NTSB SYMPOSIUM ON
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY AND THE LAW
(PROPRIETARY DATA, PRIVACY, CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS)

In announcing the symposium, NTSB Chairman Jim Hall noted that there is broad agreement among safety experts on the need for more comprehensive and sophisticated data.  "In the future," Hall said, "as transportation systems increase in complexity, investigators will need more and better data available to them if they are to determine an accident's cause, recommend ways to prevent similar accidents, and ensure the safety of the traveling public.  The need for information must always be balanced with our citizen's privacy concerns."

The symposium will bring together knowledgeable participants from government, industry (all transportation modes) and the legal community to examine the problems and hopefully point the way to solutions that can appropriately satisfy the concerns of all sectors.  "The NTSB's aim," Chairman Hall stated, "is to help create a context in which safety data can be aggressively gathered while the legitimate rights of all concerned are protected."
 
The symposium will be held on April 25-26, 2000, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202.

Issues to be discussed include:

• How the generation of data enhances transportation safety;
• The impact of government investigations and private litigation on transportation data development;
• The proper relationship among accident investigations, regulatory enforcement actions and/or criminal inquiries; and,
• The protection of trade and other proprietary information.