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

President Jimmy Carter
October 12, 1979

To the Congress of the United States:

The 1966 traffic safety legislation which initiated a cohesive national effort to curb deaths, injuries and accidents on the Nation's highways also requires that annual reports be rendered to the Congress on the administration of the Acts. This is the 12th year these reports have described the problems and the remedies that have been applied to ameliorate them.

The report on motor vehicle safety includes the annual reporting requirement in Title I of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972 (bumper standards). An annual report also is required by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 which amended the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act and directed the Secretary of Transportation to set, adjust and enforce motor vehicle fuel economy standards. Similar reporting requirements are contained in the Department of Energy Act of 1978 with respect to the use of advanced technology by the automobile industry. These requirements have been met in the Third Annual Fuel Economy Report, the highlights of which are summarized in the motor vehicle safety report.

In the Highway Safety Acts of 1973 and 1976, the Congress expressed its special interest in certain aspects of traffic safety which are addressed in the volume on highway safety. The annual reporting requirements set forth in the Highway Safety Act of 1978 will be covered in future editions of this report as may be appropriate.

JIMMY CARTER
The White House,

October 12, 1979.

Note: The reports are entitled "Highway Safety 1978: A Report on Activities Under the Highway Safety Act of 1966 as Amended, January 1, 1978-December 31, 1978—U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration" (Government Printing Office, 67 pages plus appendices) and "Motor Vehicle Safety 1978: 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, 1978-December 31, 1978—U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration" (Government Printing Office, 57 pages plus appendices).