SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

The auto recalls that dominated the news in 2010 certainly brought some safety issues and policies into discussion throughout the industry and general public.

Edmunds.com aims to delve into car safety policy in further detail when it offers a free conference this spring featuring automotive and governmental leaders, among other experts.

The company’s “Truly Safe? Debunking Myths and Crafting Effective Policies for Car Safety” is slated for May 24.

Edmunds said it hopes to foster discussions that can have an impact on the crafting car safety policy and product development while ultimately leading to safer roads.

Speeches and presentations will be made by the following leaders:

—Congressman John Dingell
—National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland
—The Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration Administrator Peter Appel
—AutoNation chairman and chief executive officer Mike Jackson
—Insurance Institute for Highway Safety president Adrian Lund
—Former NHTSA Administrator Joan Claybrook
—Governors Highway Safety Association Executive Director Barbara Harsha
—AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety president and CEO Peter Kissinger
—Various academic experts and business leaders

For advance materials and details, visit http://www.autoobserver.com/2011-car-safety-conference.

Edmunds noted that the safety conference library on its AutoObserver.com site includes such content as:

—An overview of automobile ergonomics, human factors and safety by The Design of Everyday Things author Don Norman
—Opportunities and suggestions for maximizing traffic safety data by InfoCommerce founder and managing director Russell Perkins
—An analysis of the teenage driver’s brain by Temple University professor and You and Your Adolescent author Laurence Steinberg

Officials stressed that the conference is free but attendees must have a credential.

“We all want safer roads, but what is really behind the recent declines in traffic-related fatalities? How can we ensure that the trend will continue? What are the lessons from last year’s intense focus on unintended acceleration?” Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl asked.

“Our safety conference is an opportunity for industry, government and other experts to meet, learn, debate and emerge with new ideas on how to move this important issue forward," he added.