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Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Department of Transportation OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Department of Transportation
Components
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Report Number
ST2025035
Report Description

Our Objective(s)To assess the Special Crash Investigations (SCI) Program's (1) selection of crashes for investigation, (2) collection and analysis of special crash investigation data, and (3) use of this data to improve vehicle safety.
Why This AuditNHTSA estimates that 40,990 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2023. A key component to reduce these fatalities is the SCI Program. The purpose of the SCI Program is to save lives and prevent injuries by collecting timely crash investigation information for the automotive safety community to improve the performance of advanced safety systems.
What We FoundNHTSA's SCI Program lacked a documented process to select and prioritize crashes for investigation.

The SCI Program has been successful in conducting crash investigations but lacked a documented process for selecting crashes for investigation.
The SCI Program lacked written procedures for prioritizing the crash types it investigates.

NHTSA's SCI Program procedures for collecting and analyzing special crash investigation data were insufficient.

NHTSA established an overall goal to conduct timely crash investigations and provide data that improves the performance of advanced driver safety systems. However, the Agency did not meet its timeliness goals for completing special crash investigation reports, partially due to delays in collecting crash data for analysis.
The SCI Program's procedures for retaining collected crash investigation documents did not comply with Federal Records Retention requirements.

NHTSA's SCI Program did not have a process to assess how investigation reports improve vehicle safety.

SCI Program officials pointed to examples of the positive impacts the program's investigations have had.
However, NHTSA did not have a process to formally document the extent to which special crash investigations played a role in addressing specific safety issues.

RecommendationsWe made 3 recommendations to improve NHTSA's SCI Program.

Report Type
Audit
Agency Wide
Yes
Number of Recommendations
3
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
Report updated under NDAA 5274
No
External Link
https://www.oig.dot.gov/library-item/46863

Open Recommendations

This report has 3 open recommendations.
Recommendation Number Significant Recommendation Recommended Questioned Costs Recommended Funds for Better Use Additional Details
1 Yes $0 $0

Revise NHTSA's Special Crash Investigation Procedures Manual to include processes for: a. identifying, and prioritizing crashes to investigate; b. selecting types of crashes for investigation that are likely to produce the most useful results to improve safety and that align with the program's mission; c. assigning crashes to the investigators; d. documenting crashes considered but not selected for investigation; e. adopting an investigation scheduling process that includes tracking and monitoring functions to encourage timeliness and provide early warning of, and document delays in, completing crash investigations; f. establishing realistic timelines and assessing the impact of delays on crash investigation timelines and, if assessments show timelines are not realistic, adjust schedule requirements as needed; g. developing a post-investigation process to assess the impact of each crash investigation; and h. periodically assessing and updating the procedure manual.

2 Yes $0 $0

Revise the document retention policy and procedure to include a schedule for all supporting evidence for special crash investigations.

3 Yes $0 $0

Develop, document, and implement a written process to periodically assess and communicate to decisionmakers, stakeholders, and the public how NHTSA's SCI Program investigations are used to identify and influence highway safety improvements.

Department of Transportation OIG

United States