Putting Children First
Many Americans know that the National Transportation Safety Board is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and that its staff travel to every corner of the world to investigate accidents. What is less known is what results from these investigations. The goal of every investigation is to find the reason for the accident and to try to prevent it from happening again. Therefore, the Safety Board’s most important contributions are its recommendations to government and industry. Since Congress created the Safety Board in 1967, more than 100 recommendations have been made suggesting ways to improve the safety of America’s children on highways, on waterways, and in the air. This report discusses the Safety Board’s recommendations in the following areas of child transportation safety:
- Air bags and children
- Permanent child safety seat fitting stations
- Child occupant protection laws
- Car designs that focus on children
- School transportation for children
- Passenger vans used for school activities
- Zero alcohol tolerance for drivers under age 21
- Graduated driver licensing for new and novice drivers
- Recreational boating safety
- Child restraints in aviation