHTSA

 

USDOT Office of Inspector General To Conduct Safety Audit of NHTSA

Due to concerns over the number of traffic deaths in the U.S., the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General will be conducting an audit of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a memorandum on August 11 to alert the NHTSA about the upcoming review, which specifically names the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance and their role in enforcing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a wing of the U.S. Department of Transportation so the review is technically an internal audit. The NHTSA is the agency that is responsible for increasing safety and reducing fatalities caused by motor vehicle crashes, minimize injuries, and generally increase the safety of drivers and passengers in the U.S. One of the primary responsibilities of the NHTSA is to enforce the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which sets guidelines for manufacturers and auto makers to follow in order to be in compliance with current safety regulations. 

According to the memorandum, NHTSA estimates put the number of traffic deaths in the U.S. from 2019 at over 36,000, which is cited as one of the reasons for the review. It’s notable that the number of deaths from auto accidents in 2018 was roughly the same and, going back as far as 2010, there have been at least 32,000 deaths every year since. While the number of fatalities have not fluctuated significantly from year to year, the numbers are still high enough that the Department of Transportation saw fit to conduct an audit of the practices and enforcement of current standards. 

Seatbelts have been mandatory in all vehicles since 1968 when the FMVSS issued a standard that applied to all cars, though the enforcement of seatbelt use under the law has varied from state to state since then. Under current laws, all states (and the District of Colombia) with the exception of New Hampshire require the use of seat belts for front seat adult passengers with 31 states requiring them for back seat adult passengers. 

Front seat air bags have been required in all vehicles in the U.S. since 1999 and, according to the NHTSA, saved nearly 3,000 lives in 2017. According to the same data, almost 15,000 lives were saved by seatbelts in 2017, with the combination of the two providing the most safety possible for drivers and passengers involved in an auto accident. An additional safeguard was added by the FMVSS in 2013 when all new vehicles were required to be outfitted with electronic stability control, which helps prevent certain types of crashes by assisting drivers with braking and engine control.