The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was formed back in late 1970 as part of the Department of Transportation (DOT), a division focused on automotive safety regulations. NHTSA is tasked with the writing and enforcing of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, as well as regulations for vehicle theft prevention and fuel economy as part of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) system, too. Now, however, that same agency has reportedly laid off around four percent of its workforce.
According to Reuters, the NHTSA has trimmed a small portion of its 800-person workforce as part of a government-wide culling of probationary employees. However, it also noted that under the previous Biden Administration, the agency grew by around 30 percent, and its staff is still considerably larger than before, even after these cuts. “We have retained positions critical to the mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs due to road traffic crashes,” NHTSA said, noting that it “will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment.”
Ford and some of its rivals have faced a number of investigations from the NHTSA in recent years, with many of them centered around responses to recalls and potential safety hazards pertaining to semi-autonomous driving features. Back in November 2024, the NHTSA announced a consent order with Ford for failing to comply with federal recall requirements over its rearview camera woes, which includes a civil penalty of $165 million – the second-largest ever issued by the agency.
Back in January, the NHTSA also launched an investigation into Ford’s BlueCruise software after a pair of fatal accidents occurred with stationary vehicles while that hands-free highway driving assist feature was engaged. FoMoCo isn’t alone in that regard either, as one of its rivals – Tesla – has also found itself in the midst of an NHTSA investigation regarding its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system after it was notified of 20 crashes that occurred when Autopilot was activated.
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Funny our govt grew 50% but I don’t perceive a 50% improvement in service. But the Democrats will have you believe a 4% cut means cars will crash and everyone dies.