Samenvatting
In 1980 some delegates from the Dutch Ministry of Transport visited the United States to study the American way of tackling traffic unsafety. They found much optimism and enthusiasm, but few solid aims and as result little evaluation. The article summarizes a report on this visit and describes the power of the US Minister of Transport. It gives a clear view on the dilemmas and the problems which arise as a result of the independence of the individual states.