Consumer Reports (CR), the independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan member organization dedicated to creating a fair and safe marketplace for consumers, writes in recognition of your new role as Secretary of Transportation. We appreciate the chance to introduce ourselves and to highlight opportunities to collaborate on automotive safety and sustainability.
CR’s letter highlighted key opportunities for DOT to stand with consumers, including:
- Vehicle Safety: CR urged DOT to remain firm against industry attempts to weaken or delay the new automatic emergency braking (AEB) rule and to continue advancing pedestrian safety measures in response to record-high pedestrian fatalities. CR also called for DOT to prioritize recall investigations, compliance actions, and enforcement to make sure auto companies are held accountable to the public for safety.
- Driving Automation: CR stressed the need for robust federal oversight of driving automation, including to ensure that partially automated systems (SAE Level 2) have effective safeguards to prevent overreliance and keep drivers actively engaged. For cars with a higher level of automation, namely, autonomous vehicles (AVs), CR called on DOT to require strong safety benchmarks to protect the public. Two-thirds (68%) of Americans believe AVs should be held to stricter safety standards than traditional vehicles, according to a nationally representative December 2024 CR survey. Just 3% of Americans believe safety standards for AVs should be less strict than for traditional passenger vehicles.
- Fuel Economy Standards: CR emphasized the importance of maintaining strong Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which save consumers thousands of dollars in fuel costs and encourage innovation in vehicle efficiency.
- EV Charging Expansion: CR called on DOT to ensure rural and underserved communities aren’t left behind as the nation builds out its EV charging infrastructure.