Catfight! IIHS criticizes NHTSA for losing focus on driver safety
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/" rel="tag">Government/Legal</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a></p><a href="http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/08/iihs-criticizes-governments-safety-priorities.html?EXTKEY=I9 1CONL&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristRSS"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/nhtsa-logo-250.jpg" class="right border" alt="" /></a>The insurance industry-funded <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/iihs">Insurance Institute for Highway Safety</a> is calling out its governmental counterpart, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/nhtsa">National Highway Traffic Safety Administration</a> for distracting drivers from genuine safety concerns.<br />
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<em>Consumer Reports</em> cites a release penned by IIHS president Adrian Lund as saying that unintended acceleration and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/distracted%20driving">dis tracted driving</a> have drawn focus away from other threats, thanks largely to the efforts of NHTSA and the national media. Instead of focusing on runaway sedans and texting teens, Lund says that we should really be worried about speeding drivers and running red lights. IIHS says that last year, those two factors alone were responsible for 13,500 deaths and millions of injuries. <br />
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Compare that against the 6,000 deaths associated with distracted driving, and the IIHS point becomes clearer. So, why are the feds so concerned with an issue that's (statistically, at least) half as dangerous as speeding and running red lights? Lund says it's because the general public isn't exactly warm to the idea of more legislation to curtail speed. <br />
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What do you think? Is the IIHS position more valid than NHTSA's? Is it the other way around? <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/28/catfight-iihs-criticizes-nhtsa-for-losing-focus-on-driver-safet/#continued">Follow the jump</a> for an informal poll on the matter. <br />
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[Source: <a href="http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/08/iihs-criticizes-governments-safety-priorities.html?EXTKEY=I9 1CONL&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristRSS">Consumer Reports</a>]<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/28/catfight-iihs-criticizes-nhtsa-for-losing-focus-on-driver-safet/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Catfight! IIHS criticizes NHTSA for losing focus on driver safety</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/28/catfight-iihs-criticizes-nhtsa-for-losing-focus-on-driver-safet/">Catfight! IIHS criticizes NHTSA for losing focus on driver safety</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/28/catfight-iihs-criticizes-nhtsa-for-losing-focus-on-driver-safet/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19611370/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/28/catfight-iihs-criticizes-nhtsa-for-losing-focus-on-driver-safet/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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