The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the government agency that deals with traffic accidents and safety regulations in the United States. It is part of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 to administer safety programs previously administered by the National Highway Safety Bureau. The objective of the agency is to prevent injuries and death while reducing economic loss due to traffic accidents through safety standards, education, and enforcement activity.
The main duty of NHTSA is to administer the highway safety and consumer programs established by the Highway Safety Act of 1966, the National Highway and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Saving Act, and the amendments to these laws. Other major responsibilities of NHTSA include the writing and enforcement of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and maintaining data records, such as the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) created by National Center for Statistics and Analysis.