Consumers value auto safety. So automakers have developed many of today’s significant safety innovations without a government mandate, including anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control (ESC), electronic roll mitigation, adaptive headlights, side airbags and curtains, front passenger safety belt reminder systems and advanced collision avoidance features.

Our roads are safer today. According to NHTSA, overall traffic fatalities reported at the end of 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, declining for the 15th consecutive quarter. This fact is remarkable given that the number of licensed drivers has more than doubled and annual vehicle miles travelled (VMT) have more than quadrupled since 1954.

We still need to buckle up. The safety belt is still among the most fundamental safety devices in any auto. In 2008, nationwide safety belt use was 83%, saving more than 13,000 lives. But more needs to be done. Automakers continue to be leading advocates for safety belt use, spending more than $120 million over the past 25 years to increase awareness.

Addressing drunk driving is a priority. Every year alcohol-impaired drivers make just one-quarter of 1% of the trips taken in the U.S. by personal motor vehicles, yet these trips result in nearly 32% of the country’s motor vehicle fatalities. Through a $10 million, 5-year cooperative agreement with NHTSA, automakers are researching in-vehicle technologies to reduce drunk driving-related fatalities and injuries.

Automakers have long recognized risks from distracted driving. Digital technology has created a connected culture in America that has forever changed our society. Managing technology is the solution, and that’s why automakers developed Driver Focus Design Guidelines to help drivers keep their eyes on the road. The Alliance also supports banning text messaging or calling using a hand-held device while driving a vehicle.

Automakers support measures to protect children around autos. The Alliance led efforts to place Brake Transmission Shift Interlocks on all cars.

The Alliance is working to keep visually impaired pedestrians safe. The Alliance continues working with the National Federation of the Blind, the Society of Automotive Engineers and the federal government to research risks to the blind and other pedestrians from motor vehicle operation.

Looking forward, wireless communications will help improve safety. Automakers are working with the government on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that will use technology and wireless applications to inform drivers of hazards they cannot see.