NTSB

MOST WANTED

Transportation Safety Improvements

2006

Critical changes needed to reduce 

transportation accidents and save lives.

HIGHWAY 

Improve Child Occupant Protection

•	 Enact State laws requiring booster seats for young children.

Enact Primary Seat Belt Enforcement Laws 

•	 Increase the number of people who wear seat belts through stronger enforcement laws.

Promote Youth Highway Safety

•	 Enact graduated driver licensing legislation.

•	 Restrict the number of teen passengers traveling with young novice drivers.

•	 Prohibit use of wireless communications devices by young novice drivers.

Eliminate Hard Core Drinking Driving 

•	 Enact State legislation and take other actions that are proven to reduce crashes

involving those who repeatedly drink large amounts of alcohol and drive including:

•	 Frequent, statewide sobriety checkpoints.

•	 Legislation to create stricter sanctions for those arrested the first time with a high

blood alcohol concentration (>or = 0.15 Bac).

•	 Zero blood alcohol requirement for convicted dwi offenders when they get their

license back.

•	 Administrative rather than court-based license revocation for refusing to take or

failing the sobriety test.

•	 Vehicle sanctions for dwi offenders.

•	 Eliminate plea-bargaining dwi offenses and programs that divert offenders and

purge the offense record.

•	 Retain dwi offense records (to identify and prosecute repeat offenders) for at least

10 years.

•	 Develop and operate special sanction (court-based) programs for hard core dwi

offenders.

Improve School Bus/Grade Crossing Safety

•	 Install stop signs at passive crossings.

•	 Prioritize for upgrade to lights and gates, crossings that school buses traverse that now

only have warning signs.

•	 Install noise-reducing switches on new buses.

•	 Enhance bus driver training and evaluation.

•	 Include grade crossing questions on CDL exams.

MARINE

Enhance Recreational Boating Safety 

•	 Require mandatory education of boat operators.

•	 Require use of life jackets by children.

•	 Require safety instruction prior to personal watercraft rental.

November 2005

Actions needed by States

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AVIATION

The Federal Aviation Administration should act to:

Reduce Dangers to Aircraft Flying in Icing Conditions

•	 Use current research on freezing rain and large water droplets to revise the way aircraft

are designed and approved for flight in icing conditions.

•	 Conduct additional research with NASA to identify realistic ice accumulation and

incorporate new information into aircraft certification and pilot training requirements.

Eliminate Flammable Fuel/Air Vapors in Fuel Tanks on Transport Category Aircraft 

•	 Implement design changes to eliminate the vulnerabilities of flammable fuel/air vapors

in all transport category aircraft.

Stop Runway Incursions/Ground Collisions of Aircraft

•	Give immediate warnings of probable collisions/incursions directly to flight crews in the

cockpit.

Improve Audio and Data Recorders/Require Video Recorders

•	 Require cockpit voice recorders to retain at least 2 hours of audio.

•	 Require back-up power sources so cockpit voice recorders collect an extra 10 minutes

of data when an aircraft’s main power fails.

•	 Install video recorders in cockpits to give investigators more information to solve

complex accidents.

Require Restraint Systems for Children Under Age 2

•	 Require restraints for infants and small children during takeoff, landing, and in turbulent

conditions to provide them the same protection as other airline passengers.

RAILROAD

The Federal Railroad Administration should act to:

Implement Positive Train Control Systems

•	 Prevent train collisions and overspeed accidents by requiring automatic control systems

to override mistakes by human operators.

 MARINE

The U.S. Coast Guard should act to:

Improve Drug and Alcohol Testing of Crews After Accidents

• Strengthen and clarify regulations to require that drug and alcohol testing be conducted

quickly after serious marine accidents.

HIGHWAY

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should act to:

Improve the Safety of Motor Carrier Operations

•	 Prevent motor carriers from operating if they put vehicles with mechanical problems on

the road or unqualified drivers behind the wheel.

Prevent Medically-Unqualified Drivers from Operating Commercial Vehicles

•	 Establish a comprehensive medical oversight program for interstate commercial drivers.

•	 Ensure that examiners are qualified and know what to look for.

•	 Track all medical certificate applications.

•	 Enhance oversight and enforcement of invalid certificates.

•	 Provide mechanisms for reporting medical conditions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. DOT 

should act to:

Enhance Protection for Bus Passengers

•	 Redesign motor coach window emergency exits so passengers can easily open them.

•	 Issue standards for stronger bus roofs and require them in new motor coaches.

•	 Devise new standards to protect motor coach passengers from being thrown out of their

seats or ejected when a bus sustains a front, side, or rear impact or rolls over.

•	 Develop standard definitions and classifications for each of the different bus body types.

INTERMODAL

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation 

Administration, U.S. Coast Guard and Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration should act to:

Update Hours-of-Service Regulations in Aviation, Marine and Pipeline Industries 

• Set working hour limits for flight crews, aviation mechanics, pipeline controllers, mariners

and other transportation operators, and provide predictable work and rest schedules

based on current fatigue research, circadian rhythms, sleep and rest requirements.

NTSB MOST WANTED Actions needed by Federal Agencies

NTSB CLASSIFICATION

Unacceptable response

Acceptable response, progressing slowly

Acceptable response, progressing in a timely manner

National Transportation Safety Board

490 L’ Enfant Plaza, SW • Washington, DC 20594

(202) 314.6000 • http://www.ntsb.gov NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION

SAFETY BOARD

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION

SAFETY BOARD

E PLURIBUS UNUM