National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration Administrator David Strickland talks to reporters at an event prior to the North American Intenrational Auto Show in Detroit. DETROIT, Mich. -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland is at war with himself.
On one hand, new automotive technologies make it easier for cars to report when drivers have gotten into serious accidents, raising the odds that rescue workers will arrive in time to save lives.
On the other hand, many of those technologies rely on cell phones and other electronic gadgets that could distract drivers, causing accidents.
"Balancing the desires automakers have" in providing communications technologies with ensuring vehicle safety, "is the biggest challenge we face as an agency," Strickland said Sunday at an annual conference held by the Society for Automotive Analysts in advance of Monday's start of the North American International Auto Show.
Strickland's agency is responsible for testing and regulating automotive safety. And in recent months, the agency and officials with the Department of Transportation that houses NHTSA have expressed concern over increases in deaths attributed to distracted driving.
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Strickland said 90 percent of auto accidents are the fault of drivers, so NHTSA has to look at driver behaviour if it wants to improve vehicle safety. But the agency can't change a generation of young people who have become accustomed to constantly being in contact with each other through the Internet.
Talking about a recent visit with his family, Strickland noted that his nephews an nieces "text each other over everything. They'll text each other over the table before they talk to each other."
Several states and cities have banned texting while driving in an attempt to cut traffic deaths, but so far, the national safety agency hasn't acted. Strickland declined to answer questions on whether or not the agency was considering such a ban, other than to say NHTSA is working with automakers and cell phone companies to set standards.
He added that in principal, he feels communications technology could be a force to reduce vehicle deaths, once the distraction issue gets settled.
Systems such as General Motors' OnStar and Ford's Sync can contact emergency crews if cars get into accidents. And systems that would allow cars to communicate with each other could enhance safety by sensing when crashes are about to take place, allowing cars to tighten seatbelts and prepare air bags.
"There's a huge oppportunity to save thousands of lives," Strickland said. He noted that 33,000 people died in auto accidents in 2010, a decline from 2009 despite and increase in the number of miles people drove. "These are the kinds of game-changing technology, disruptive technology that could get us from 33,000 fatalities to 25,000 to 20,000."
Strickland's remarks came after several leading automotive analysts and economists discussed their expectations for the auto industry this year. While specific predictions differed a bit, the consensus was that U.S. sales would continue the grow but Europe will be flat this year.
"Americans want to drive cars. They want to drive new cars," General Motors economist Mustafa Mohatarem said. "They're going to be buying more of them as the economy improves."
Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Association of Automobile Dealers, said he expects auto sales to beging rising sharply during the second half of this year as Honda and Toyota get inventories back to where they were before last year's earthquakes and tsunami in Japan.
"By the second half of the year, we should see some intense competition," Taylor said. He added that he expects cash-back rebates to go up significantly. Last year, rebates fell as automakers had more customers than vehicles through most of the year.
Media days for Detroit's auto show begin Monday. Go to www.cleveland.com/autoshow for live updates from the event.