In order to combat the high incidences of motor vehicle accidents the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has put together a “Most Wanted List” of transportation safety improvements and notable “Most Wanted” successes of last year. While most items are related to aviation, operator problems for truckers, and motor coaches, there are several issues that may affect the every day driver. Below is a list of problems the NTSB hopes to improve.
- Child Occupant Protection:
- Review existing laws and bring in legislation that would require children up to 8 years old to wear child restraints and use booster seats.
- Enforcement of Seat Belt Laws:
- Strengthening the law by allowing officers to ticket drivers for not wearing seat belts without having to observe another offense first.
- Implementing fines and driver’s license penalty points.
- Eliminate Distractions for Young Drivers:
- Prohibit the use of interactive wireless communications devices by young novice drivers.
- Restrict the number of teen passengers traveling with young novice drivers.
- Enact graduated driver licensing legislation.
- Reduce Drinking and Driving:
- Frequent, statewide sobriety checkpoints.
- More effective measures for first time arrests with high blood alcohol concentration and repeat offenders.
- Zero blood alcohol requirement for those already convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI).
- Administrative license revocation for refusing to take or failing an evidential test for alcohol.
- Vehicle sanctions for DWI offenders to separate drinking from driving.
- Elimination of plea-bargaining DWI offenses and programs that divert offenders and purge offense records.
- DWI offense records retention for at least 10 years to identify repeat offenders.
- Special sanction court-based programs such as DWI courts for hard core DWI offenders.
- Improve Motorcycle Safety:
- Require that all persons shall wear a Department of Transportation Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218-compliant motorcycle helmet while driving or as a passenger on any motorcycle.
