Safer Cars

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is thinking up new ways to make more cars safer. Administrator David Strickland wants auto makers to speed up adoption of safety technologies now found only on expensive cars. These include sensors that detect an impending crash or whether the driver has been drinking. Strickland's call comes as traffic deaths rose for the first time since 2005. He says the panel will decide by year end on how it will encourage the car makers to make the technologies more widely available.