Report Says NHTSA Needs More Expertise in Electronic Safety Technologies

Automakers are packing automobiles with all kinds of new generation auto safety technologies, but federal agencies have been unable to keep pace with this growing use of technology. As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds itself at a loss when it is faced with any safety issues or problems arising from these technologies.

The National Research Council's Transportation Research Board last week released a report into the role of electronic safety systems in incidents involving sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles. The report finds that in the Toyota case, the electronic technologies had no role to play in the unintended acceleration incidents that were linked to these vehicles.

However, the report does have strong criticism for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations failure to equip itself with the kind of technical expertise needed in an age when almost every automaker is investing in electronic accident prevention technologies. Automakers have developed forward collision warning systems, lane departure alarm systems, and a number of other devices that are aimed at preventing accidents.

Many of these systems can interact with each other, and cause possible malfunctions or other problems that could increase a motorist’s risk of an accident. Many of these systems are based heavily on electronics, which, to Los Angeles car accident lawyers, does raise the possibility of interference and malfunctioning. In fact, many experts have tied Toyota's unintended acceleration problem to malfunctioning of the electronic safety systems in the cars. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration knows too little about these safety technologies to monitor them effectively.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recently begun to show some signs that it is taking auto safety technologies more seriously. The agency chief recently mentioned that his agency would look at including crash avoidance technologies in its rating system.