1979: The activity report 1979 of the Secretary of Transportation to the Congress is presented. A brief summary of the most recent developments on safety measures like safety belts, air bags, passive restraint systems, crash survivability, crash avoidance is given. 1980: This is the 14th report on Motor Vehicle Safety. Although prepared in 1981, the activities included in this report were accomplished in 1980 under the previous administration. The contents of this report are: Introduction; the Motor Vehicle Safety Problem--Trends--Federal Safety Regulations; Saving Lives; Avoiding Accidents; Fuel Economy; Enforcement and Legal; Support for Motor Vehicle Safety; Appendices: (A) Statistical Compilation; (B) Funding Tables; (C) Publications of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and (D) Current Research Grants and the problems they address. In numerical terms, there will be fewer regulations in the future. New regulations will be issued only when they are cost-effective, and when regulation is the only practical alternative to a situation that needs correcting. Some of the existing regulations governing motor vehicles and related equipment are unnecessarily stringent and will be relaxed or rescinded with little or no cost to worthwhile regulatory goals. In their place will be a new reliance upon the motor vehicle industry and the market to achieve the same safety benefits.
Abstract