Testimony before House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee
"Looking Under the Hood: The State of NHTSA and Motor Vehicle Safety"
Opening statement (as prepared for delivery)
By John Bozzella
Chairman Fulcher, Ranking Member Schakowsky, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, distinguished members of the subcommittee.
Thank you for the invitation to share my perspective today on motor vehicle safety in America and policies to modernize the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to achieve a shared mission:
Helping to save lives and make the roads safer for everyone.
A healthy, competitive domestic auto industry is a prized asset among nations.
Here at home, the auto industry underpins America’s economic and national security.
It is our largest manufacturing sector.
Five percent of GDP; 10 million American jobs; pumping $1.2 trillion into the economy every year.
But the industry is experiencing headwinds.
This includes China, where we’re facing unfair competition from government subsidized vehicles and technologies.
And it also includes tariffs, which are a significant near-term challenge.
I know the president and his team are finalizing agreements with our automotive trading partners to deliver some clarity. That’s positive.
But I’ll say this: automakers are committed to building and investing in America.
But automaking is a long lead time, high asset manufacturing business.
And existing automotive facilities and global supply chains are massive. And complex.
They can’t be relocated or redirected overnight. It takes time.
Against this backdrop of geopolitical and trade uncertainty, reforming NHTSA should absolutely be a top priority for Congress.
When NHTSA works it actually strengthens the industry’s global competitiveness.
It can help speed the deployment of life saving automotive technology; it can lead to innovation; increased affordability and ensure the industry is competitive against China.
The auto industry wants – it needs – a functioning and effective safety regulator.
We don’t have that today.
Here’s what I’ve observed over the last several years:
NHTSA has become less transparent and less collaborative.
The agency isn’t nimble; rulemakings take too long – if they come at all.
NHTSA isn’t rating new safety technologies fast enough or often enough to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions.
Rules accumulate even when some are clearly obsolete.
Meanwhile, there were nearly 40,000 deaths on our roads last year.
It is a shocking and tragic number that isn’t acceptable to anyone.
And it comes at a time when vehicles are safer – and come equipped with more driver assistance technology and crash protection – than at any time in history.
So why is this? What’s happening?
Where a safety partnership once existed, automakers today are regularly surprised by NHTSA actions.
We shouldn’t be surprising one another.
Instead, we need a revitalized partnership; real dialogue and an aligned research agenda to achieve what I assure you is a shared mission – to help save lives and make our roads safer.
I want to note here that we’ve had good and important dialogue with Secretary Duffy and have seen some significant actions to advance safety and balance fuel economy regulations.
So how do we modernize and fix NHTSA?
Here are a few ideas:
One: Move beyond vehicle equipment mandates.
Reducing traffic fatalities requires a systemic and behavioral approach to safety.
Two: Modernize the New Car Assessment Program.
To promote innovation, encourage constant safety improvements and empower customers with clear information about vehicle safety, NHTSA should rethink NCAP.
Take oversight of the program out of rulemaking and look at how similar programs are working better around the world.
Three: Streamline outdated rules.
NHTSA should take a look at all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and ask this question: are they reducing fatalities and increasing crash survivability?
Or are they obsolete regulatory roadblocks that hurt innovation and delay deployment of life-saving technologies?
Four: Congress should establish a national autonomous vehicle framework.
AVs represent the next leap in personal mobility. They will reduce crashes and congestion; provide transportation for people with disabilities; and transform how we live and work.
Countries around the world are racing to dominate autonomy. America should be leading and operating under a set of national standards for safer and immediate AV deployment.
As I said, we want a functioning and modern NHTSA.
An agency that is properly staffed and with enough resources to carry out its primary mission: vehicle safety.
And is a partner in American innovation and progress.
Thank you. I’m happy to take your questions.