|
Senators Ed Markey, Richard Blumenthal, Sherrod Brown, Dick
Durbin, Jack Reed, Ron Wyden and others wrote the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking the agency
to explain its lack of progress in writing new regulations
mandated by Congress.
A 2021 $1 trillion infrastructure law signed into law in 2021
includes 10 new auto safety provisions including "modernizing
standards" for crash avoidance technologies, automatic engine
shutoff devices and headlights, the letter said.
"When issuing new safety measures, regulators have too often
crawled through yellow lights or stalled at red lights," the
letter said. "Congress gave NHTSA the green light to put its
pedal to the metal to reduce motor vehicle fatalities."
The 2021 law also directs NHTSA to set rules requiring new
vehicles include technology to prevent alcohol impaired drivers
from starting vehicles and mandate systems in to alert drivers
to check rear seats after turning off vehicles.
The Transportation Department said in April NHTSA "is committed
to ensuring its underlying processes improve the timely
completion of congressional mandates."
NHTSA's slow pace of writing new auto safety regulations has
come under fire before and it is often been years behind
deadlines set by Congress to write new safety rules.
An April report by the Government Accountability Office said
NHTSA had failed to complete 16 of 22 rules mandated by Congress
in legislation passed in 2012 and 2015.
The senators letter noted the November 2021 infrastructure law
directed NHTSA to submit a report within six months on the
status of prior rules sought by Congress and expected completion
dates. "Unfortunately, NHTSA has already missed that deadline by
six months," the letter said.
NHTSA was without a Senate-confirmed administrator for more than
five years until Steven Cliff was confirmed in May. Cliff
stepped down in September. President Joe Biden has not nominated
a replacement.
Cliff told Reuters in July NHTSA was moving aggressively to get
new regulations completed. Since January 2021, the agency
finalized 16 rules and begun work on 25 new rules, Cliff said.
(Reporting by David Shepardson)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
