National Highway Safety

National highway safety saves lives and prevents injuries by minimizing vehicle-related crashes administered by National Highway Traffic Safety or NHTSA .

National highway safety is a great concern of the government since it involves the protection of the lives on the road or national highway. Highway safety saves lives and prevents injuries by minimizing vehicle-related crashes.

An agency of the government of the United States of America which is responsible in monitoring and maintaining highway safety is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the NHTSA.

The NHTSA was established in 1970 by the Highway Safety Act. Included in the many responsibilities of the highway safety regulating agency is the responsibility of providing consumer information programs. These programs have resulted in the manufacture of motor vehicles with improved safety features and crash worthiness. The consumer information programs are very essential in providing better protection for vehicle passengers and drivers from injuries and death during vehicle crashes.

Enforces road and passenger safety

The main role of the NHTSA is to enforce safety in national roads through restrictions established and approved by the agency while also providing theft resistance and fuel economy standards for the motor vehicles.

One of the rules of the NHTSA is the mandating of every car safety device, system or design feature installed in each vehicle. The reliability of each safety device system or design feature is ensured while at the same time making certain that these units do not cost more than the provided amount of money per life saved.

Licensing and quality vehicle standards

The NHTSA also provides licenses for vehicle manufacturers and importers as well, preventing the entry of substandard vehicles and approving safety regulated vehicle parts.

Records vehicle crashes for safety analysis

The NHTSA also maintains records of vehicle crashes in national roads which serve as basis for analysis of crashes.

Investigates automotive safety issues

The NHTSA has also done many high profile investigations of automotive safety issues including the Ford Explorer rollover problem, the Toyota sticky accelerator pedal defect, and the Audi 5000/60 minutes affair.

The agency has also proposed to regulate the Electronic Stability Control on all passenger vehicles model 2012. A great deal of auto safety information is presently provided by the agency.

Regulates pollution reduction

National Highway safety regulations also include the reduction of pollutants in the surroundings of the national road. This regulation is observed by NHTSA as a preemptive regulatory authority over the emission of greenhouse gases by vehicles.

Other functions of the NHTSA are to issue vehicle identification number system and the development of anthropomorphic dummies that are used during safety testing and in test protocols as well.

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