Pallone Statement on NHTSA Review

Statement

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement today in response to the report released by the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) highlighting gaps in the way the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collects and assesses reports on possible auto defects, including faulty General Motors (GM) ignition switches.

"The report from the OIG raises concerns about NHTSA's capacity to identify safety defects and hold auto manufacturers accountable for reporting problems. We rely on NHTSA to protect drivers from dangerous defects, and we need to be confident in its ability to carry out that role. The OIG report offers valuable recommendations to improve NHTSA processes, and I am encouraged by NHTSA's plans to implement these changes promptly.

"As we learned during the Committee's investigations into the GM and Takata recalls, this report indicates again that NHTSA would be best served by increased resources and authorities to keep our roads safe. We introduced the Vehicle Safety Improvement Act earlier this year to take important steps to increase accountability for auto makers and authority for NHTSA. The bill also increased NHTSA funding and resources for oversight and enforcement. I hope that the OIG report offers an opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis to advance the Vehicle Safety Improvement Act without delay.

"While I strongly applaud the efforts of the DOT OIG to improve the regulatory capability of NHTSA, what we saw in both the GM and Toyota debacles is that, ultimately, the automakers themselves must be the first line of defense when protecting consumers."

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