After four years as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Jeffrey W. Runge has left NHTSA to assume the post of first chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security. Runge was an outspoken advocate for automobile safety. His 2003 observation that he would not let his own child drive a vehicle that received no more than two stars in government rollover ratings led to an change in the way that automobile makers approached SUV design.
Runge also led a national campaign to increase the nation's use of safety belts. The result was a 7-percentage point increase to a record 80 percent nationwide use. This translated into savings of more than 1,800 lives each year and more than $5 billion. During Runge's tenure, the nation also saw its first decrease in alcohol-related highway fatalities in many years, and the largest decrease in the alcohol-related fatality rate since 1992.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
