Buckle Up for Safety

By Earl Weener

With the start of the summer driving season soon upon us, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is once again kicking off its annual Click It or Ticket campaign to coincide with the Memorial Day holiday period, May 23 through June 5.  Begun in 1993, this campaign is now a national mobilization effort to encourage the use of seat belts as a way of reducing highway fatalities.   

What surprises me is the continued need for such a campaign.  Seat belts have been around since the 1950s, yet nearly one in six Americans still fail to regularly use one when motoring. In fact, with a use rate of approximately 85%, the U.S. trails other industrialized countries, such as Australia and Canada where rates stand at well over 90%.

From my work at the NTSB, I know motor vehicle crashes are responsible for more deaths annually in the U.S., than in all other transportation modes combined. Yet, one of the greatest defenses to this risk, and also the simplest thing to do, is put on a seat belt when you climb into a vehicle.  Since 1975, NHTSA estimates that over 267,000 lives have been saved due to seat belt use.

As an airplane pilot, I would never consider flying without wearing my seat belt.  The forces experienced during turbulence, in hard landings, or during a survivable crash are simply too significant for the body to manage without a restraint.  As an engineer, I know the laws of physics don’t change when I get into a car, truck or SUV, so I never drive my car without wearing a seat belt either.  Bottom line:  Seat belts have a proven track record, so be safe and buckle up!

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Earl F. Weener, Ph.D., took the oath of office as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board on June 30, 2010. Dr. Weener is a licensed pilot and flight instructor who has dedicated his entire career to the field of aviation safety.

Improving Safety for our First Responders

By Debbie Hersman

NMSP Helicopter

This week the Board met to consider the June 9, 2009, crash involving a New Mexico State Police (NMSP) helicopter conducting a search and rescue mission outside Santa Fe. The pilot and the lost hiker who was rescued both died and the spotter was injured in the accident. The investigation determined the pilot made inappropriate decisions in an increasingly risky situation. Just as importantly, the investigation uncovered an organizational culture that failed to prioritize safety over accomplishing the mission and permitted unnecessary risk.

That accident was two years ago. Since then the NMSP and its personnel have persevered through a difficult and trying time, responding positively to the lessons learned from this tragedy, and making many changes to improve their procedures and culture.

Here are some of the improvements NMSP has already made:

• Incorporating the Airborne Law Enforcement Association standards
• Implementing a Safety Management System approach to operations
• Equipping their new helicopter with improved radios and flight tracking equipment
• Instituting a Tactical Flight Officer program
• Increasing pilot staffing
• Equipping their aircrew with survival vests and personal locator beacons

And the list goes on. I commend the leadership and staff of the NMSP for their responsiveness and commitment to embrace these necessary changes.  I hope that the lessons learned from this accident are recognized by others that conduct similar operations.  At the NTSB, we recognize the important work of search and rescue teams across the nation — our goal is to make sure that everyone gets back safely, especially the men and women charged with conducting these important missions.

Helping Motorists Stay Safe over Memorial Day Weekend

By Debbie Hersman

Travel safely this holiday weekend.

The AAA projects 24 million Americans will be traveling 50 or more miles from home during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The overwhelming majority will be traveling by automobile. Here’s what some young people are doing to help ensure drivers arrive at their destinations safely.

But, first, some background:  When the NTSB hosted “Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” two years ago, then-member Kitty Higgins and I joined four young people for lunch. We learned that all four were Scouts — one was an Eagle Scout and the other three — all girls — were Boy Scouts. That surprised us!  The girls explained that they were Venturers from a Germantown-Clarksburg, Md., Venturing Crew. (Venturing is a Boy Scouts of America co-ed program for youth aged 13 to 20.)  As we talked about scouting and service projects, I challenged the group to take on projects that could help improve transportation safety. 

Attention Pilots: The Importance of Contingency Planning

By Earl Weener

An Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) can make the difference between life and death.

When I tell people about my work, I’m frequently asked about airline safety. Many recall major NTSB investigations, such as the TWA Flight 800 crash off Long Island, the American Airlines Flight 587 crash in New York City, or more recently, the Continental Flight 3407 accident outside Buffalo. Such tragedies — with their large loss of life — leave lasting impressions. Yet, most of the hundreds of aviation-related deaths each year occur in general aviation (GA) accidents.

GA is the term for flying that is neither airlines nor military. It includes a wide variety of aircraft, such as single-engine planes, floatplanes, helicopters, and business jets and turboprops. These usually smaller aircraft are often used for leisure trips, business trips, sightseeing, agricultural applications, emergency medical purposes, flight training, search and rescue, traffic reporting and many other uses. The pilots range from professionals earning a living flying to individuals with simply a passion for flying.

Wear a Motorcycle Helmet — It’s Safer and It Saves Money

By Christopher Hart

On Monday, I traveled to Pennsylvania’s state capital, Harrisburg, to attend a press conference to voice the NTSB’s strong support for the legislation that State Representative Dan Frankel is introducing to make it mandatory for all motorcycle riders in Pennsylvania to wear safety helmets.

I pointed out that the NTSB’s primary focus is improving safety, and improving safety is the most important reason for wearing a safety helmet.

In Pennsylvania, in the two years after the 2003 repeal of its helmet law, the state saw a 30 percent decline in helmet use. At the same time, the state saw a 66 percent increase in head-injury deaths and a 78 percent jump in head-injury-related hospitalizations.

Since the 2003 repeal, more than 1,400 motorcyclists have died on Pennsylvania roadways.