NTSB retiring its ‘Most Wanted’ list of safety improvements
Photo: National Transportation Safety Board
Washington — Citing a need to broaden its safety advocacy efforts, the National Transportation Safety Board will no longer issue a Most Wanted List of Transportation Improvements, which debuted in 1990.
“The Most Wanted list has served NTSB well as an advocacy tool, especially in the days before social media, but our advocacy efforts must advance,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a press release. “Freed from the structure of a formal list, NTSB can more nimbly advocate for our recommendations and emerging safety issues.”
The final list, covering 2021-2023, includes 10 improvements related to aviation; highway; marine; and rail, pipeline and hazardous materials safety. Holdovers from the 2019-2020 list represent long-standing issues in roadway safety:
- Prevent alcohol- and other drug-impaired driving
- Require collision avoidance and connected vehicle technologies on all vehicles
- Eliminate distracted driving
- Implement a comprehensive strategy to eliminate speeding-related crashes
In September, NTSB announced it had hired a record number of staff in 2023. The agency’s projected total workforce of 433 represents a 9.1% increase over four years and nearly a 50% boost among rail, pipeline and hazardous materials investigators.
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