The Santos Family Foundation is dedicated to the memory of Robin Santos and her three children, Cristina, Paul Christopher and Peter Santos. All four died in an automobile accident in New Hampshire in 1990. Paul Santos, Jr., Robin’s husband and the father of the three children, survived the accident. In 1999, Paul and his family created the Santos Family Foundation.

Initially, the Foundation’s focus is on improving automobile safety, particularly the crash-worthiness of passenger vehicles. After examining the efforts of numerous private and public organizations in the field of automobile safety, the Foundation funded a three-year, $400,000 effort, by the National Crash Analysis Center of the George Washington University to devise an improved roof crush standard for the automobile industry. Information on the objectives and findings of this project may be found at:

http://www.ncac.gwu.edu

In connection with this same objective, the Foundation made an initial grant of $75,000 to the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) to work with the Center for Injury Research to determine if there is evidence for the practicability of a stronger roof crush standard to reduce both direct injuries from roof intrusion and injuries from ejection through side windows. This research utilized the Jordan Rollover System (JRS) and determined that the Volvo XC90 provides rollover occupant protection through superior roof strength and other safety features. The Foundation has provided an additional $210,500 in grants to CAS: 1. to determine the repeatability of JRS; and 2. to compare the results of JRS testing with the results of static testing conducted by NHTSA.

http://wm.nmmstream.net

In April, 2009, NHTSA did issue a new roof strength standard. That standard is described at:

http://www.nhtsa.gov

In order to provide the public with easily accessible information on auto safety, the Foundation has funded the creation of a website which provides current auto hazards information and a comprehensive collection of motor vehicle hazards documents. For this purpose, the Foundation granted the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) of Boston, Massachusetts, $275,000 to create this website. Further information on this project may be found at:

http://www.autohazardinfo.org

In the same vain, the Foundation has provided $15,000 grant to the Automotive Safety Institute at George Washington University to create publicly available library of landmark auto safety information accumulated by key NHSTA policymakers over the years. Most recently, the Foundation has provided the MIT AgeLab with a $100,000 grant to fund research on the safety implications of in-¬vehicle technologies, intelligent vehicle applications and the impact of health on drivers' behaviors. These funds will be matched by the US Department of Transportation, thus doubling the resources available for this work. A November 15, 2010 conference in Cambridge, MA will present the work funded by this grant. Further information on the work of the AgeLab may be found at:

http://web.mit.edu

The Foundation does not invite submissions from the public. Rather, the Foundation prefers to identify specific automobile safety issues and then work with experts who are able to address those issues.

For further information on the Foundation’s grant goals and funding, please contact Leonard Santos, Executive Director, Santos Family Foundation, 5185 MacArthur Blvd., NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20016. You may also send an email to santlen@aol.com, call 202-236-0174, or send a facsimile to 971-255-0351.

The following reports, funded by the Foundation, are available for viewing online using Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe Web site free of charge.