Comments on: Feds Withhold Fatal-Accident Info from Public

By: R. A. Whitfield

R. A. Whitfield — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:30:43 +0000

Galvoguy (currently comment 3) offers an elegant and straightforward countermeasure that might benefit many drivers. My original thinking was oriented to trafficway improvement. But the driver warning idea is something that might be very effective as well.

Unfortunately, the necessary latitude and longitude data are kept secret by the
Chief Counsel
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590

By: Angus Grieve-Smith

Angus Grieve-Smith — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:39:47 +0000

Non registration-required link:

http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-wheels7mar07,0,1146702.story?coll=la-home-highway1

By: galvoguy

galvoguy — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:40:49 +0000

Geocodes, with the increasing popularity of GPS units, the GPS could give a warning when you are approaching a location that has had numerous collisions/fatalities. There are clusters due to poor design or local conditions that infrequent travelers may not know about.

By: bubbles

bubbles — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:22:26 +0000

The “personal privacy” excuse given by NHTSA is plainly mendacious and incorrect. All traffic fatality locations are recorded by police departments, shared with insurance companies, and, as the article points out, made public in government databases.

The only issue here is whether the geocodes will be made available. Goecodes would not provide any information that’s not already public, but they would provide the information in a way that’s more useable for researchers.

Researchers and engineers could be putting the traffic fatality geocodes to use righ now to make roads safer. Once again, the federal government shows that it’s more concerned with control, secrecy and corporate kowtowing than with saving American lives.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:44:37 +0000

that is ridiculous. i can’t fathom why that information would possibly be withheld from the public against the FoIA. the info does not pose a threat (real or imagined) to our national security nor is it likely to upset economic stability. the most that would happen with that info is a few token traffic calming measures at a few intersections and possibly mandate a slight ‘redesign’ (yeah right) of some SUVs.