Improving Transportation Safety

Despite considerable federal investment and oversight, transportation-related accidents continue to kill and injure too many of our citizens. In 2008, traffic accidents claimed the lives of more than 37,000 people and injured another 2.3 million. While most transportation-related deaths and injuries occur on our nation's highways, about 12,000 suffer in rail accidents and another 1200 in commercial and general aviation accidents each year.

• Of particular concern is the limited progress in improving safety on our nation's roads, where over 95 percent of all transportation fatalities occur.

  Highlights of GAO-08-990T (PDF)

• Safety in other modes of travel is also a major concern because, when accidents occur, they can be catastrophic. While the department's many efforts to improve transportation safety across all modes are to be commended, certain areas require increased attention.
• In particular, improvements in data, performance measures, and evaluations are needed in many safety programs to determine whether they are achieving intended results.

  Highlights of GAO-08-1043 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-789 (PDF)

• Furthermore, there is a need to keep commercial motor carriers that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has deemed unsafe off the road.

  Highlights of GAO-09-495 (PDF)

• Also, serious new concerns have been raised regarding FAA's level of oversight and enforcement of air carrier safety, due to, among other things, instances in which the agency allowed an airline to continue flying aircraft after learning that airworthiness inspections of these aircraft were overdue or the airlines had not met the requirements of safety-related airworthiness directives.
• Finally, FAA could do more to improve the safety of air ambulances, which have seen a recent spike in fatal accidents, and small air cargo operators, which consistently experience the largest share of cargo accidents.

  Highlights of GAO-09-627T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-09-614 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

GAO has made recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of a range of departmental safety programs. In particular, GAO has recommended that

• DOT expedite the rule-making processes to create a national database of (1) positive drug and alcohol tests and (2) refusal to take drug and alcohol tests for truck and motor coach drivers , and

  Highlights of GAO-08-600 (PDF)

• various safety programs across modes improve their data and performance measures and conduct evaluations in order to provide greater information on their programs' impacts.

  Highlights of GAO-09-627T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-477 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-149 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-946 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Traffic Safety Programs

Motor Carrier Safety

Motor Carrier Safety

Aviation Safety

Aviation Safety

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