Toyota, VW, And GM Slam The Feds Over Outdated Safety Rules

Safety agency is slow to adopt to rapidly changing safety technologies

The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a federal agency tasked with maintaining and enforcing vehicle safety standards in the United States. This is a critical function to ensure the safest possible levels of transportation for commuters, so when a group of the industry’s largest automakers accuses the NHTSA of outdated regulations that are a barrier to progress, it’s worrying. This is exactly what’s been communicated by a major trade group representing brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, GM, and Hyundai.

NHTSA Criticized On Multiple Fronts

A statement from Alliance for Automotive, a trade group representing these major automakers, is a scathing assessment of the NHTSA.

“Its fractured relationship with the industry, decades-old safety regulations, and lack of a clear strategic roadmap for emerging technologies are stifling innovation and threatening U.S. global leadership,” said the trade group about the NHTSA, as per Reuters.

John Bozella, CEO of Innovation, listed dozens of NHTSA regulations that should be updated, repealed, or revised. He specifically pointed to the NHTSA’s stance on automatic emergency braking and the red tape around autonomous vehicles.

“Unfortunately, federal inaction is holding us back. Despite years of dialogue, there is still no comprehensive federal framework for AVs,” Bozzella said, also calling for NHTSA to ease fuel economy requirements starting in 2027, saying they are “misaligned with consumer demand and current technology adoption rates.”

Almost 40,000 people died on American roads in 2024, which remains much higher than pre-COVID levels. Therefore, anything getting in the way of road safety standards is an issue.

IIHS Not Happy With NHTSA, Either

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an industry-funded group that also encourages the building of safer cars. Its tests are considered by many to be more comprehensive than those of the NHTSA, as cars are assessed in more crash scenarios and crash-avoidance technologies are also given a score.

“NHTSA is failing to meet the moment. In recent years, it has approached its job with a lack of urgency, using flawed methodologies that underestimate the safety benefits of obviously beneficial interventions,” said IIHS President David Harkey, adding that the NHTSA “requires stronger leadership, a sense of urgency, and a greater willingness to act.”

Related: IIHS and senators urge NHTSA to take action on automated driver assists

As an example of the NHTSA’s slow rate of modernization, the IIHS has called for motorcycles to require anti-lock brakes since 2013 as crash rates are 22% lower for such motorcycles. Despite this, it’s still not a requirement that has been enforced by the NHTSA. A few years back, the latest headlight technology also hadn’t been approved for use in the United States, due to outdated local regulations.

Considering the rapid advances being made in safety technologies each year, a significant overhaul of the NHTSA’s procedures is surely due soon.