Pallone, Schakowsky: "More Meaningful Action Needed to Actually Make Vehicles Safer"

Press Release

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) issued the following statement today in response to the "Proactive Safety Principles" released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a group of automakers. This voluntary agreement between the auto industry and federal regulators to examine cybersecurity concerns in vehicles does not amount to meaningful safety enhancements to ensure American drivers and passengers are safe on the road:

"After the cheating scandals and cover-ups that have been revealed in the past few years, this latest promise rings hollow.

"We had hoped for stronger action and better oversight, including a commitment from manufacturers to provide significantly more information on any fatal incident involving a safety defect. Instead, these principles preserve the status quo.

"The auto industry has now faced years of massive and unprecedented recalls and record fines. This agreement should be just the first step towards real improvements in the auto industry that will protect drivers and passengers.

"We need meaningful enhancements in safety standards and oversight of the industry. The Vehicle Safety Improvement Act, which we introduced last year, takes the lessons learned from these major safety events to enhance transparency and oversight and to increase auto manufacturers' accountability and federal regulators' authority. We again urge our Republican colleagues to advance that bill so that voluntary agreements between the auto industry and federal regulators are a starting point -- not the best-case scenario."

Source