On Wednesday morning, Democratic senator from California Barbara Boxer introduced a bill that would close the "revolving door" between the NHTSA and automakers. This bill aims to fix an issue that the Toyota recall fiasco brought to light. Should the bill pass, high-level NHTSA employees would be required to take a three-year break before working for automakers. Before this bill can become law, it must pass through both the House and Senate, and be signed by the President.

Former NHTSA officials working for Toyota

During Senate hearings, the role of previous NHTSA employees in Toyota recalls came to light. Previous employees of the NHTSA were recruited by Toyota to negotiate with the agency. Because of inside knowledge, these employees were able to reduce the impact of recalls -- or talk their way out of recalls at all. This standard practice with car makers raises significant ethical issues.

3 year wait for employment

Barbara Boxer's bill would require anybody who leaves the NHTSA to wait three years before working for automakers. The bill only affects some employees - "high level NHTSA officials" and "direct communication" automaker jobs. If the job a NHTSA employee has does not involve recalls or automaker negotiations, the rule would not apply to them. The rule also doesn't apply if the automaker job doesn't require "direct communication with the NHTSA".

DOT to look into National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The NHTSA is also under investigation by the Department of Transportation. Concerns have been raised that the NHTSA is simply under-equipped and understaffed. There are about 125 engineers on staff for the NHTSA, which is responsible for the safety and security of the approximately 254 million passenger autos on U.S. roadways. Simply put, the NHTSA simply cannot keep an eye on all that they must with so few individuals. The NHTSA is also due to get a lot more enforcement power if the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 passes the House and Senate.

Article Resources

LA Times

Washington Post