WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, chaired by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), held a hearing today continuing its record of oversight of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
#SubDCCP Chairman Latta began the hearing by highlighting the SELF DRIVE Act, legislation to help update NHTSA’s federal safety standards to reflect emerging self-driving car technology. The bipartisan bill advanced 54-0 out of the Energy and Commerce Committee and passed the House by voice vote.
“We will continue to work to get the bill to the President’s desk this year because we know this technology will not wait for the government to catch up," said Chairman Latta. “As other countries work to surpass the U.S. in the race for self-driving technology, we want to make sure this incredible innovation, and the high-quality jobs it brings, stay right here at home."
Full committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) spoke to NHTSA’s efforts to prevent driving under the influence of opioids, “Turning to another issue that is impacting every district in the country - the opioid crisis. I look forward to hearing more about the recently announced Drugged Driving Initiative at NHTSA. Driving under the influence of prescription opioids and marijuana now causes more traffic fatalities than driving under the influence of alcohol. This is a prime example of an issue where federal leadership is valuable to bring together stakeholders, such as law enforcement and other community leaders, to find a way to protect people on our roads and combat the opioid crisis."
NHSTA Deputy Administrator Heidi King elaborated on the administration’s latest drugged driving initiative, stating, “One of the emerging risks that NHTSA is fully committed to mitigating is the problem of drug impaired driving. We know that many people switch between alcohol and drugs, or consume them together, and we need to consider both drugs and alcohol in addressing the very serious problem of impaired driving. To that end, NHTSA has announced an initiative to strengthen the strategies necessary to reduce drug-impaired driving on our nation’s roads. Next month, NHTSA will launch the national dialogue in a ‘Call to Action’ - a national summit that will bring together experts and stakeholders to share best practices and identify near term and longer term strategies to save lives."
In providing an update on when the Takata airbag recall will be complete, Deputy Administrator King said, “We have posted on our website the dates when various ages or various risk categories of airbags will be recalled. Right now, the date that is top of mind, is now. Because of the urgency of the recall announced on Monday with certain 2006 Ford vehicles, I would urge every consumer to check our website and know whether they have one of most airbags - safe, save thousands of lives every year - or the ones that are not safe."
Consumers are encouraged visit safercar.gov to check if their vehicle is subject to recall.
