Mr. WHITTON. Yes.

Senator SIMPSON. Mr. Whitton, I want to say to you now you have done a great job with the States over the Nation and especially in the Rocky Mountains and you are held in high esteem in all the places you exercise that wonderful brain of yours toward more highway safety and better roads.

Mr. WHITTON. Thank you, Senator, it has been a pleasure to be here.

Senator RIBICOFF. Just a few questions left and I agree with Senator Simpson.

As I told you in the beginning, in reference to building a good high way system in Connecticut, we have a wonderful man up there, Mr. Grossman, and in all my dealings as Governor with the Bureau of Roads I can give you only the highest compliments. I don't think there has ever been an occasion when I have ever criticized you. You have always been helpful and courteous and cooperative and it is a great agency that you have.

Mr. WHITTON. Thank you very much.

Senator RIBICOFF. All of us who have dealt with you on the State level have always appreciated your cooperation. Mr. WHITTON. Thank you very much.

HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH

Senator RIBICOFF. Could we accelerate research in all the field of highway safety through the infusion of additional funds?

Mr. WHITTON. Yes, sir.

Senator RIBICOFF. Could we set up a highway safety research fund which would be administered by the Interdepartmental Board in cooperation with comparable State agencies?

Mr. WHITTON. Well, you can set up one to be administered by the Bureau of Public Roads.

Senator RIBICOFF. Well, I mean would you be willing to undertake that?

Mr. WHITTON. Oh, yes, sir; we are anxious to do more research on highway safety.

Senator RIBICOFF. You are anxious to do more?

Mr. WHITTON. Yes, sir.

Senator RIBICOFF. Do you feel you have the interest and the ca pacity and the drive to do it?

Mr. WHITTON. Yes, sir.

Senator RIBICOFF. Couldn't we help to encourage the States to es tablish uniform standards in such areas as traffic law, driver licensing. motor vehicle inspection, traffic control devices, accident reporting and driver training, and here again, could you review the existing situa tion and make appropriate recommendations in this field?

Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir.

ACCIDENT REPORTING

Mr. WHITTON. Yes, sir; particularly in accident reporting. Our accident reporting just isn't good.

Senator RIBICOFF. You mean it is confused and contrary. If you are going to get statistics they should be good and accurate.

S

Mr. WHITTON. We want to start a good accident reporting system. Senator RIBICOFF. Could we help relieve the shortage of trained manpower with Federal-State fellowship training programs? BMr. WHITTON. Yes, sir.

Senator RIBICOFF. Could we help the States establish motor vehicle inspection programs after which the programs could operate on a self-sustaining basis?

Mr. WHITTON. I am sure we could encourage

them.

Senator RIBICOFF. You don't have to do this today, tomorrow, or the day after-I know you have plenty of work to do but I would like to have an estimate from you as to what the cost would be to set up a series of such programs as I am talking about, what the overall cost would be.

Would you have the people in your department do that?

Mr. WHITTON. We will be glad to furnish it.

Senator RIBICOFF. Will you furnish it to me at your convenience? Mr. WHITTON. Yes, sir; at your request.

Senator RIBICOFF. I am not asking you to do it today or tomorrow, but at your convénience.

Mr. WHITTON. Yes, sir.

Senator SIMPSON. One question I would like to ask you, Mr. Whitton.

Has the uniform State laws committee made any overtures in this field?

TOM. WHITTON. Let me ask Mr. Williams if he can answer that. Mr. WILLIAMS. That is the National Committee on UniformSenator SIMPSON. Yes.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, we are represented on this committee. We also provide some financial support to their efforts, and there is an increasing amount of attention being given to this.

Senator SIMPSON. Are they making a contribution, do you think, Mr. Williams?

Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, I believe they are.

Senator SIMPSON. That is all, Mr. Chairman.

Senator RIBICOFF. Thank you very much. I know Senator Simpson and myself and those of us on this committee are anxious to do something and we are anxious to find out, too, who in the Federal Government really cares, who in the Federal Government would like to assume some responsibility. We all have a lot of work to do. This is a big problem. Somewhere, sometime soon, somebody in the Federal Government is going to have to take responsibility in this whole field.

Mr. WHITTON. Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the opportunity more than I can say of appearing before you and we appreciate what you are doing, and I assure you that we care. How much we can do is not in our hands.

Senator RIBICOFF. Thank you very much.

EXHIBIT 39

BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR REDUCTION IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT TOLL

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

BUREAU OF PUBLIC Roads Washington, D.C., May 5, 1965

Dear Senator Ribicoff:

In my letter of April 21, 1965, I promised you a statement of the Bureau of Public Roads research and development program for obtaining a marked reduction in the nation's traffic accident toll. Enclosed you will find a general statement of the methods we have adopted and the detailed program that is involved. I would like, however, to summarize the basic approach of which it is a part.

Historically, we have sought the solution to safety through improvements in the vehicle or the highway or the driver separately. The significant increase in accident rates that has occurred over the past four years demonstrates that such classical safety techniques, although necessary, are not sufficient to reverse the rising tide of accidents. Sufficient evidence has now accumulated to convince us that attempts to improve each part in isolation cannot alone succeed in reducing accidents. Thus, it seems inescapable to me that we are coming to the end of an era in safety and, in order to make significant progress, a new approach is required. In light of this situation, the Bureau of Public Roads has developed its safety programs accordingly. Its goal is to supply specific methods and devices that will reduce the occurrence of accidents, as well as minimize the effect of the remainder that do occur. The program involves both operational programs such as spot improvement and research and development for innovation of safety devices and method. This whole approach is based upon three principles:

1. Most accidents occur because the demands made on the driver frequently exceed his capabilities for controlling his vehicle. Thus, if we are to greatly reduce traffic accidents, we must develop means to reduce the demands on the driver and to aid him in effectively carrying out the task of driving.

2.

Substantial reductions in accidents can be made only by
engineering changes into the system. Our experience in
engineering highway transportation has shown that careful
design, which takes into account the characteristics of the
vehicle and the driver together, has done this. The Interstate
system is the best example.

3. Objective and systematic methods must be employed for knowing what will produce safety and for determining how to design and build safety into highway transport. Thus, modern research and development is the efficient way to create effective safety systems, ones that will be certain to provide reduction in accidents.

t is this last principle which dictates the nature of the Bureau of ublic Roads research and development program. For it is being conentrated in three broad aspects of safety which we feel will provide the ay to significantly reduce accidents in the shortest possible time. These Three are: 1) the development of electronic and other control devices that ill aid the driver in operating his vehicle and thus reduce the chance of is ever being placed in accident producing situations; 2) development of ighway design techniques that reduce the occurrence of accident producing ituations ahd which minimize the injuries and damage if they do occur; nd 3)'development of new devices to reduce the hazards of darkness and eather. Work in these areas is described in the accompanying report.

ur research and development program for traffic safety appears to us to e a most efficient way to deal with the overall problem. Over the next ew years, without major changes in the basic design of highway transportation, ew engineering methods can be developed. These developments, we believe, annot only bring a halt to the rising toll of accidents but actually everse that trend. In coordination with accident prevention research in he Public Health Service and with the continuing cooperation of all the ation's safety organizations, as well as the automotive industry, we elieve we are within a few years of a real breakthrough in traffic safety.

f you desire any additional information, please do not hesitate to call

n me.

Sincerely yours,

1

Rex M. Whitton

Federal Highway Administrator

ENGINEERED SAFETY THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The Nature and Goals of the Bureau of Public Roads Program
of Research and Development for Traffic Safety

Prepared for the Senate Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization

INTRODUCTION

The Bureau of Public Roads is beginning a research and development program aimed at bringing about a drastic reduction in the number and severity of accidents occurring annually on the highways. This program is directed to all elements of the highway transportation. The name of this research: program, Engineered Safety Through Research and Development, has as its objective, the development of engineering improvements, based on sound research that can be applied to the highway-vehicle-driver combination to make the total system as accident-free as possible.

The purpose of this paper is to review the problem of safety to which research and development is directed, to state the philosophy upon which the R&D program of engineered safety is based, to specify the approach to be taken in accomplishing the R&D program, and to outline the program itself.

THE PROBLEM IS TECHNICAL IN NATURE

An analysis of the safety problem could begin by reviewing the myriad statistics pertaining to accidents and related deaths and by quoting the usual series of alarming figures. But these are facts of which everyone is aware--the need for accident prevention is apparent.

The actual problem is this: The best analyses show that most traffic accidents happen to normal people driving in a normal way on normal roads in all kinds and makes of cars. There isn't a special type of person or road or car that accounts for most accidents. It isn't the drunk or the young; it isn't the convertible or the ill-maintained car; and it isn't the road with curves or grades than can account for significant numbers of accidents. What, then is the cause? Mainly, it is the fact that drivers are being asked to make judgments they can't make well; to make decisions faster than is humanly possible; and to make changes in steering and speed more accurately than they possibly can. This means that the prevention of accidents requires that the system be improved by additions and modifications to the vehicle and the roadway that make the driving task more reliable and effective, even if it requires replacing the driver.