Introduction

Ambulance safety has special significance to the staff at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and its Office of Emergency Medical Services. As current or former EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, emergency nurses and state EMS officials, many of us have spent time in ambulances and routinely respond to traffic crashes. The people at NHTSA all work to advance emergency medical services by collecting and analyzing critical EMS data and by leading collaborative efforts among national, state and local organizations engaged in improving EMS nationwide. But we serve a broader mission as well: keeping people safe on our nation’s roadways.