NHTSA: Improve safety - but don't stifle innovation

Road safety is vital – but it must be possible to achieve it without stifling innovation. That was the central message from safety supremo Heidi King in her keynote speech at the official opening of ITS America’s 2018 annual meeting in Detroit. King, the deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said that new technology must be embraced: “Vehicle automation is a central focus because of its life-saving potential.” She emphasised that NHTSA – part of the US Departmen
June 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Heidi King
Road safety is vital – but it must be possible to achieve it without stifling innovation. That was the central message from safety supremo Heidi King in her keynote speech at the official opening of ITS America’s 2018 annual meeting in Detroit. King, the deputy administrator of the 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said that new technology must be embraced: “Vehicle automation is a central focus because of its life-saving potential.” She emphasised that NHTSA – part of the US Department of Transport – was committed to “reduce the economic cost of traffic crashes”.


There is also a human cost, of course, and King did not shy away from talking about the estimated 37,000 people – “friends, neighbours, colleagues, family members” – killed on US roads in 2017. This is why the prospect of automated vehicles (AV) was so exciting, she continued, painting a picture of various AV scenarios: from families enjoying a trip out, to a businesswoman working on a laptop while the car drives itself, through to commercial truck platoons, driverless campus shuttles – and even pizza robots.

The public needed to have confidence that AVs were safe, obeying traffic laws and avoiding collisions. But she insisted that it is also important people kept their minds open about future mobility options because “we don’t know where it will take us”. King told the audience: “Technology does not stay in its lane.”

As vehicles become increasingly part of a connected ecosystem, important issues of safety and cybersecurity will arise.

She called for “honesty and transparency” within the ITS industry on these – but also pointed out that it was vital to extend the debate beyond the confines of the sector. “It is easy to get lost in the technology,” she concluded. “But the bottom line is people and communities.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • From coast to coast: US states embrace automated enforcement for safer roads, says Verra Mobility
    September 12, 2023
    The concept of Vision Zero has hit a pothole in the US – but there is hope for a safer future, says Jon Baldwin, executive vice president, government solutions, at Verra Mobility
    Read More
  • The downside of driverless vehicles
    October 27, 2016
    Driverless cars will have a detrimental effect on congestion and security while the road safety benefits can be achieved sooner and cheaper using ADAS, argues Colin Sowman. Many Governments are consulting about the introduction of driverless vehicles and even running trials. As 70% or 80% of crashes are caused by human error, the promise of a crash-free future of driverless, self-driving or autonomous vehicles (call them what you will) is alluring, as are the claims of reduced congestion and lower emissions
    Read More
  • AVs 'must serve society,' insists CCAV
    October 13, 2022
    UK government's AV champion among delegates at Autonomy's first London City Summit
    Read More
  • One in seven UK drivers would cross a level crossing illegally, says study
    October 5, 2018
    One in seven UK drivers would drive over a level crossing before the barrier or gate has opened, according to new research. Research agency Populus carried out a study on behalf of Network Rail which reveals six UK drivers have been killed at level crossings in the last five years. There are also around 46 incidents every week in the UK involving vehicles at level crossings – a third of which are caused by lorries, followed by cars at 28%. According to the report, one in nine drivers would go over a l
    Read More

Highlighted Content