The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970, as the successor to the National Highway Safety Bureau, to carry out safety programs under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway Safety Act of 1966. It is the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for reducing deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from traffic accidents. This is accomplished by setting and enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles and equipment, and through grants to State and local governments to be enable them to organize their highway safety programs more effectively. NHTSA investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, provides leadership to the States and local communities to reduce the threat of drunk drivers, encourages the use of safety belts and child safety seats, and provides consumer information on motor vehicle safety and the comparative crashworthiness of new cars. It also conducts research to develop and demonstrate the relationship between driver skill and behaviour to traffic safety, and the most efficient and effective means of solving highway safety problems.
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