NTSB Safety Compass Blog

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @ NTSB, we have a conversation with James Anderson, the Audio Visual Communication Specialist in the NTSB Office of Safety Recommendations and Communications and the Producer of the NTSB podcast. James shares how he got interested in audio and video production, his career path to the NTSB, and some notable projects he’s worked on at the agency.

You can view the video James produced about the NTSB investigation of the Sinking of US cargo Vessel El Faro, on our YouTube channel.

To learn more about the work of the NTSB visit our YouTube channel.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @NTSB, Highway Factors Investigator, Dan Walsh discusses the 2020 multi-vehicle crash investigation near Mt. Pleasant Township, PA, and we explore the safety issues and safety recommendations issued as a result of our investigation.

The NTSB final report for the Multivehicle Crash Near Mt. Pleasant
Township, Pennsylvania, mentioned in this episode is available on our website.

For more information about the NTSB Most Wanted List visit our website.

To learn more about the NTSB Safe System Approach Roundtable Series visit our website. Recordings of each installment of the series are available on our YouTube channel.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @NTSB, Chair Jennifer Homendy reflects on her NTSB journey so far, her transition from Board Member to Chair, and talks about our Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements, the Safe System Approach, and what she hopes to see accomplished to improve transportation safety as head of the agency.

For more information about the NTSB Most Wanted List visit our website.

To learn more about the NTSB Safe System Approach Roundtable Series hosted by Chair Homendy visit our website. Recordings of each installment of the series are available on our YouTube channel.

The previously released podcast episodes featuring Chair Homendy are available on our website.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @ NTSB, we talk with Mike Fox and Steve Prouty, Highway Crash Investigators, Nathan Doble, Transportation Research Analyst and Brittany Rawlinson, Statistician about the 2021-2022 Most Wanted List safety items Implement a Comprehensive Strategy to Eliminate Speeding-Related Crashes and Protect Vulnerable Road Users through a Safe System Approach.

For more information about the NTSB Most Wanted List visit our website.

The NTSB safety research reports mentioned in this episode are available on our website.

The previously released podcast episodes featuring Mike Fox are available on our website.

The previously released podcast episode featuring Nathan Doble is available on our website.

Get the latest episode on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

October 17-23, 2021 was designated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as Teen Driver Safety Week, a time dedicated to raising awareness of preventive measures that can be taken to eliminate teen injuries and fatalities on American roadways.

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @ NTSB, State and Local Liaison Steve Blackistone, Chief of the Safety Advocacy Division Nicholas Worrell, Senior Highway Crash Investigator Kenny Bragg, and Safety Advocate Bryan Delaney discuss NTSB’s long history of advocating for preventive measures that would mitigate teen traffic crashes including eliminating distractions, fatigue, and impairment, reducing speeds, occupant protection, and implementation of robust Graduated Driver License (GDL) laws. They also discuss the recent NTSB Teen Driver Safety Roundtable series and the importance of recognizing that traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for teens and encouraging teens and parents to speak up about safe driving behaviors among teens.

To learn more about our Teen Driver Safety Week Roundtable Series and to access recordings of the events visit the event page.

The previously released podcast episodes featuring Kenny Bragg are available on our website.

The previously released podcast episodes featuring Nicholas Worrell are available on our website.

Get the latest episode on Apple Podcasts, on Google Play, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

By Bryan Delaney, NTSB Safety Advocate

For most teens, receiving the car keys for their first trip alone on the road is a ceremonious moment—one that opens their world to freedom of mobility. For parents and guardians, however, this moment can be nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, the anxiety parents and guardians feel is justifiable, as traffic crashes continue to be a leading cause of death for teens. According to the most recent teen driver safety statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 205,000 young drivers were injured, and 1,603 young drivers died in traffic crashes in 2019.

Today marks the beginning of Teen Driver Safety Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness and seeking solutions to prevent teen injuries and deaths on the road. This week is critical to educate teens, parents, guardians, lawmakers, and the public on the risks of unsafe driving, and empower those individuals to make positive decisions and practice good driving habits behind the wheel. Although the week is focused on teens, it’s a good time to assess the role each of us plays in improving driving habits to ensure our roads are the safe.

The NTSB has long advocated for preventive measures that would mitigate or prevent teen driving-related traffic crashes, including eliminating distractions, fatigue, and impairment; reducing speeds; improving occupant protection; and implementing a robust graduated driver license (GDL) program. Throughout Teen Driver Safety Week, the NTSB will share helpful resources and engage with our stakeholders to educate the public on teen driver safety.

We’ve planned two roundtables this week to address specific NTSB concerns about teen driver safety and to share other important insights from experts in roadway safety.

Tomorrow, October 19, Member Thomas Chapman will kick off the NTSB’s Teen Driver Safety Week Roundtable Series with “The State of Teen Driver Safety.” This roundtable will bring together traffic safety advocates and experts to discuss critical issues and risks impacting teen drivers, effective programs to influence positive teen driving behaviors, and future strategies for reducing fatalities and injuries resulting from teen driving-related crashes. This roundtable will provide a national platform to amplify young people’s voices. Register here for the “State of Teen Driver Safety” Roundtable.

On Thursday, October 21, we will host a second roundtable discussion, “The State of Graduated Driver License Laws.” The NTSB has long advocated for comprehensive driver education and robust GDL programs by adding passenger restrictions, cell phone restrictions, and provisions addressing minimum driving practice and minimum holding periods. Driver education programs should help new drivers learn proper vehicle control and safe operating behavior when behind the wheel. This roundtable is an opportunity to bring together legislative experts and advocates to discuss teen driver education, GDL laws, and the policy strategies that can be used to improve teen driver safety. Register now for “The State of Graduated Driver License Laws” Roundtable.

Education and action are the key elements to creating positive change for teen drivers. Parents should model safe driving behaviors, laying out expectations and enforcing consequences if rules are broken. Parents have great influence over teen driving behaviors.

The NTSB is committed to advocating for driving measures that create the safest environment for teens to learn. Their first experience on the roadways should start with good driving behaviors that continue for a lifetime. Our Most Wanted List (MWL) of transportation safety improvements is designed to address our most critical safety recommendations; we encourage you to look to our MWL for ways to keeping not just new drivers, but all drivers safe.

We’re successful when teens, parents, caregivers, lawmakers, and the public—collectively—engage with teens on this issue, set a positive example, and execute strategies designed to prevent car crashes, injuries, and deaths.

Teen Driver Safety Week might last only one week, but our positive example and dedication to keeping our young people safe must continue all year, every year.

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @ NTSB, we talk with Rob Hall, Director, NTSB Office of Railroad, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Investigations and Railroad Accident Investigators, Tim DePaepe and Joe Gordon, about the 2021-2022 Most Wanted List safety item Improve Rail Worker Safety.

To learn more about the NTSB Most Wanted List and the Improve Rail Worker Safety item, visit our Most Wanted List web page.                                                                                                                                 

The previously released podcast episode featuring Tim DePaepe is available on our website.

The previously released podcast episode featuring Joe Gordon is available on our website.

Get the latest episode on Apple Podcasts , on Google Play, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @NTSB, NTSB Managing Director, Sharon Bryson and Frank Hilldrup, Chief Technical Advisor for International Affairs, NTSB Office of Aviation Safety, talk about the July 17, 1996, TWA flight 800 accident.  We discuss what happened, the findings and safety recommendations that came out of the investigation, its tremendous impact on aviation safety, how the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 led to the establishment of NTSB’s disaster assistance program, and the decommissioning of the TWA flight 800 reconstruction.

The NTSB final report for the TWA flight 800 in-flight breakup mentioned in this episode and the NTSB docket for investigation is also available on our website.

To learn more about the NTSB Transportation Disaster Assistance (TDA) Program, visit our TDA web page.     

To learn more about the NTSB Most Wanted List (MWL), visit our MWL web page. You can also access the MWL archive  on our website.

Information about upcoming NTSB virtual training courses are available on our Training Center web page.                                                               

Get the latest episode on Apple Podcasts , on Google Play, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @NTSB, Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt reflects on his time at the NTSB, from his first day on the job, to how he’s feeling about his last day as Chairman. He also shares memorable moments during his 15 years at NTSB and some of the leadership lessons he’s learned along the way.

Chairman Sumwalt’s full bio is available here.

Previously released podcast episodes featuring Chairman Sumwalt are available here.

Get the latest episode on Apple Podcasts , on Google Play, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform. And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/

May has been designated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, to help motorists understand standard motorcycle driving behaviors and learn how to drive safely around motorcycles on our roadways.

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @ NTSB, NTSB Highway Crash Investigators Kenny Bragg and Mike Fox discuss our investigation of the June 2019 collision between a pickup truck with a trailer and a group of motorcycles in Randolph, New Hampshire, its safety recommendations, motorcycle safety tips, and other considerations that drivers should take when sharing the roadway.

The NTSB final report for the Randolph, New Hampshire, crash mentioned in this episode is available on our website.

To learn more about the NTSB Most Wanted List and the Protect Vulnerable Road Users Through a Safe System Approach and Prevent Alcohol- and Other Drug-Impaired Driving safety items, visit our Most Wanted List web page.                                                                                                                                        

The previously released podcast episode featuring Kenny Bragg is available on our website.

The previously released podcast episode featuring Mike Fox is available on our website.

Get the latest episode on Apple Podcasts , on Google Play, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast platform.

And find more ways to listen here: https://www.blubrry.com/behind_the_scene_ntsb/