Top U.S. Safety Official Impressed By Auto Safety Technology

INTERVIEW: WWJ AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert talks with NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman.

DETROIT (WWJ) Technology has saved lives in the air, and the new chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board says it can do the same thing on the highways.

Deborah Hersman coming away impressed after spending three days in Detroit, visiting with automakers and suppliers, and experiencing new technology that's now on vehicles, and technology that's coming.

"It's good that they don't make cars like they used to," Hersman said.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigates air disasters, and examines trends to see how safe our roadways are. Hersman said technology has greatly reduced the risk of mid-air collisions, and accidents caused by pilots becoming disoriented.

There's the same potential for improvements when it comes to making driving safer.

"We know that we have the ability to improve numbers and drive down fatalities, if we implement some of these new technologies in vehicles, and help drive down accidents," said Hersman, in an interview with WWJ AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert.

Hersman was impressed by technology that warns drivers of collisions, and detects vehicles in blind spots. She also sees a lot of promise in Ford's inflatable seat belts, which could make belts safer for older drivers and passengers.

While Hersman recently experienced Google's famous "self driving car," she sees most of the advancements as ways to help the driver do their job, not take over the driving.

"Y'know it's always going to be the driver that's in charge of the vehicle," she said. "But, we know that technology can assist the driver, give them advance warning of things that might be coming up."

It won't happen overnight, Hersman says, because drivers need to get comfortable with new technology, and the technology has to mature. And while safe driving principals will continue to be stressed, Hersman says drivers are not always good at complying with safety issues. Technology, she says, has the potential to offset that problem somewhat.

The NTSB Chairman is less enamored with connectivity technology, which brings smart phones and mp3 players into vehicles. She's concerned about the added distraction.

While many in the auto industry point to research that says technology helps drivers keep their "eyes on the road, and hands on the wheel," Hersman points to experience that shows that even hands free talking can increase risk behind the wheel.

"We've investigated a number of accidents in which the drivers have been operating on a hands free cell phone," she said. "We know that those distractions really increase the workload in the car, and the cognitive distractions result in people not even seeing something that's right in front of them."

While Hersman experienced both GM's system and Ford's Sync, she declined to comment on any specific system.

This is Hersman's first visit to Detroit in 7 years. Her previous visit came shortly after she joined the National Transportation Safety Board.

"It has been amazing in 7 years how far Detroit has come with the technology that's in the vehicle. It's not just in the high end vehicles. It's across all of the makes and models now."