Highway Safety and National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Acts of 1966 Message to the Congress Transmitting Two Reports.

President Jimmy Carter
July 5, 1978

To the Congress of the United States:

The 11th annual reports on the administration of the Highway Safety and National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 are transmitted for your consideration. The volume on motor vehicle safety contains the reporting requirements of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972. Also included are highlights from the second annual report to the Congress on automotive fuel economy. The highway safety document describes developments in those aspects of traffic safety in which Congress expressed special interest in the Highway Safety Acts of 1973 and 1976.

Since 1967, research has advanced the state-of-the-art of traffic safety. Safety devices have been perfected and incorporated in most automobiles on the road today. Highways have been designed and built with safety in mind, and traffic systems are better controlled. Even so, the traffic safety problem remains serious. In 1977, 46,880 of our citizens died on the nation's highways, and the number of injured ran into the millions. The direct economic cost is estimated at $43 billion annually. Had there been no traffic safety effort, and had the 1967 traffic fatality rate held constant, the 1977 toll might have been 77,000 dead and the direct economic costs would have risen to $76 billion a year.

The fact remains that the fatality rate (deaths per 100 million miles of travel) has declined steadily since 1967, as the various automotive and highway standards and programs have taken effect. The drop was especially noticeable following imposition, in January 1974, of the 55 mph national maximum speed limit, which has proven to be the single most effective safety measure instituted in this country. Cumulatively, the saving in lives since 1967 exceeds 150,000.

Despite the advances that have been made since 1967, motor vehicle accidents have remained the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It is a national calamity that the penalties fall disproportionately on the very young and on those in their most productive years. In every age bracket from 5 to 34 years, motor vehicle accidents are either the leading or the second cause of death; among the 15 to 19-year-olds, traffic fatalities claim 38 percent of total deaths.

Persistent obstacles remain to further rapid or easy progress in reducing fatalities. Average speeds are increasing gradually. Seat belts are a simple, effective safety device, but are used by less than 20 percent of all motorists. The growing popularity of small cars, light trucks and vans increases the weight disparity within the vehicle mix and adversely affects the severity of accidents. Alcohol continues to be a contributing cause in half of all fatal accidents. Rulemaking has focused primarily on passenger cars, and many of the standards have been found to be inapplicable to light trucks and vans. Some states have repealed their motorcycle helmet laws; some have reduced or eliminated penalties for infractions of the 55-mph speed limit.

Further progress in traffic safety is feasible, but will require the dedication and cooperation of Federal, State and local governments, the automotive industry and, above all, the motoring public whose lives are at stake.

JIMMY CARTER
The White House,
July 5, 1978.

Note: The reports are entitled "Highway Safety: A Report on Activities Under the Highway Safety Act of 1966 as Amended, January 1, 1977-December 31, 1977—U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration" (Government Printing Office, 76 pages plus appendices) and "Motor Vehicle Safety 1977: A Report on Activities Under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972, January 1, 1977-December 31, 1977—U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration" (Government Printing Office, 61 pages plus appendices).