According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), automakers cited cutting-edge, lifesaving auto technologies as a primary factor in 2009's record low traffic fatality rate. The administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) showed a 10 percent drop in road fatalities from 2008 to 2009 and also showed the lowest fatality and injury rates in U.S. history: 1.13 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2009.
"What we are seeing now is the payoff from years of manufacturer-driven safety improvements, like anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems coupled with high visibility enforcement safety efforts by law enforcement," said Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers President and CEO Dave McCurdy. "For years, automakers have been focused on adding safety technologies that have the biggest impact on the most people, and we're seeing the results in the actual numbers and statistics. Cynics have said that declining traffic deaths were caused by the recession. So we are particularly gratified to see these record reductions continue, even as vehicle miles traveled (VMT) rose again in 2009. There's never been a safer time on our roads.
Driver automation saves the consumer money.
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