Top Auto Regulator Says Car-safety Bill May Need Changes

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. auto regulator told a Senate panel Wednesday that some provisions of proposed vehicle-safety legislation might need to be scaled back, echoing industry concerns that the bill sets unrealistic deadlines for rolling out new car technology, The Wall Street Journal reported.

But David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came out forcefully for a provision that would broaden his agency's authority to swiftly order recalls of vehicles deemed to be a public danger. The industry opposes the provision.

The recall measure, part of a bill proposed earlier this month in the House, would empower the NHTSA chief to order a stop to all sales of a car that he or she concludes poses an "imminent hazard" to the public, eliminating the current public-hearing process. Strickland, testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee, called for the provision to be included in a Senate version of the bill.

"If the threat to human life is truly imminent, the agency needs to act quickly and not be slowed down by a lengthy procedural process," Strickland said in written testimony submitted to the committee. He added that his agency would use the authority "very judiciously...only in those situations where the hazard was truly imminent and the manufacturer unwilling to cooperate."

Car companies have said the provision is too broad and would unduly eliminate their right to question government-imposed recalls. They said they fear the prospect of recalls being ordered due to politics and public pressure even when evidence of a car defect was insufficient.