Regulation would replace 2015 voluntary agreement. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on June 11 announced the Department’s portions of the Unified Agenda (also known as the Spring Regulatory Agenda) identifying the actions the Department plans to take over the next year and beyond. The portion of the regulatory agenda addressing roadway safety proposes to […]
FTC Report to Congress Examines Anti-Competitive Repair Restrictions
Report recommends ways to expand consumers’ repair options, including more enforcement, and use of voluntary agreements between manufacturers and independent repairers. In a new report to Congress, the Federal Trade Commission identifies numerous types of repair restrictions across industries such as mobile phones and automobiles. Concerns raised in the report and by proponents of an […]
Auto Manufacturers Association Recommends NHTSA Include Crash Avoidance in Safety Ratings
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation announced recommendations to modernize the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the program that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) uses to convey safety information to consumers. According to the association, NCAP currently rates the crashworthiness of cars, but does not rate advanced crash avoidance technologies like automatic emergency braking […]
NHTSA Proposes to Restore Ability for States to Set Own Greenhouse Gas Standards for Autos
The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday proposed to withdraw its portions of the so-called SAFE I Rule, which sought to preempt States, including California, from issuing their own greenhouse gas emissions standards and zero-emissions vehicle mandates. The proposed action would establish a clean slate, enabling the Department to further the Biden Administration’s fuel economy, equity, […]
Governors Highway Safety Association Report on Distracted Driving Deaths Increase Identifies Need to Strengthen Laws and Enforcement
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) today announced the release of the inaugural Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP) report, Using Electronic Devices While Driving: Legislation and Enforcement Implications, published this morning by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board (TRB) and funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration […]
Auto Industry Pledges to Work with Biden Administration to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The U.S. auto industry is aligned with the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve net-zero carbon transportation and an accelerated shift to electric-drive vehicles, and is committed to working with the administration on a revised national program that includes California, brings all automakers under a unified set of common requirements and ensures a level, competitive playing […]
NHTSA Exempts Autonomous Vehicles That Do Not Carry Passengers from Crashworthiness Standards
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on January 14 issued a final rule to modernize numerous Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and clarify ambiguities in current occupant protection standards for vehicles equipped with automated driving systems that are designed without traditional manual driver controls. The rule amends several crashworthiness regulations to […]
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Independent Contractor Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule clarifying the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). “This rule brings long-needed clarity for American workers and employers,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “Sharpening the test to determine who is an independent contractor under the Fair […]
Interview, Bob Redding, Automotive Service Association Washington Representative
Redding examines Federal legislation impacting the industry in the wake of the 2020 general election. Examines prospects for coronavirus relief and background of Right to Repair debate on vehicle data access. In the wake of the election day in early November, the automotive service and collision repair industries will see new legislative and regulatory changes […]
NHTSA Seeks Public Comment on Automated Driving System Safety Principles
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking public comment on the potential development of a framework of principles to govern the safe behavior of automated driving systems (ADS) in the future. The advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) was submitted to the Federal Register on November 19 and is […]