A new iPhone application has made it easier for consumers to make important vehicle safety decisions in real time. Developed by Volpe for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the SaferCar app allows users to access information from NHTSA's SaferCar.gov site to search vehicle 5-Star Safety Ratings, locate child seat installation help, file a vehicle safety complaint, and receive automatic notices about recalls.

"The app allows the consumer to make more informed decisions about the cars they want to buy and it impacts important safety decisions," said Bob Berk, chief of Volpe's Safety Information Systems Division.

Volpe's team has a deep understanding of the data behind the app and how important the data are in improving transportation safety, having worked with NHTSA on vehicle recalls and safety complaints for 12 years. In fact, Volpe developed from scratch a major system of the SaferCar.gov website that handles safety complaints and recalls. Volpe's team also completed a major redesign of the website's user interface two years ago and provides all of the support for SaferCar.gov and NHTSA.gov. "We make sure everything is running and running properly," said Volpe project manager Patricia Carnes.

Because of Volpe's knowledge of NHTSA's websites and systems, its team was able to move forward quickly with the app's development, working on advanced features like a function that allows users to scan VIN barcodes with their phones, making it easier to register their vehicles for safety recall notifications. "The people that I have working for me have all the business knowledge, so NHTSA doesn't have to start from scratch explaining the data behind it," said Carnes. "So it saves them a lot of time by going to us."

The SaferCar app offers both a "push" and "pull" for consumers, enabling them to access actionable vehicle safety information and also to receive (or opt out of) notices. The app's main features include the following:

• 5-Star Safety Ratings: Consumers can search crash test ratings for vehicles by make and model and compare different vehicle ratings, making it easy to shop smart at a car dealership. Since the app's release in March, about 10,500 users have downloaded the app, with the 5-Star Safety Ratings being the most popular feature, said Carnes.
• Safety recalls and complaints: Users can enter information for up to 10 vehicles to be notified of safety recalls. The app also makes it simple for users to submit safety complaints about vehicles, helping NHTSA investigate defects and make automobiles safer.
• Child seat installation help: Users can find directions, hours, and contact information on the nearest car seat inspection station to get help installing child seats and boosters.
• Safety news: Consumers can receive important news and safety information from NHTSA, as well as notices on their registered vehicles.

"We're trying to make sure the public is as aware as possible from a safety perspective," said Berk.