[en] The paper describes the growing public concern over the safe distribution of hazardous chemicals and the goal of government and industry to address that concern. It discusses the pitfalls encountered by the public and private sectors in their efforts to protect the public interest. These include: Not defining the problem adequately; trying to assess blame rather than seeking solutions; looking for easy and quick solutions to complex problems; failing to involve all affected parties to arrive at solutions. After definition of the problem and detailed obstacles to meaningful solutions, the current organization and working relationships within the United States for responding to chemical transportation incidents are explained. This includes the involvement of national government, local government, and various industries in the planning and execution of effective measures. Emphasis is placed on the co-operative efforts among these various groups, innovative ideas concerning planning and communications, and future improvements to an already sophisticated system. The paper concludes with a summary of the lessons learned in the USA that should be beneficial to all nations. Perhaps most important is the philosophy and practice of actively managing, constructively criticizing and improving the system once it is in place. (author)