Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

By Debbie Hersman As Chairman of the NTSB, I have the privilege of meeting community and industry leaders from across the country.  This morning, I had the pleasure of meeting two safety champions — Aldermen Jane Grover and Melissa Wynne from the city of Evanston, Illinois to discuss banning cell phone use by drivers. In [...]

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“iPads on Wheels”

By Debbie Hersman  Apple introduced its new iPad yesterday and as you would expect it got a lot of attention. With our fast-paced lives, tablets, cell phones, smartphones, and more help us keep connected.  There’s no wonder that so many people depend on them. And, there’s no wonder that industry is climbing onto the convenience [...]

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Moving Forward on Automobile Safety

By Debbie Hersman This week representatives from Toyota — Chuck Gulash, Jim Foley, and Kevin Ro — briefed NTSB Board members and staff about the work being done by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center, or CSRC. The CSRC is teaming up with leading North American institutions on $50 million of safety research on distraction as [...]

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We’ve Come a Long Way — and Have Farther to Go for Safety

By Debbie Hersman Today, I visited the Washington Auto Show, which features more than 700 vehicles from 42 manufacturers. I visited with engineers, executives, and designers from Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Kia, Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota to learn about the safety features on their vehicles. Of particular interest — especially after the NTSB’s recent call for [...]

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New Year’s Resolutions That Can Save Lives

By Debbie Hersman Each year in the United States, about 35,000 people die in transportation accidents. Yes, roadway fatalities lead the list, with nearly 33,000 fatalities last year. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in our country for those aged 3 to 34; for older Americans, highway fatalities are right there alongside [...]

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