Proactive Vehicle Safety Principles

On January 15, 2016, a historic proactive vehicle safety principles agreement between the Department of Transportation and 18 automakers was made. These principles seek to help the industry build a culture of proactive safety, improve data analysis, maximize safety recall participation rates, enhance automotive Cybersecurity all while working in a collaborative manner.

Statement of Principles:

1. Enhance and Facilitate Proactive Safety

Continue to emphasize and actively encourage processes that promote steady improvement in vehicle safety and quality within our respective organizations, across the industry, and with other stakeholders.

2. Enhance Analysis and Examination of Early Warning Reporting Data

To continue to incorporate advanced methods in data analytics into the analyses and examinations of Early Warning Reporting (EWR) data to better identify potential risks earlier.

3. Maximize Safety Recall Participation Rates

Explore and employ new ways to increase safety recall participation rates by the public by working toward the aspirational goal of 100 percent participation.

4. Enhance Automotive Cybersecurity

Explore and employ ways to work collaboratively in order to mitigate those cyber threats that could present unreasonable safety risks.

Commitment to Work Collaboratively

Working together, there has been enormous progress in automotive safety over the years. From designs and technologies that provide substantial protection to occupants involved in crashes to vehicle technologies that assist drivers in avoiding crashes, the automobile industry has made a significant and continuous contribution to motor vehicle and traffic safety. Likewise, NHTSA has a history of behavioral safety programs to address drunk, drugged, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding, and failure to use safety features such as seat belts and child seats, as well as initiatives to protect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. These activities will continue to play an important role in improving roadway safety by addressing the 94 percent of crashes caused by driver choices and human error.

Additionally, government and industry working together, consistent with exiting law, should encourage the adoption of safety technologies and advocate public investment in physical and digital infrastructure.  As vehicle safety technologies increasingly assist in the driving environment, trust in these technologies becomes paramount.

NHTSA and automakers have engaged in productive discussions to explore meaningful ways to collectively improve vehicle safety.  By acknowledging the Principles above, automakers and NHTSA are committing to work together to develop a collaborative, data–driven, science–based process, consistent with the law, to advance these objectives and thereby we are emphasizing our commitment to further enhancing the safety of roadway users.

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