releases: https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/nominee-pledges-tough-approach-to-auto-safety
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/nominee-pledges-tough-approach-to-auto-safety | Nominee Pledges Tough Approach to Auto Safety | 2014-12-03 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Nominee Pledges Tough Approach to Auto Safety Nominee Pledges Tough Approach to Auto Safety Wednesday, December 3, 2014 By: Siobhan Hughes WASHINGTON— Mark Rosekind, nominated to be the top U.S. auto-safety regulator, pledged to lawmakers on Wednesday that he would bring a “fresh set of eyes” to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aiming to turn the page on a difficult period for the agency. The Senate is racing to confirm Mr. Rosekind, a fatigue scientist, before Congress adjourns for the year amid frustration that the agency missed multiple opportunities to identify safety defects. NHTSA for years either overlooked or failed to grasp evidence identifying a deadly ignition-switch defect in General Motors Co. vehicles, according to a congressional report that was released earlier this year. A new crisis emerged more recently amid revelations of exploding Takata Corp. air bags that are used in millions of vehicles. Many lawmakers believe the car industry simply doesn’t take NHTSA seriously. “If confirmed, you have my commitment that I will maintain an aggressive focus on continuing to improve NHTSA’s safety record,” Mr. Rosekind told the Senate Commerce Committee. “To this task, I will bring a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective honed over the years as a safety professional and manager.” Senators appeared generally receptive to Mr. Rosekind but cautioned that he’s taking on an agency with a big task at a time when a spate of deadly defects has rattled the industry and its regulators. “If you are not feared and respected, then you cannot do a good job,” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.), who chaired the hearing, told the nominee. Drawing on his experience as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Mr. Rosekind replied with detailed answers about the types of workers, systems, and safety culture that he wanted to bring to the agency. In the process, he appeared to be making an early plea for increased resources for an agency that some Democratic lawmakers feel is understaffed and overwhelmed. Over and over, Mr. Rosekind flagged that the number of complaints pouring in to NHTSA has jumped to 75,000 a year from 45,000, but said that only nine staffers were assigned to look at the complaints. He also said that the regulator needed to think about a better use of computer systems to improve its ability to sift through the data. “It’s not just about the individual personnel, but it’s the technology,” Mr. Rosekind said. With only nine people in a defects-investigation office reviewing a complaint database, “we’re not even talking about connecting the dots; we’re just talking about the overload of having that many complaints.” The top job at NHTSA has gone unfilled for almost a year, complicating congressional efforts to hold the agency accountable. The man who has been the face of the agency for the past year, David Friedman, frequently frustrated lawmakers with his answers to their questions, like when he declined to label stalls a serious safety issue, on the grounds that drivers might be able to safely steer their vehicles to the side of the road. During his tenure, NHTSA also initially supported limiting recalls of cars with certain Takata air bags to some hot and humid regions, based on the available data. “You have to go with the data,” Mr. Rosekind said in response to a question from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) about whether such a regional recall made sense. But when data don’t exist, “that is where common sense and other kinds of decision making need to come in,” Mr. Rosekind said. The son of a San Francisco police officer who was killed in the line of duty by a driver who ran a red light, Mr. Rosekind emphasized the importance of putting names and faces to auto deaths. He also said that while it was important to correctly identify safety problems, the work didn't stop there. “None of it matters, if it doesn’t get fixed,” Mr. Rosekind said. The response was aimed at Democratic senators who are frustrated that the auto industry has stopped short of conducting complete recalls. Their ire was trained most recently on Takata, which has resisted a demand from regulators to expand a recall to include driver-side air bags on a nationwide basis. Takata has argued that available data don’t support the need for a broader repair campaign or pinpoint a safety defect. “We cannot be shy; we cannot withhold all of the tools to help,” Mr. Rosekind said. Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |