January 15, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx today joined with major automakers to announce a voluntary effort to boost safety efforts in the wake of unprecedented failures to identify defects and repair them quickly. The initiative also aims to address cybersecurity risks in vehicles.
Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, welcomed the interest in proactive safety and called on automakers to move quickly in following through on this voluntary agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“It’s vitally important to find and fix safety defects before, not after, consumers get hurt. These safety principles are a first step in that effort and we appreciate the consensus reached by NHTSA and the auto industry,” said William Wallace, policy analyst for Consumers Union. “Better dialogue and data-sharing between industry and NHTSA are part of the solution, but holding companies accountable when they don’t measure up is equally important. Going forward, we urge automakers to follow through by meeting and exceeding the commitments they have made today. NHTSA should hold them to their word and keep taking strong steps to protect consumers on the road.”
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Contact: David Butler, dbutler@consumer.org