NAME: US AUTOSHOW 050105N TAPE: EF05/0020 IN_TIME: 10:08:37:10 DURATION: 00:02:38:00 SOURCES: APTN DATELINE: Los Angeles, 5 Jan 2005 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST 1. Wide shot of car show exhibition area 2. Close shot of race car in Honda exhibit area 3. Wide shot of Mercedes Benz exhibit area 4. Close up of name plate on Mercedes Benz V-12 Biturbo 5. Wide shot of V-12 Biturbo 6. Close shot of McLaren logo on sports car 7. Wide shot of McLaren car 8. Close shot of Ford GT 9. Close shot of Ford GT logo on car 10. Close shot of Jaguar bonnet ornament 11. Wide shot of Jaguar exhibit area 12. People looking at car in Ferrari exhibit area, tilt down to engine of Ferrari sports car 13. Close shot of Ferrari steering wheel 14. Tilt down to Lamborghini sports car 15. Close up of emblem on bonnet 16. Close shot of Lamborghini interior 17. Wide shot of Venturi Fetish electric powered sports car 18. Close shot of door opening 19. Close shot of steering wheel 20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gildo Pallanca-Pastor, Chief Executive Officer, Venturi Automobiles "You know, really something special about this car is that it''s an electric car, it''s a production car, and it''s probably the first electric car to be sexy." 21. Close shot of Range Rover bonnet name plate 22. Close shot of Range Rover interior 23. Wide shot of Volvo special edition car in exhibit area 24. Mid shot of Toyota Prius 25. Close shot of petrol mileage display 26. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Honiotes, car industry analyst, Autobytel "These are the best cars that have come out in years for those companies, and what it''s doing is bringing people back into the dealerships, which had been a problem obviously. And so what''s happening today is we''ve found that people have a passion for the business again. They''re excited about cars and so they''re looking for function and panache." 27. Wide shot of Toyota exhibit area STORYLINE: Car makers from around the world showed off their latest models at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the United States on Wednesday. Auto makers from Europe, America and Japan gathered for the annual exhibition as industry figures show sales in the US rose in 2004 for the first time in four years. Due largely to a robust December, sales for 2004 rose about one percent from 2003 to roughly 17 million units. Car makers are hoping it means a rebound in slumping sales, and they''re rolling out new models for the new year. Record demand for vehicles from Japan''s top car makers in 2004 meant Detroit auto makers share of the American market was brought its lowest level ever. The US market share for GM (General Motors), Ford and Chrysler dwindled to an unprecedented 58.7 percent in 2004, down from 60.2 percent in 2003, according to the automotive research firm Autodata Corporation. Toyota''s US division sold more than two million vehicles for the first time in its 47 years of existence as its sales grew 10 percent in 2004. Honda''s 30 percent rise in sales in December helped propel the automaker to its 11th consecutive year of increased sales. Analysts say the rise in sales of Asian-made cars in the United States is expected to continue in 2005. European automakers are looking to challenge Japan and US makers on innovation. Mercedes parent DaimlerChrysler announced this month the company has reached its goal of 100 fuel cell vehicles on the road. The company says the largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles in the world consists of Mercedes-Benz F-Cell passenger cars, medium-duty Dodge fuel cell Sprinter Vans and Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell buses. At the top end of the market, Monaco-based Venturi Automobiles is offering its electric-powered two-seater, the Fetish, for a cool 660,000 US dollars. Company officials say it''s the first production electric car available. They''re planning a production run of 25 cars, and plan to make the car available in the US. Volkswagen says it plans to bring clean-burning diesel cars to the US market, saying the technology is a better alternative to hybrids or fuel cell cars in the short term.

AS PART OF EARTH DAY, AUTOMOBILE ICON LEE IACOCCA ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT HE EXPECTS SAN FRANCISCO TO BE THE CITY THAT LEADS THE NATION IN SWITCHING FROM OIL TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL TRANSPORTATION.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) holds a news conference to release ``ACEEE's Green Book: The Environmental Guide to Cars & Trucks--Model Year 2000,'' providing a ``Green Score'' for cars and trucks sold in the U.S. based on tailpipe emissions, fuel economy and pollutants emitted during the manufacturing process. Honda's new hybrid electric car is on display

highway safety House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing on Highway Safety with David Strickland, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Joan Claybrook, Ami Gadhia, Policy Counsel for Consumers Union and Dave McCurdy, president and CEO Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. 15:00:00 IMPLEMENT THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IN A MANNER THAT ENSURES 15:00:03 MAXIMUM PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION. 15:00:05 THAT CLEARLY HASN'T HAPPENED. SO MY GOAL IS TO WORK WITH YOU, 15:00:12 SIR, IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. 15:00:14 WE THANK YOU FOR TAKING THIS JOB, BY THE WAY. 15:00:17 >> THANK YOU. >> WE HAVE ENJOYED WORKING WITH 15:00:20 YOU OVER ALL THE YEARS, ESPECIALLY ON THE FUEL ECONOMY 15:00:23 STANDARDS AND YOUR WORK ON THE SENATE. 15:00:25 >> THANK YOU. >> LET ME ASK ONE FINAL 15:00:27 QUESTION, IF I MAY. ALTHOUGH NHTSA CAN UNDERTAKE A 15:00:31 MANDATORY RECALL, DOING SO TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND CAN 15:00:35 REQUIRE YOU TO GO TO COURT TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF A SAFETY 15:00:39 DETECT. THERE ARE TIMES, HOWEVER, WHEN 15:00:43 TAKING THAT LONG COSTS LIVES. AS YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU WERE THE 15:00:48 LEAD STAFFER IN THE SENATE TWO YEARS AGO, CONGRESS GAVE THE 15:00:52 CONSUMERER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION THE AUTHORITY TO 15:00:55 QUICKLY INFORM THE PUBLIC OF AN IMMINENT PRODUCT SAFETY HAZARD 15:00:59 THOUGH THE FORMAL RECALL PROCESS WAS COMPLETE. 15:01:03 DO YOU THINK THAT SORT OF AUTHORITY COULD HELP NHTSA MORE 15:01:07 EFFECTIVELY PROTECT AND INFORM THE PUBLIC OF SERIOUS SAFETY 15:01:10 PROBLEMS AND WILL YOU WORK WITH US TO DEVELOP SUCH A PROVISION? 15:01:15 >> THE IMMINENT HAZARD AUTHORITY, AND SEVERAL OF OUR 15:01:19 SISTER CONSUMER SAFETY AGENCIES, THE FEDERAL RAIL ADMINISTRATION 15:01:25 FOR EXAMPLE, HAS THIS AUTHORITY AND IT'S PROVEN HELPFUL TO THEM. 15:01:33 THIS HAS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL IN OTHER AREAS OF CONSUMER 15:01:37 PROTECTION AND MAY BEAR FRUIT FOR NHTSA AS WELL. 15:01:40 >> THANK YOU. OUR COUNTRY IS FORTUNATE YOU 15:01:44 WERE WILLING TO ACCEPT THIS POSITION. 15:01:45 >> THANK YOU. THAT'S VERY KIND. 15:01:48 >> THE CHAIR WILL ASK THE INDULGENCE OF THE WITNESS JUST 15:01:53 FOR A FEW MINUTES. THE CHAIR WILL AUTHORIZE A 15:02:00 SERIES OF QUESTIONS AND THE CHAIRMAN HAS HIMSELF FOR TWO 15:02:07 MINUTES. NHTSA'S BUDGET FOR VEHICLE 15:02:11 SAFETY PROGRAMS AND STANDARDS, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, FOR 15:02:15 THE PAST TEN YEARS. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE THIS YEAR'S 15:02:21 BUDGET REQUEST IS DOWN A FEW MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE YEAR 15:02:28 BEFORE. ODI, WHICH FOCUSES ITS 15:02:31 ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES ON NEW CARS SOLD WITHIN THE LAST FIVE 15:02:37 YEARS HAS A BUDGET OF LESS THAN $10 MILLION TO POLICE A FLEET OF 15:02:43 80 MILLION VEHICLES. AND THAT, ACCORDING TO THE 15:02:48 CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ADDS UP TO ABOUT TEN CENTS A CAR. 15:02:54 THE BUDGET FOR RULE MAKING IS SUFFERING AS WELL. 15:02:58 IT IS DELAYING MAJOR RULE-MAKING EFFORTS TO THE POINT IN CONGRESS 15:03:04 HAS BEEN COMPELLED TO LEGISLATE MANDATES FOR ROLL-OVER STANDARDS 15:03:08 AND CHILD SAFETY. THE AGENCY IS, AS FAR AS I CAN 15:03:16 SEE, NHTSA IS STARVED. AND THE STARVATION IS PRETTY 15:03:26 CLEAR. I KNOW THERE IS AN INCREASE OF 15:03:28 ABOUT 66 NEW PERSONNEL, BUT IF YOU GET MORE RESOURCES FOR YOUR 15:03:37 SAFETY PROGRAMS, WHERE WOULD YOU FOCUS THOSE INCREASED RESOURCES? 15:03:42 >> WELL, MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU KNOW, THE SAFETY MISSION IS NOT SIMPLY 15:03:46 IN THE ODI OR THE VEHICLE SAFETY OFFICE. 15:03:50 IT IS ACTUALLY ACROSS -- IT'S OUR ENTIRE MISSION. 15:03:54 IT'S THE BEHAVIORAL SIDE AS WELL AND THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET 15:03:58 PROVIDES RESOURCES TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION WITH THE NEW 15:04:00 RESOURCES FOR THOSE PERSONNEL. WE WILL TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE 15:04:04 66 PERSONNEL AND DEPLOY THEM AT THE PLACES WHERE WE NEED NOT 15:04:08 ONLY TO IMPROVE AND STRENGTHEN THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS 15:04:12 INVESTIGATION BUT IN OTHER PLACES WHERE WE CAN ALSO HELP 15:04:15 FURTHER OUR SAFETY MISSION IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY. 15:04:18 IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES OVERALL, WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED 15:04:23 OUR MISSION WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAVE HAD. 15:04:26 THE PRESIDENT HAS GIVEN US A BUDGET THAT GIVES US MORE 15:04:30 RESOURCES TO DO MORE AND WE WILL USE IT FOR THE SAFETY MISSION. 15:04:37 THIS CONGRESS HAS TO PREPARE A BUDGET. 15:04:40 >> SURE. >> THE CONGRESS HAS TO APPROVE A 15:04:45 BUDGET. WE CERTAINLY WILL BE LOOKING AT 15:04:47 NEED AND NOT GREED. >> YES, SIR. 15:04:53 >> WOULD YOU HAVE ANY OBJECTION IF WE GAVE YOU MORE THAN A 15:04:57 BUDGET FOR 66 EMPLOYEES? >> MR. RUSH, THE PRESIDENT'S 15:05:01 BUDGET HELPS US ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION. 15:05:03 IF THE DECISION OF THE CONGRESS IS TO PROVIDE US MORE RESOURCES 15:05:06 WE WILL USE THEM JUDICIOUSLY FOR THE PURPOSES OF IMPROVING 15:05:10 SAFETY. >> SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD ANSWER TO 15:05:13 ME. ALL RIGHT. 15:05:16 MR. WHITFIELD, TWO MINUTES. >> I WOULD JUST SAY I DON'T KNOW 15:05:19 HOW MUCH MORE MONEY WE HAVE TO GIVE YOU, BUT -- THANK YOU. 15:05:28 >> OKAY. WELL, WITH THAT SAID AND SEEING 15:05:31 NO MORE MEMBERS SEEKING RECOGNITION, YOU HAVE DONE AN 15:05:36 EXCELLENT JOB. WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 15:05:41 AGAIN, PLEASE FORGIVE US THAT OUR DUTIES HAVE TAKEN US AWAY 15:05:48 AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. >> IT'S BEEN AN HONOR. 15:05:55 THANK YOU, SIR. >> THANK YOU. 15:05:57 >> MR. WHITFIELD, THANK YOU. >> THE SECOND PANEL WILL PLEASE 15:06:03 BE SEATED. >>> THE CHAIR THANKS THE SECOND 15:06:53 PANEL FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND WE WANT TO RE-EMPHASIZE OUR 15:07:03 APOLOGIES FOR TAKING US AWAY FROM OUR SCHEDULED MEETINGS AND 15:07:11 THE VOTES ON THE FLOOR. SO PLEASE ACCEPT OUR SINCERE 15:07:17 APOLOGIES. THE CHAIR WANTS TO INTRODUCE THE 15:07:22 WITNESSES NOW. FOR THE SECOND PANEL, ON MY LEFT 15:07:28 IS MS. CLAYBROOK, A FORMER ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE NATIONAL 15:07:34 HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. 15:07:39 WE WANT TO WELCOME YOU HERE. SEATED NEXT TO MS. CLAYBROOK IS 15:07:47 MS. AMI GADHIA AND SHE IS THE SAFETY POLICY COUNSEL FOR THE 15:07:57 CONSUMERS UNION. WE WANT TO WELCOME YOU ALSO TO 15:08:04 THIS HEARING. >> THANK YOU. 15:08:05 >> LASTLY, WE WANT TO NOT JUST RECOGNIZE BUT WE WANT TO ALSO 15:08:12 SAY HELLO TO OUR FORMER COLLEAGUE WHO'S A MEMBER OF THIS 15:08:19 HOUSE, A VERY ABLE MEMBER REPRESENTING THE STATE OF 15:08:23 OKLAHOMA FOR MANY YEARS. A VERY BRIGHT AND INTELLIGENT 15:08:28 HUMAN BEING. THE HONORABLE DAVID McCURDY, 15:08:33 PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ALLIANCE FOR AUTOMOBILE 15:08:38 MANUFACTURERS. IT'S GOOD SEEING YOU AGAIN, 15:08:40 DAVE. WE WELCOME YOU AGAIN TO THIS 15:08:43 SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING. NOW WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE FOR 15:08:52 FIVE MINUTES THE OPENING STATEMENT MS. JOAN CLAYBROOK. 15:08:57 >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CHAIRMAN. 15:09:00 I AM THE LAST PERSON TO HAVE REQUIRED AN AUTO COMPANY TO DO A 15:09:07 RECALL. AND THAT WAS 31 YEARS AGO. 15:09:12 I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT WHEN YOU DO FIND A DEFECT, THE AUTO 15:09:16 COMPANIES WILL OFF DON A RECALL AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO TO 15:09:20 COURT, BUT SOMETIMES YOU DO HAVE TO GO TO COURT. 15:09:23 AND I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN -- IN THE TOYOTA CASE, I THINK 15:09:29 ELABORATES ON THIS. I THINK THERE'S BEEN A 15:09:31 MISCONCEPTION ON WHAT A DEFECT IS. 15:09:34 IN THE LAST CASE THAT WAS LITIGATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 15:09:39 TRANSPORTATION ON THIS ISSUE, THE FEDERAL COURT OF APPEALS 15:09:44 MADE SEVERAL IMPORTANT COMMENTS WHICH I WOULD JUST LIKE TO 15:09:46 MENTION TO YOU. THIS IS NOT IN MY TESTIMONY. 15:09:49 I HOPE MY WHOLE TESTIMONY WILL BE ON THE RECORD, BUT I THINK 15:09:51 THAT THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE. 15:09:54 IT'S COME UP NOW SEVERAL TIMES IN CENT DAYS. 15:09:58 -- RECENT DAYS. THE COURT SAID TO FIND A DETECT 15:10:02 WITHIN INNING OF THE ACT NHTSA MUST SHOW THE VEHICLE IS 15:10:07 DEFECTIVE WHETHER IT'S IN PERFORMANCE, CONSTRUCTION, 15:10:10 COMPONENTS OR MATERIALS OF THE AUTOMOBILE. 15:10:12 IN OTHER WORDS IT CAN BE A PERFORMANCE DEFECT. 15:10:15 THEY DO NOT HAVE TO SHOW THAT THERE ARE FIVE, 500 OR 10,000 15:10:20 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE ARISEN. 15:10:23 OFTEN, IN FACT, THOSE COMPLAINTS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN COURT AS 15:10:27 EVIDENCE. SO IF THE AGENCY RELIES ON IT, 15:10:29 THEN IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE THEM FIND A SUCCESSFUL RESULT. 15:10:39 JUDGE LEVINTHAL SAID A DETERMINATION OF THE DETECT DOES 15:10:44 NOT REQUIRE ANY PREDICATE OF F 15:10:50 FINDING IDENTIFYING FAILURES. A DETERMINATION OF DEFECT MAY BE 15:10:54 BASED EXCLUSIVE OY TN PERFORMANCE RECORD OF THE 15:10:57 VEHICLE OR COMPONENT. I THINK THAT THIS CHANGES IF YOU 15:11:00 LOOK AT THE TOYOTA CASE -- AND I KNOW THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT 15:11:04 TOYOTA BUT ABOUT THE AGENCY. IT CHANGES THE WAY THE AGENCY 15:11:07 SHOULD APPROACH THE DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS. 15:11:11 AND I DO THINK THAT THE AGENCY HAS FALLEN INTO A TRAP, IF YOU 15:11:17 WOULD WITH THE TOYOTA CASE AND OTHERS WHERE IT SEEMS TO BE 15:11:20 ACCEPTING THE BURDEN OF HAVING TO DEFINE WHAT THE DEFECT IS IN 15:11:27 TERMS OF THE FAILUR OF PERFORMANCE. 15:11:29 THAT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MANUFACTURER. 15:11:30 THEY PUT THE VEHICLE TOGETHER, DID THE DESIGN DRAWINGS AND MAKE 15:11:34 THE PROFIT FROM IT. HOW THIS HAPPENS IS THEIR 15:11:37 RESPONSIBILITY. IF IT HAS A FAILURE IN 15:11:40 PERFORMANCE, THE AGENCY CAN FIND A DEFECT AND THE COMPANY HAS TO 15:11:43 FIX IT. THE COMPANY HAS TO FIGURE OUT 15:11:45 WHAT THE FIX S. THAT'S WHAT THE COURTS HAVE SAID. 15:11:48 I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR. 15:11:51 MY TESTIMONY THAT I SUBMITTED HAS SEVEN POINTS THAT I WOULD 15:11:55 LIKE TO JUST MENTION VERY BRIEFLY. 15:11:57 ONE IS THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOW PRIORITY ON ENFORCEMENT IN THE 15:12:02 AGENCY, A LACK OF RESOURCES WHICH YOU HAVE ALL DISCUSSED. 15:12:06 BUT THERE IS ANOTHER KEY ISSUE WHICH IS THAT A COURT OF APPEALS 15:12:09 IN THE MID 1980s FOUND THAT CONSUMERS DID NOT HAVE AUTHORITY 15:12:13 UNDER THE EXISTING STATUTE TO SUE IF A DEFECT WAS NOT FOUND BY 15:12:17 THE AGENCY. IN OTHER WORDS, IF A CASE WAS 15:12:19 CLOSED THERE WAS NO AUTHORITY OF CONSUMERS TO GO TO COURT. 15:12:23 THERE IS AUTHORITY FOR CONSUMERS TO GO TO COURT IF A RULE-MAKING 15:12:27 DECISION IS MADE THAT WE DON'T THINK IS PROPER. 15:12:29 WE HAVE GONE TO COURT AT PUBLIC CITIZEN ON MANY, MANY OCCASIONS 15:12:33 AND HELPED TO MAKE THE STATUTE WORK BETTER BECAUSE OF THE CASES 15:12:37 THAT WE HAVE BROUGHT. WE HAVE BROUGHT THEM ON UNIFORM 15:12:40 TIRE QUALITY GRADING, ON THE TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR THE 15:12:46 AMOUNT OF INFLATION IN THE TIRE, ON THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM 15:12:51 WHICH WAS KEPT SECRET -- TOTALLY SECRET. 15:12:53 WE AT LEAST GOT PART OF IT REVEALED IN TWO DIFFERENT 15:12:56 LAWSUITS. SO WE CAN SUE WHEN THERE IS A 15:12:59 RULE-MAKING ISSUE. WE CANNOT SUE WHEN A DEFECT IS 15:13:02 CLOSED AND I THINK IT CHANGES THE BALANCE OF THINKING BY THE 15:13:06 ADMINISTRATOR. THERE IS NO FEAR THAT IF THEY 15:13:08 CLOSE A CASE THAT IT IS FINISHED. 15:13:10 WHAT THE COURT THERE SAID IN THE COURT OF APPEALS IN THE MID '80s 15:13:16 WAS THAT THE AGENCY HAD THE DISCRETION TO FIGURE IT OUT 15:13:20 ACCORDING TO RESOURCES. IN EVERY CASE NHTSA CLOSES, IT 15:13:23 SAYS IT CLOSES IT BASED ON THE RESOURCES. 15:13:27 THEY ARE MIMICKING THE WORDS OF THE COURT DECISION. 15:13:30 THE FACT THAT S WE SHOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY BECAUSE WE ARE NOT 15:13:32 GOING TO BRING CASES WE DON'T THINK WE CAN WIN. 15:13:36 THAT'S A WASTE OF ENERGY. I THINK THERE OUGHT TO BE A 15:13:38 BALANCE OF POWER. IF THE AGENCY FINDS A DEFECT THE 15:13:41 COMPANY GETS A CHANCE TO GET ITS WORDS AND SAY WHAT IT THINKS. 15:13:45 IF WE BRING A CASE THEY CAN INTERVENE. 15:13:49 SECONDLY, THE AGENCY HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN EXCESSIVE SECRECY. 15:13:52 THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM WHICH MR. MARKEY TALKED ABOUT IS AN 15:13:59 EXAMPLE. WE HAD TO SUE TO MAKE IT 15:14:03 AVAILABLE. WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES 15:14:07 TOYOTA FILED A REPORT TO THE AGENCY, WHAT IT SAID AND HOW 15:14:09 MANY CONSUMER COMPLAINTS IT HAD AND HOW MANY FIELD REPORTS IT 15:14:13 HAD. THAT IS ALL SECRET. 15:14:17 IF THAT WERE MORE OPEN THE PUBLIC WOULD HAVE ACCESS AND 15:14:20 COULD LET THE AGENCY KNOW WHEN THEY HAD A PROBLEM. 15:14:23 BUT THE WEB PAGE, IN ADDITION, IS A MESS. 15:14:27 IF YOU WENT THERE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE WERE EARLY 15:14:31 WARNING REPORTS ON A VEHICLE YOU'RE DRIVING THAT'S NOT 15:14:33 WORKING RIGHT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT. 15:14:36 I WOULDN'T. THE THIRD POINT IS THAT I THINK 15:14:40 THE PENALTIES ARE INSUFFICIENT. FIRST THEY SHOULD HAVE A 15:14:44 CRIMINAL AUTHORITY FOR KNOWING AND WILLFUL VIOLATION OF THE ACT 15:14:48 WHICH IS YOU PUT IN THE CPSE LAW. 15:14:51 IT'S IN THE FDA LAW AND MANY SISTER AGENCY LAWS. 15:14:55 I THINK THE SAME SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR IT IN SACHLT IN 15:14:57 ADDITION THE PENALTY -- NHTSA AND THE CIVIL PENALTY IS $16.2 15:15:02 MILLION WHICH IS A FLY SPECK FOR COMPANIES LIKE TOYOTA. 15:15:05 THEY SPEND THAT IN HALF A DAY ON THEIR COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES. 15:15:10 WE THINK IT OUGHT TO BE $100 MILLION BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING 15:15:15 THEY WOULD PAY ATTENTION TO. FOURTH, THE AGENCY IS 15:15:18 DRASTICALLY UNDERFUNDED. THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR THE MOTOR 15:15:21 VEHICLE PROGRAM FOR THE WHOLE UNITED STATES IS $132 MILLION IN 15:15:25 THIS AGENCY. THAT'S IT. 15:15:28 IT'S NOT MUCH ABOVE WHAT IT WAS THERE WHEN I WAS THERE IN TERMS 15:15:34 OF DOLLARS AND IN TERMS OF INFLATION IT'S DRASTICALLY CUT. 15:15:37 THE 66 NEW FTEs BEING DISCUSSED, IT'S ONLY 33 FULL-TIME ONES. 15:15:44 SO THAT'S REALLY NOT 66. AND THEY HAVE ALLOCATED THEM. 15:15:48 23 FOR OPERATIONS AND RESEARCH. EIGHT FOR RULE MAKING AND FOUR 15:15:52 FOR ENFORCEMENT. THAT'S THE TENTATIVE ALLOCATION. 15:15:55 THEY MAY BE RECONSIDERING THAT, BUT THAT'S WHAT WAS IN THE 15:16:02 BUDGET. SO THE AGENCY CANNOT HANDLE THE 15:16:10 PROGRAMS. BECAUSE OF LACK OF CAPACITY. 15:16:12 INFORMATION GATHERING AND THE DATA SYSTEMS ARE INSUFFICIENT. 15:16:17 THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN FUNDED AT FOUR, FIVE TIMES WHAT THEY ARE 15:16:20 NOW GIVEN THE DESIGN OF THE SYSTEMS BACK WHEN THEY WERE 15:16:23 CREATED IN THE '70s. I THINK THAT A KEY ISSUE THAT'S 15:16:26 COME UP AT THE HEARING TO SOME EXTENT IS THE BLACK BOX. 15:16:29 IT'S A VOLUNTARY STANDARD. THEY DON'T WORK AS EVIDENCED BY 15:16:34 THE FACT THAT TOYOTA'S SYSTEM IS NOT BEING MADE AVAILABLE AND THE 15:16:40 DEADLINE FOR COMPLIANCE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 2010. 15:16:43 IT WAS EXTENDED TO 2012, SO IT'S A FIVE-YEAR LEAD-IN FOR A 15:16:49 VOLUNTARY STANDARD WHICH IS RIDICULOUS. 15:16:51 WE THINK THE BLACK BOX OUGHT TO BE MANDATORY AND THE DATA, HAVE 15:16:55 A STANDARDIZED DOWNLOADING FOR DATA SO THE POLICE DON'T HAVE 15:16:59 SEVEN DIFFERENT COMPUTERS DEPENDINGING WHETHER IT'S 15:17:01 GENERAL MOTORS, TOYOTA, NISSAN OR MERCEDES. 15:17:04 THEY OUGHT TO HAVE ONE STANDARDIZED DOWNLOADING SYSTEM. 15:17:08 I THINK THAT A WAY THAT THE AGENCY COULD BE DRASTICALLY 15:17:12 ENHANCED AND IT'S EXCITING, WOULD BE TO HAVE THE BLACK BOX 15:17:16 DATA WHEN IT IS DOWNLOADED WHEN A SERIOUS CRASH OCCURS -- 15:17:21 TOWAWAY OR AIR BAG CRASH TO HAVE THE INFORMATION GO TO NHTSA SO 15:17:25 IT CAN BE THE BASIS FOR EVALUATION OF DEFECTS AND SAFETY 15:17:30 STANDARDS AND THE DATA WOULD BE VOLUMINOUS AND FABULOUS AND FAR 15:17:35 MORE THAN THEY HAVE TODAY. IT WOULD BE MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE. 15:17:38 SO I HOPE THAT THE COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER THAT ISSUE AS 15:17:44 WELL. THE NEW SAFETY STANDARDS SHOULD 15:17:46 COME OUT OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT GOES ON IN THE DEFECTS 15:17:49 AREA. FOR EXAMPLE, FOR YEARS NHTSA'S 15:17:52 TESTED CARS AND SEAT BACKS FAILED WHEN THEY WERE HIT AT 30 15:17:56 MILES PER HOUR. BUT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A 15:17:58 STANDARD ISSUED TO UPGRADE THE SEATBACK. 15:18:02 IF THAT FAILS YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE CAR AND MANY PEOPLE BECOME 15:18:07 QUADRIPLEGIC AND PARAPLEGIC AS A RESULT. 15:18:11 I THINK THE BRAKE OVERRIDE STANDARD AND A NEW ACCELERATOR 15:18:17 STANDARD ISSUED IN 1973 AND IS NOT EVEN ELECTRONIC, SO IT'S 15:18:22 COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO THE CURRENT MODELS, SHOULD BE DONE. 15:18:28 FINALLY, I BELIEVE CONFLICT OF INTEREST RULES NEED TO BE 15:18:31 STRENGTHENED. AS WE MENTIONED AND I WOULD 15:18:34 MENTION THAT NHTSA HAS A TEST FACILITY IN OHIO OWNED BY HONDA 15:18:40 MOTOR COMPANY. THIS WAS CREATED IN THE 70s 15:18:43 OWNED BY THE STATE OF HO HOCHLT HONDA BOUGHT IT AND THEY SHOULD 15:18:47 CHANGE THEIR FACILITY. THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR 15:18:49 DOING THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 15:18:51 I HAVE SEVERAL SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD. 15:18:53 I'M SORRY THAT I SLIGHTLY OVERWENT MY TIME. 15:18:59 >> THE CHAIR WILL ACCEPT THE MATERIAL AND YOUR FULL STATEMENT 15:19:07 INTO THE RECORD. >> THANK YOU, SIR. 15:19:12 >> MS. GADHIA, YOU ARE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. 15:19:15 >> THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN RUSH, RANKING MEMBER 15:19:18 WHITFIELD AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR THE 15:19:21 OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY ON THE ROAD AHEAD FOR NHTSA. 15:19:26 I AM THE POLICY COUNSEL WITH THE NONPROFIT PUBLISHER OF CONSUMER 15:19:31 REPORTS. THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALLS 15:19:34 INVOLVING SUDDEN ACCELERATION FOCUSED ATTENTION ON SAFETY 15:19:38 PROBLEMS. IT IS BELIEVED THAT ADDRESSING 15:19:39 THIS CHALLENGE DEMANDS A COORDINATED EFFORT BY THE 15:19:42 GOVERNMENT, AUTOMAKERS, THE PUBLIC AND INDEPENDENT CONSUMER 15:19:46 GROUPS SUCH AS OUR OWN. WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING 15:19:49 GOVERNMENT ACTIONS TO IMPROVE THE AUTO SAFETY NET. 15:19:52 CONSUMERS UNION BELIEVES GOVERNMENT REGULATORS COULD HAVE 15:19:55 MOVED AGGRESSIVELY TO PROTECT CONSUMER SAFETY. 15:20:00 NEWS REPORTS AND OUR ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENTS FROM THE INVESTIGATION 15:20:02 POINT TO A PATTERN OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. 15:20:06 NHTSA AND TOYOTA WERE AWARE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION 15:20:09 COMPLAINTS AS EARLY AS 2003 WHEN THE AGENCY RECEIVED A PETITION 15:20:14 TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. WE ARE PLEASED THAT NHTSA IS 15:20:17 LOOKING INTO POTENTIAL ELECTRONICS ISSUES BEHIND THE 15:20:20 EVENTS INVOLVING TOYOTAS AN WE AWAIT THE AGENCY'S FINDINGS. 15:20:25 HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THAT NHTSA CAN TAKE ACTION NOW TO IMPROVE 15:20:30 SAFETY. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IMPROVED 15:20:33 ACCESS TO INFORMATION. THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS 15:20:37 INVESTIGATIONS COLLECTS DATA ABOUT AUTOS FROM THE PUBLIC AND 15:20:40 MANUFACTURERS IN TWO SEPARATE DATABASES. 15:20:42 THE CONSUMERER COMPLAINTS DATABASE AND THE AGENCY'S EARLY 15:20:45 WARNING REPORTING SYSTEM. BOTH HAVE LIMITATIONS AND THE 15:20:49 DATA THEY PROVIDE AREN'T INTEGRATED MAKING IT DIFFICULT 15:20:53 TO SPOT YISHS AND FOR CONSUMERS TO FIND INFORMATION. 15:20:58 CONSUMERS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO VISIT DIFFERENT SITES TO SEE THE 15:21:01 INFORMATION OR BE FORCED TO SEARCH IT USING TOOLS THAT ARE 15:21:04 LESS THAN USER FRIENDLY. ALL COMPLAINT INFORMATION SHOULD 15:21:07 BE VISIBLE VIA A SINGLE EASE STAIRWAY USE CONSUMER FACING 15:21:11 SITE. NHTSA SHOULD HAVE A PROGRAM TO 15:21:14 RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND INVITE DRIVERS TO PARTICIPATE IN 15:21:18 DATA GATHERING. THE MORE COMPLAINTS THERE ARE TO 15:21:21 ANALYZE THE GREATER CHANCE PROBLEMS SUCH AS UNINTENDED 15:21:25 ACCELERATION WILL BE IDENTIFIED AS AN EARLY STAGE. 15:21:29 SECOND, NHTSA SHOULD PROMULGATE TO AVOID SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN 15:21:36 AUTOMOBILES. THEY SHOULD REQUIRE THAT CAR BS 15:21:37 ABLE TO STOP WITH A SUSTAINED PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, OF 15:21:41 EVEN WHEN THE THROTTLE IS FULLY OPEN. 15:21:43 ONE METHOD TO REDUCE STOPPING DISTANCES IS SMART THROTTLE 15:21:49 TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS THE BRAKES TO OVERRIDE THE THROTTLE. 15:21:52 OTHER METHODS MAY BECOME AVAILABLE. 15:21:54 TO US, THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE IS TO ENSURE A VEHICLE 15:21:57 CAN STOP WITHIN A REASONABLE AND SAFE DISTANCE. 15:22:02 NHTSA SHOULD REQUIRE SIMPLE STANDARD CONTROLS TO TURN OFF 15:22:04 THE ENGINE IN EMERGENCY. IN MANY CURRENT TOYOTA VEHICLE 15:22:07 WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING IT REQUIRES A SUSTAINED 15:22:11 THREE-SECOND PUSH OF THE BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. 15:22:13 THAT IS A SAFETY PRECAUTION TO PRODUCE ACCIDENTAL ENGINE 15:22:18 SHUT-OFF IT IS AN ACTION MANY DRIVERS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO IN 15:22:21 A PANICKED SITUATION. IGNITION CONTROLS SHOULD BE EASY 15:22:25 TO OPERATE, ESPECIALLY IN AN EMERGENCY. 15:22:28 NHTSA SHOULD HAVE CLEARLY LABELED TRANSMISSION SHIFTERS IN 15:22:30 ALL CARS F. THE CAR IS ACCELERATING OUT OF CONTROL, 15:22:34 HITTING THE BRAKES AND SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL IS THE BEST 15:22:37 STRATEGY, BUT YOU WANT KNOW WHERE NEUTRAL IS WHEN YOU'RE 15:22:42 PANICKING. THERE SHOULD BE CONSISTENCY FOR 15:22:44 SHIFTERS ACROSS ALL VEHICLES. NHTSA SHOULD REQUIRE A MINIMUM 15:22:48 DISTANCE BETWEEN THE GAS PEDAL AND THE FLOOR MAT. 15:22:53 FLOOR MATS THAT ENTRAP PEDALS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN PROBLEMS 15:22:58 LATELY. PEOPLE OFTEN USE THICK MATS OR 15:23:01 STACK MATS. NHTSA SHOULD ENSURE THERE IS 15:23:04 CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE PEDAL AND THE MAP. 15:23:06 THE CAP ON OF CIVIL PENALTIES SHOULD BE LIFTED TO ACT AS A 15:23:10 DETERRENT AND THAT NHTSA COULD RECALL THE COMPLIANCE PROCESS. 15:23:13 THE AVERAGE CONSUMER SPRONS RATE TO VEHICLES IS 74.1%. 15:23:18 CURRENTLY, MANUFACTURERS NOTIFY DEALERS ABOUT RECALLS AND THE 15:23:22 DEALERS, IN TURN, NOTIFY CAR MANUFACTURERS ONCE THE CARS ARE 15:23:26 REPAIRED IN RESPONSE TO A SAFETY RECALL. 15:23:29 CONSUMERS UNION SUGGESTS THAT GOING FORWARD CAR MANUFACTURERS 15:23:32 SUBMIT SUCH DATA TO NHTSA. THIS INFORMATION WHICH 15:23:37 MANUFACTURERS ALREADY HAVE SHOULD INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL 15:23:40 VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS OF CARS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO AER 15:23:43 PARTICULAR RECALL AS WELL AS WHEN THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE 15:23:46 PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLES. NHTSA COULD THEN MATCH UP 15:23:53 RECALLS WITH THE VIN IN A CONSUMER-FRIENDLY DATABASE. 15:23:59 WE WOULD ENCOURAGE SAFETY RECALL COMPLIANCE WITH THE ABILITY TO 15:24:03 RECEIVE A REGISTRATION SIMILAR TO THE WAY CONSUMERS MUST SHOW 15:24:08 PROOF OF INSURANCE NOW. THIS WOULD HELP PEOPLE WHO 15:24:11 PURCHASE USED CARS TO KNOW IF REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. 15:24:15 WE RECOMMEND THAT CONGRESS TAKE A LOOK AT THE REPORTS OF A 15:24:18 REVOLVING DOOR AT NHTSA AND WHETHER IT MAY HAVE IMPACTED 15:24:21 SAFETY DECISIONS. WE ARE PLEASED TO HEAR THE 15:24:25 ADMINISTRATOR'S COMMENT THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WILL BE 15:24:27 LOOKING -- EXCUSE ME, THAT NHTSA WILL BEING INTO THIS ISSUE. 15:24:32 WE URGE CONGRESS TO ADEQUATELY FUND NHTSA. 15:24:36 IN 2007, MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES ACCOUNTED FOR 99% OF ALL 15:24:40 TRANSPORTATION-RELATED INJURIES AND FATALITIES, YET NHTSA'S 15:24:44 BUDGET CURRENTLY AMOUNTS TO JUST OVER 1% OF THE OVERALL DOT 15:24:48 BUDGET. THE BUDGET AND STAFFING FOR AUTO 15:24:51 SAFETY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION FUNCTIONS SHOULD BE COMMENSURATE 15:24:55 WITH THE REALITIES OF TRAFFIC SAFETY. 15:24:57 CONSUMERS UNION THANKS THE COMMITTEE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO 15:24:59 PRESENT RECOMMENDATIONS AS YOU MOVE FORWARD. 15:25:06 THE CHAIR THANKS THE WITNESS AND NOW RECOGNIZES MR. McCURDY FOR 15:25:13 FIVE MINUTES FOR THE PURPOSES OF AN OPENING STATEMENT. 15:25:23 >> THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR AND 15:25:26 SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE. 15:25:32 I MUST ADMIT AS YOU MADE YOUR INTRODUCTION THERE WAS SOME 15:25:37 CHAGRIN ON A PERSONAL PART WHEN I LOOKED AT THE MEMBERSHIP OF 15:25:43 THIS SUBCOMMITTEE IN THAT I SERVED WITH THE FATHERS OF THREE 15:25:46 OF THE MEMBERS. SO IT IS A HOME COMING OF SORTS. 15:25:52 I HADN'T THOUGHT I WAS GONE THAT LONG. 15:25:54 IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK WITH YOU. AS YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES 15:26:00 CONSIDER THE ROAD AHEAD FOR NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY 15:26:04 ADMINISTRATION IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THREE KEY POINTS. 15:26:07 THE ADMINISTRATOR WHO WE ARE ALL DELIGHTED THAT DAVID STRICKLAND 15:26:13 IS NOW THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NHTSA, AS HE POINTED OUT AND THE 15:26:19 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HIGHLIGHTED TODAY AND I HAVE A 15:26:22 CHART THAT'S DISPLAYED HERE, THAT MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH 15:26:26 FATALITIES AND INJURIES ARE AT HISTORIC LOWS. 15:26:30 IT'S VERY IMPORTANT PART. THAT'S THE MISSION OF THE 15:26:34 ORGANIZATION. SECONDLY, AUTOS HAVE NEVER BEEN 15:26:38 SAFER. AND THEY ARE STILL GETTING SAFER 15:26:39 EVERY DAY BECAUSE OF INNOVATIVE SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDING 15:26:44 ADVANCED ELECTRONICS. THIRD, WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL NOT 15:26:47 TO INHIBIT THE INNOVATION OR THE SPEEDY IDENTIFICATION AND REMEDY 15:26:53 OF DEFECTS. ON THE FIRST POINT, AS THE CHART 15:26:59 INDICATES, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU SEE A CHART LIKE THAT IT'S 15:27:03 CONFUSING FOR FOLKS, BUT TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE THIS 15:27:10 DECLINE -- THIS FIGURE REPORTS AS A FATALITY PER 100 MILLION 15:27:17 VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED. SO THERE ARE 1.16 FATALITIES PER 15:27:25 100 MILLION MILES TRAVELED. THAT'S DOWN FROM IN EXCESS OF 15:27:33 TWO. PUT IT IN TERMS OF HUMAN LIVES 15:27:35 AND, AGAIN, WE ALL KNOW THAT THIS IS FAR TOO MANY. 15:27:39 THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION FROM JOAN CLAYBROOK WOULD 15:27:45 INDICATE TO BACK IN THE '70s WHEN IT WAS AT A HIGH OF 51,000. 15:27:50 NOW THAT'S A DECREASE OF 17,000. SO I THINK THIS IS A VERY 15:27:55 IMPORTANT POINT THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AND STEADY 15:27:58 REDUCTION. DESPITE INCREASED OWNERSHIP AND 15:28:00 INCREASED VEHICLE MILES TRAVELS. SO I THINK THIS IS A GOAL THAT 15:28:04 WE SHARE AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO SUPPORT. 15:28:10 AS FAR AS THE SAFETY OF VEHICLES, BY EVERY SINGLE 15:28:16 MEASURE, THESE VEHICLES ARE DRAMATICALLY SAFER THAN YEARS 15:28:21 AGO. IN THE LAST 15 YEARS, WE HAVE 15:28:23 SEEN A REVOLUTIONARY EXPANSION OF ADVANCED VEHICLE SAFETY 15:28:28 TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING INCREASED NUMBER OF ELECTRONICS 15:28:31 COMPONENTS AND FEATURES. MR. BRALEY MENTIONED BEING ABLE 15:28:35 TO TAKE APART AN ENGINE IN THE BASEMENT. 15:28:38 IT IS, INDEED, IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THAT TODAY. 15:28:41 BUT A LOT OF THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE SEE TO MEET FUEL ECONOMY 15:28:49 REQUIREMENTS, TO MEET EMISSION CONTROLS, TO PROVIDE SAFETY ARE 15:28:53 BECAUSE OF THESE ADVANCED ELECTRONICS. 15:28:56 ALSO, MS. CLAYBROOK SAID VOLUNTARY STANDARDS DON'T WORK. 15:29:01 BUT, IN FACT, MANY OF THE INCREDIBLE SAFETY INNOVATIONS 15:29:05 WERE VOLUNTARY AND WERE BROUGHT ABOUT BEFORE THE AGENCY EVER 15:29:09 CONSIDERED REGULATING IT. ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL. 15:29:14 IT SAVES ANYWHERE FROM 5,000 TO 9,000 LIVES ANNUALLY. 15:29:20 LANE DEPARTURE WARNING. OVER 2700 LIVES. 15:29:25 SAFETY BELT REMINDERS AND INTERLOCK, AGAIN, SIGNIFICANT. 15:29:28 SIDE AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION WARNING, EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST, 15:29:34 ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS, BLIND SPOT INFORMATION SYSTEM. 15:29:38 ALL OF THESE ARE INNOVATIONS THAT THE INDUSTRY INTRODUCED 15:29:42 AHEAD OF REGULATION. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO 15:29:49 RECOGNIZE THAT ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS ARE OFTEN FAR MORE 15:29:55 RELIABLE OVER TIME THAN MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. 15:29:57 I USED TO REPRESENT THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY AND THE 15:29:59 ADVANCEMENTS IN SOLID STATE TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES INCREASED 15:30:04 PERFORMANCE. IT ENABLES VEHICLES TO NOT ONLY 15:30:07 SENSE, DIAGNOSE AND ALSO TO HAVE FAILSAFE MODES THAT ARE NOT 15:30:12 POSSIBLE WITH TRADITIONAL HISTORIC MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. 15:30:15 SO THIS IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS HELPING US 15:30:20 TO MEET OUR GOALS OF SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY. 15:30:25 THIRD, AS I INDICATED, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO 15:30:29 INHIBIT THE CYCLE OF INNOVATION. THIS GETS INTO THE MARKETPLACE 15:30:36 TECHNOLOGIES FOR CONSUMERS. AND SO WE NEED TO MAINTAIN A 15:30:40 POSITIVE FRAMEWORK THAT EMBRACES TECHNOLOGY-BASED SOLUTIONS AHEAD 15:30:43 OF REGULATION. I DON'T THINK THE PUBLIC WOULD 15:30:46 BE WELL-SERVED IF AUTOMAKERS WERE FORCED TO WAIT FOR THE 15:30:50 GOVERNMENT TO CATCH UP WITH INDUSTRY'S INNOVATION. 15:30:53 IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT. WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT 15:30:56 RECALLS BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF RECALLS ARE VOLUNTARY. 15:31:00 I HAVE A CHART HERE TALKING ABOUT DETECTING AND CORRECTING 15:31:03 DEFECTS SOONER. IN FACT THE NUMBER OF RECAM 15:31:12 CALLS ARE UP. THAT'S A GOOD POINT BECAUSE THE 15:31:14 NUMBER OF VEHICLES AFFECTED ARE COMING DOWN. 15:31:17 SO AUTOMAKERS ARE USING THE RECALL SYSTEM BASED ON DATA IT 15:31:22 RECEIVES NOT ONLY FROM THE CONSUMER DIRECTLY BUT FROM THE 15:31:25 AGENCIES TO INITIATE ACTIONS TO IDENTIFY DEFECTS AND GET THE 15:31:30 VEHICLES BACK INTO THE MARKETPLACE. 15:31:33 AND JUST IN CLOSING, I WANT TO MAKE A COUPLE POINTS ABOUT SOME 15:31:40 SUGGESTIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE. I KNOW HOW THIS CHAIRMAN WORKS 15:31:45 AND THIS COMMITTEE WORKS AND YOU WANT TO BUILD A CONSENSUS ON A 15:31:49 BIPARTISAN BASIS TO ADDRESS SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS, WE WOULD 15:31:54 RESPECTFULLY SUBMIT THAT CONGRESS NEEDS TO ENSURE THAT 15:32:00 NHTSA HAS THE RESOURCES TO DO ITS JOB. 15:32:03 WE WOULD SUPPORT THIS COMMITTEE IN ITS EFFORTS. 15:32:05 WE HAVE LONG ADVOCATED RESOURCES TO FUND THE NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE 15:32:09 SAMPLING SYSTEM, WHICH WE BELIEVE IS UNDERFUNDED. 15:32:13 >> WE SUPPORT A NUMBER OF OTHER LEGISLATIVE ELEMENTS WE HOPE 15:32:17 WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE REAUTHORIZATION SUCH AS STATE 15:32:23 INDUCEMENTS. IN OTHER WORDS, WORKING TO 15:32:24 ENCOURAGE STATES TO ADOPT SAFETY BELT LAWS. 15:32:28 I KNOW CHAIRMAN OVERSTARR IS LOOKING AT THIS IN HIS 15:32:33 REAUTHORIZATION. OUR INDUSTRY SPENT HUNDREDS OF 15:32:34 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CAMPAIGNS TO TRY TO PASS PRIMARY SEAT BELT 15:32:41 ENFORCEMENT LAWS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 15:32:43 WE HAVE MADE REAL PROGRESS. WE HAD THREE STATES THIS YEAR 15:32:46 ALONE. WE ALSO BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE 15:32:48 A FIRST OFFENSE WITH AN IGNITION INTERLOCK REQUIREMENTS FOR 15:32:53 IMPAIRED DRIVING, DRUNK DRIVING. THE STATISTICS THAT IT IS NOT 15:32:58 REPORTED THERE, THE 33,000 DEATHS, UNFORTUNATELY 30% OF 15:33:03 THOSE ARE MORE ARE THE RESULT OF LESS THAN 1% -- ONE HALF OF 1% 15:33:08 OF THE DRIVERS IN THOSE THAT ARE IMPAIRED DRUNK DRIVING. 15:33:11 WE HAVE TO GET THOSE PEOPLE OFF THE ROAD. 15:33:16 LASTLY THE GRADUATED LICENSES FOR TEENS, WE SUPPORT THAT. 15:33:24 THEN THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WILL WORK TO FUND HIGHER 15:33:29 VISIBILITY AND ENFORCEMENT SUCH AS CLICK IT OR TICKET AND OTHER 15:33:32 LIMIT UNDER ARREST OR OVER THE LIMIT UNDER ARREST PROVISIONS. 15:33:37 AGAIN, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT A DRIVER ALCOHOL 15:33:42 INTERLOCK DEVICE RESEARCH PROGRAM CALLED THE ROADS SAFE 15:33:46 ACT WHICH PUTS MONEY TO TRY TO DEVELOP RESEARCH TO PREVENT 15:33:51 DRUNK DRIVERS GETTING ACCESS TO VEHICLES OR STARTING VEHICLES. 15:33:55 SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. I UNDERSTAND HOW CHALLENGING IT 15:33:59 IS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH 15:34:01 YOU TO HELP DEVELOP THE COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THESE 15:34:07 CHALLENGES. >> THE CHAIR THANKS ALL OF THE 15:34:12 WITNESSES. THE CHAIR THANKS MR. McCU ARE 15:34:14 RDY FOR YOUR STATEMENT. THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES HIMSELF FOR 15:34:19 FIVE MINUTES FOR QUESTIONING. MR. McCURDY, THERE'S BEEN A LOT 15:34:26 OF TESTIMONY IN THIS HEARING AND IN PAST HEARINGS. 15:34:30 SOME OF IT IS CENTERED ON THE BLACK BOX AS A TECHNOLOGICAL 15:34:42 SOLUTION OR RECORDING DEVICE THAT WOULD HELP IN GATHERING 15:34:48 DATA AND DETERMINING THE CAUSES FOR ACCIDENTS. 15:34:54 ONE IS THE INDUSTRY'S RESPONSE TO THIS PHENOMENON. 15:35:02 >> WE BELIEVE THE INFORMATION FROM EVENT DATA RECORDERS IS 15:35:05 IMPORTANT FOR NHTSA TO DO ITS JOB. 15:35:07 THEY DO HAVE A RULE THAT HAS STANDARDIZED OR RECOMMENDED 15:35:12 STANDARDS FOR THE TYPE OF DATA THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED. 15:35:16 I THINK THE INDUSTRY IS MOVING RAPIDLY TOWARDS DEPLOYMENT OF 15:35:21 THAT SYSTEM. OVER 60% OF ALL VEHICLES 15:35:25 TODAY -- MODERN VEHICLES -- HAVE THAT CAPABILITY. 15:35:29 THE ONLY CAUTION I WOULD GIVE -- AND, AGAIN, HAVING COME FROM THE 15:35:35 INTELLIGENCE OR DEFENSE WORLD WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BLACK BOXES 15:35:38 OR THE WORLD OF AEROSPACE WHERE SOME PEOPLE THINK IN AN AIRCRAFT 15:35:43 THERE IS A BLACK BOX RECOVERED AFTER AN ACCIDENT, ACTUALLY THE 15:35:47 DATA SYSTEMS ARE EMBEDDED THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLES. 15:35:49 SO IT IS NOT JUST ONE SOLITARY DEVICE. 15:35:53 BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THERE ARE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TOOLS 15:35:58 TO ACCESS THAT. SO I THINK THE AGENCY AND WE 15:36:05 LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM. 15:36:07 I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED. 15:36:11 >> MS. CLAYBROOK, YOU INDICATED THAT NHTSA'S CURRENT BUDGET IS 15:36:22 INADEQUATE AND THAT THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET FOR THIS 15:36:28 YEAR -- OR NEXT YEAR RATHER -- IS INADEQUATE. 15:36:36 WHAT DO YOU THINK AS A FORMERER ADMINISTRATOR IN TODAY'S 15:36:40 DOLLARS -- HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK NHTSA'S BUDGET SHOULD BE AND 15:36:43 WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE CATEGORIES THAT WE SHOULD LOOK 15:36:46 AT INCREASE BOTH PERSONNEL AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR NHTSA? 15:36:56 >> THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I THINK THE BUDGET SHOULD BE 15:37:00 DOUBLED. IT IS $132 MILLION WHICH IS A 15:37:02 PITTANCE BY ANY MEASURE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 15:37:05 IT SHOULD PROBABLY BE DOUBLED THE YEAR AFTER THAT. 15:37:07 THIS AGENCY IS STARVING TO DEATH. 15:37:11 IT CAN'T DO THE RESEARCH IT SHOULD. 15:37:13 IT DOESN'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE THAT IT SHOULD. 15:37:15 IT DOESN'T HAVE THE ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL THAT IT SHOULD. 15:37:22 ALL OF US WOULD SUFFER BECAUSE OF DEATHS ON THE HIGHWAY. 15:37:26 I THINK MR. STRICKLAND WILL BE A GOOD LEADER FOR THE AGENCY. 15:37:29 I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HIS WORK. 15:37:31 I THINK HE NEEDS THE RESOURCES TO DO IT. 15:37:34 I HAVE ALREADY BEEN TALKING TO HIM AND THE SECRETARY A LITTLE 15:37:36 BIT ABOUT THIS. I THINK HIS ANSWER WAS VERY 15:37:40 APPROPRIATE THAT THEY WOULD USE VERY WISELY THE RESOURCES THE 15:37:45 CONGRESS WOULD GIVE THEM. HE DIDN'T SAY THEY DIDN'T WANT 15:37:48 THEM OR COULDN'T USE THEM. HE SAID THEY WOULD USE THEM 15:37:52 WISERY AND I THINK THAT'S AS FAR AS HE CAN GO. 15:37:54 I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT HE SAID THAT. 15:38:03 >> YOU HAVE GIVEN US -- >> ONE OTHER THING, MR. 15:38:06 CHAIRMAN. ISSUES HAVE BEEN RAISED TODAY 15:38:11 ABOUT THE DEATH AND INJURY ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH IS MAGNIFICENT 15:38:14 BUT AFTER THE OIL CRISIS OF 1973 THERE WAS A REDUCTION OF 9,000 15:38:20 DEATHS A YEAR BECAUSE THE ECONOMY WAS IN THE SINK. 15:38:23 IF YOU LOOK AT THE DOCUMENTS PREPARED BY THE AGENCY ITSELF, 15:38:28 FOR EXAMPLE, HERE IS THE LIST THEY PUT OUT TODAY OF THE CRASH 15:38:32 STATS. YOU WILL SEE EVERY TIME THERE IS 15:38:33 A DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY THERE IS LESS DISCRETIONARY DRIVING 15:38:37 AND A DOWNTURN IN DEATH AND INJURY, BUT IT COMES BACK UP 15:38:41 AGAIN. SHOULD ANYONE SUGGEST THAT THIS 15:38:42 IS A PERMANENT FIX FOR THE AGENCY, IT'S NOT. 15:38:47 I THINK THAT YOU'RE STILL GOING TO NEED THE RESOURCES, NEW 15:38:51 SAFETY STANDARDS AND MANY OTHERS I DIDN'T MENTION WHICH I WILL 15:38:53 SUBMIT A LIST OF FORWARD OF THE SAFETY STANDARDS THAT THE AGENCY 15:38:58 IS WOEFULLY BEHIND IN ISSUING. >> MR. CHAIRMAN, CAN I INJECT A 15:39:04 POINT OF CLARIFICATION? I THINK THE ADMINISTRATOR SAID 15:39:07 THAT IT HAD DECREASED IN DECLINE FOR 15 AND A HALF STRAIGHT 15:39:12 QUARTERS. THAT'S MORE THAN THE CURRENT 15:39:14 RECESSION. SO I THINK THIS IS A LONG-TERM 15:39:17 TREND. IT'S BECAUSE OF THE REGULATORY 15:39:21 EFFORTS AND THE WORK OF THE INDUSTRY COOPERATIVELY WITH THE 15:39:25 AGENCY AND ALSO THE WORK OF CONGRESS. 15:39:27 >> WELL, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR, THE ONE WHO WENT 15:39:33 TO JAPAN, MR. MEDFORD, HE GAVE A PRESENTATION WHICH I WILL 15:39:37 SUBMITTER FOR THE RECORD IN WHICH HE SAID SAFETY 15:39:40 TECHNOLOGIES HAD BETWEEN 1960 AND 2000 SAVED 328,551 LIVES. 15:39:51 I AGREE THAT CARS ARE SAFER TODAY. 15:39:53 I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT THE INDUSTRY OFTEN OPPOSES THOSE 15:39:57 IMPROVEMENTS BUT THEY TAKE INITIATIVES WHICH HE MENTIONED 15:39:59 AND THE SAFETY FEATURES HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBER 15:40:03 OF LIVES SAVED. THE NUMBER OF DEATHS ON THE 15:40:06 HIGHWAY TODAY WOULD BE FAR, FAR GREATER WERE NOT THIS AGENCY 15:40:09 DOING ITS WORK. BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE THAT CAN 15:40:12 BE DONE. WE WILL SEE MORE DEATHS AND 15:40:15 INJURIES. >> MY TIME HAS EXPIRED. 15:40:17 THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. WHITFIELD FOR FIVE MINUTES. 15:40:20 >> THANK YOU. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING 15:40:24 HEARING. ANY TIME WE THINK WE TALK ABOUT 15:40:27 DEATH OF A HIGHWAY, AND ALL OF US HAVE KNOWN PEOPLE KILLED IN 15:40:32 CAR ACCIDENTS OR HAD LOVED ONES WHO HAVE BEEN DISFIGURED. 15:40:38 THERE IS NO WAY NOT TO BE EMOTIONAL ABOUT INDIVIDUAL 15:40:41 DEATHS ON THE HIGHWAY. FEELING A LITTLE BIT BETTER 15:40:48 ABOUT THINGS, UNDERSTANDING THAT THE TOYOTA ISSUE IS OUT THERE, 15:40:54 BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THIS KIND OF A REDUCTION IN THE DEATHS PER 100 15:41:03 MILLION MILES. 3.34 FATALITIES PER 100 MILLION 15:41:07 VEHICLE LINES DOWN TO LAST YEAR 1.16 PER 100 MILLION MILES AND 15:41:13 IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHAT THE ECONOMY IS 15:41:17 OR ISN'T. WE AREING ABOUT 100 MILLION 15:41:23 VEHICLE MILES. IT'S SOMETHING TO SEE THAT THE 15:41:27 FATALITY RATE IS COMING DOWN. NOW, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE 15:41:30 BUDGET OF NHTSA, I THINK THE BUDGET IS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 15:41:35 $900 MILLION, BUT A LOT OF IT GOES TO STATE GRANTS. 15:41:42 YOU ALL MAY BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE STATE GRANTS THAT BE I 15:41:46 AM. MS. CLAYBROOK IS RIGHT AS FAR AS 15:41:49 VEHICLE SAFETY. THERE'S ABOUT $132 MILLION A 15:41:53 YEAR FOR VEHICLE SAFETY. I REFERRED EARLIER, FOR EXAMPLE, 15:41:57 TO THIS CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED STUDY IN 2005 ABOUT THE CAUSES 15:42:04 OF VEHICLE ACCIDENTS. AND IT SAID THAT 95% WERE DUE TO 15:42:10 THE DRIVER, PRIMARILY DRIVER MISTAKES, AND THAT 2%, BY THE 15:42:17 WAY, WERE RELATED TO VEHICLE OR EQUIPMENT DEFECT, BUT ABOUT 40 15:42:23 OR 50% OF THAT RELATED TO TIRES. SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF MAYBE 15:42:29 WE SHOULD LOOK AT THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY AND TRY TO START 15:42:35 FOCUSING MORE MONEY ON EDUCATING DRIVERS, BETTER EDUCATIONAL 15:42:40 PROGRAMS FOR DRIVERS AND, YOU KNOW, EVERY STATE SETS THEIR OWN 15:42:45 LAWS FOR HOW OLD YOU HAVE TO BE AND WHAT KIND OF PROGRAM YOU 15:42:48 HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO DRIVE. SHOULD WE BECAUSE OF 95% OF ALL 15:42:58 ACCIDENTS ARE BECAUSE OF DRIVER NEGLECT OR WHATEVER, SHOULD WE 15:43:02 FOCUS ON MORE PROGRAMS TO MAKE DRIVERS BETTER PREPARED? 15:43:10 I WOULD ASK EACH ONE OF YOU THAT QUESTION AND SEE HOW YOU WOULD 15:43:13 RESPOND TO THAT. >> FIRST OF ALL, MR. WHITFIELD, 15:43:16 THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR POINTING THIS OUT. 15:43:17 I APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTION. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO SUBMIT 15:43:21 FOR THE RECORD THE PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE WITH THIS CAUSATION 15:43:27 STUDY. IT'S QUITE COMPLICATED AND I 15:43:28 DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TODAY, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF 15:43:32 DEFICIENCIES IN IT. ASSUMING 95% OF THE CRASHES 15:43:35 OCCUR BECAUSE OF DRIVER ERROR -- >> IS YOUR SPEAKER ON? 15:43:39 >> I'M SORRY. IT IS ON. 15:43:41 I'M SORRY. EVEN ASSUMING THAT -- WHICH I 15:43:43 DON'T -- THAT 95% OF THE CRASHES OCCUR BECAUSE OF DRIVER ERROR, 15:43:47 WHAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IS WHAT CAUSES THE DEATH AND INJURY. 15:43:52 DR. WILLIAM HADDEN, THE FIRST NHTSA ADMINISTRATOR, PUT 15:43:56 TOGETHER WHAT HE CALLED THE HADDEN MATRIX. 15:44:00 IT HAD PRECRASH, CRASH AND POST CRASH. 15:44:02 YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PRECRASH ISSUE WHICH IS DRUNK 15:44:06 DRIVING, FALLING ASLEEP, BRAKES DON'T WORK. 15:44:09 WHATEVER IT MAY BE IN THE PRECRASH FIELD. 15:44:12 >> MS. CLAYBROOK, THERE'S ONLY ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT SO I'M GOING 15:44:15 TO SAY THAT YOU DISAGREE WITH WHAT I WAS SAYING, I'M ASSUMING? 15:44:19 >> WELL, NOT NECESSARILY. I WILL SUBMIT FOR THE RECORD 15:44:23 THAT INFORMATION, BUT YOU WANT TO PROTECT THE DRIVER AND 15:44:25 OCCUPANTS AND THE WAY YOU DO IT IS MAKING SURE THE CAR IS SAFE 15:44:29 REGARDLESS OF WHAT CAUSES THE CRASH AND ON DRIVER EDUCATION, 15:44:32 NHTSA HAS DONE LOTS OF WORK ON THIS AND SHOWN THAT DRIVER 15:44:35 EDUCATION DOESN'T DO MUCH IN TERMS OF THE LONG-TERM DRIVING 15:44:39 CAPABILITY OF MOST PEOPLE. >> WHAT ABOUT YOU -- 15:44:41 >> I LIKE DRIVER EDUCATION. >> WHAT ABOUT YOU, MS. GADHIA? 15:44:45 DO YOU HAVE COMMENTS ON THAT? >> IN OUR TESTIMONY WE SUBMITTED 15:44:50 FOR THE RECORD WE TOOK A LOOK AT THE QUESTION THAT THE COMMITTEE 15:44:53 IS ASKING IN THE LIGHT OF THE RECALLS WE HAVE SEEN IN RECENT 15:44:58 WEEKS ARE THERE AREAS WE SEE FOR IMPROVEMENT. 15:45:01 SO WE HAVE MADE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ACCORDINGLY. 15:45:04 WE ARE PLEASED THAT THE AGENCY AND SECRETARY LAHOOD HAVE PUT A 15:45:08 GREAT FOCUS ON DISTRACTED DRIVING. 15:45:11 IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN OBVIOUSLY A BIG PROBLEM. 15:45:13 SO WE DO SEE A VALUE IN THAT PARTICULAR KIND OF FOCUS. 15:45:18 >> MR. McCURDY? >> THANK YOU, MR. WHITFIELD. 15:45:24 IN FACT, IN ADDITION TO DRIVER BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE, THE 15:45:31 DRIVING ENVIRONMENT -- SO CONDITION OF ROADS, THE LACK OF 15:45:34 SAFETY FEATURES THERE, WEATHER, ET CETERA, IS A FACTOR IN 2%. 15:45:41 AND THEN IN THE OTHER INSTANCES, ABOUT 2%, IT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED 15:45:47 TO THE VEHICLE. BUT I WOULD TELL YOU SINCE WE 15:45:50 HAD A REFERENCE TO OLDER VEHICLES, I WILL PROVIDE A 15:45:55 RECORD -- FOR THE RECORD A COPY OF OUR PLAYBOOK AND IT HAS AN 15:46:02 INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPH OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY EVENT AT THE 15:46:06 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY -- THE INSURANCE 15:46:11 INSTITUTE. THEY HAD A 40 MILES PER HOUR 15:46:14 HEAD-ON CRASH OF TWO VEHICLES. ONE WAS A 1959 CHEVY BELL AIR. 15:46:19 AS YOU KNOW IN 1959 -- WELL SOME OF YOU WEREN'T AROUND, BUT MOST 15:46:23 OF US WHO WERE, THAT'S A LOT OF METAL THERE. 15:46:27 A 40 MILES PER HOUR HEAD ON CRASH WITH THE 2009 CHEVY 15:46:31 MALIBU, A SMALLER CAR. AND THE RESULTS ARE DRAMATIC. 15:46:36 THE CAGE, THE FRONT SEAT, PASSENGER AREA OF THE '59, 15:46:42 THAT'S PASSENGERS WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. 15:46:44 THERE IS NO DOUBT. THEY ARE SEVERELY INJURED, 15:46:48 TREMENDOUS IMPACT, CRUSHING OF THE COMPARTMENT. 15:46:51 IN THE NEW MODEL, THE CAGE IS INTACT. 15:46:54 IT ALSO HAS FRONT AIR BAGS, SIDE AIR BAGS, SIDE CURTAINS AND THE 15:47:01 TECHNOLOGY ALSO HAS OTHER FEATURES THAT IMPROVE THE 15:47:07 LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVAL IN A HEAD-ON CRASH. 15:47:10 REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE -- WHETHER IT'S SOMEONE SWERVING. 15:47:14 THE LAST POINT I WOULD MAKE IN THIS COMMENT MADE ABOUT THE 15:47:20 THREE-SECOND STOP, I DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT HAS PUSH BUTTON ON 15:47:25 STOP. THAT'S ONE OF THE FEATURES THAT 15:47:27 MANY CONSUMERS ARE MOVING TOWARDS. 15:47:31 ARE WE ASKING -- ARE WE SAYING THAT CONSUMERS TODAY, IT'S IN 15:47:36 THE MANUAL. IT'S IN THE INSTRUCTION AND ALL 15:47:39 THE REST. CAN'T TAKE THREE SECONDS TO PUSH 15:47:41 A BUTTON? I KNOW THAT WE PANIC. 15:47:46 I KNOW THERE ARE INSTANCES, BUT THERE IS A NEED FOR EDUCATION. 15:47:50 THERE IS A NEED. MAYBE ONE OF THE POSITIVE 15:47:54 ASPECTS OF ALL THIS INVESTIGATION, ALL THE 15:47:57 REPORTING, IS THAT MAYBE CONSUMERS ARE HAVING TO PAY 15:48:00 ATTENTION TO THE VEHICLES THAT THEY ARE DRIVING. 15:48:02 WHAT ARE THOSE SHIFTERS? WHERE IS NEUTRAL? 15:48:06 MY SON-IN-LAW DRIVES A CAMRY. WHEN THIS CAME UP, IN THE 15:48:12 RECALL, HE'S ASKED, WHAT DO YOU DO? 15:48:14 I SAID, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. YOU DON'T WANT TO TURN IT OFF AT 15:48:18 FIRST. THOSE BUTTONS ARE THERE AND THE 15:48:21 THREE-SECOND DELAY IS THERE FOR A REASON. 15:48:23 YOU DON'T WANT TO INADVERTENTLY SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. 15:48:28 YOU COULD LOSE POWER AFFECTING STEERING AND OTHER CONDITIONS. 15:48:31 THERE IS A COMMON SENSE APPROACH WE NEED TO TAKE. 15:48:33 LET'S WORK TOGETHER. I THINK THAT'S WHAT NHTSA AND 15:48:38 THE INDUSTRY SHOULD BE DISCUSSING. 15:48:41 THERE IS NOT ONE SOLUTION, BUT I THINK THERE IS A GENUINE CONCERN 15:48:47 ABOUT IT AND A WAY TO DEVELOP SOME SOLUTIONS. 15:48:50 >> MR. CHAIRMAN, MAY I BRIEFLY RESPOND TO THE COMMENT ABOUT THE 15:48:53 PUSH BUTTONS? >> SURE. 15:48:55 >> I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE TO DO WITH 15:48:59 WHEN THE CONSUMER IS IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. 15:49:03 WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. 15:49:07 GIVEN WHAT'S HAPPENED, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT TOYOTA IS 15:49:12 WORKING ON RECONFIGURING THE PUSH BUTTON IGNITION SO IT CAN 15:49:15 BE TURNED OFF IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WITH MULTIPLE QUICK 15:49:19 PRESSES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. 15:49:21 THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> THANK YOU. 15:49:24 THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES THE GENTLELADY FROM ILLINOIS FOR 15:49:28 FIVE MINUTES. >> THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. 15:49:34 I WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO THE WITNESSES FOR NOT BEING HERE FOR 15:49:39 TESTIMONY, THOUGH I HAVE LOOKED AT IT. 15:49:41 I WANT TO ALSO JUST TAKE THIS MOMENT TO SAY WHAT A TREMENDOUS 15:49:48 RESOURCE WE HAVE IN JOAN CLAYBROOK WHO DID SERVE AS HEAD 15:49:53 OF NHTSA. AND I HOPE THAT NOT ONLY OUR 15:50:02 S SUBCOMMITTEE, BUT THAT NHTSA 15:50:05 WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS AN 15:50:07 ADMINISTRATOR AND AS ADVOCATE. 15:50:12 I THANK MISS GADIYAH AND MR. McOCCURTY FOR THE WORK THAT 15:50:16 YOU'RE DOING. BUT I WANTED TO PARTICULARLY 15:50:19 JUST THANK JOAN FOR DECADES. I WON'T SAY HOW MANY OF BEING AN 15:50:24 ADVOCATE FOR CONSUMERS. IN LOOKING AT THE PRIORITIES 15:50:32 THAT YOU LAID OUT FOR LEGISLATIVE AND 15:50:38 ADMINISTRATIVE -- I MEAN, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT ARE 15:50:42 CLEARLY LEGISLATIVE, IF YOU THINK THAT PENALTIES NEED TO BE 15:50:44 ENHANCED, I THINK THAT'S LEGISLATIVE ON OUR PART. 15:50:49 BUT WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT YOU THINK THE COMMITTEE, IN 15:50:52 PARTICULAR, HAS TO DEAL WITH AND THAT REALLY CAN'T BE DONE 15:50:58 ADMINISTRATIVELY TO MEET THE GOALS THAT YOU'VE SET OUT OR 15:51:00 THAT THE PROBLEMS YOU'VE IDENTIFIED? 15:51:03 >> WELL, I WOULD SAY CERTAINLY -- 15:51:05 >> DO YOU HAVE YOUR MIKE ON? >> YEAH, SORRY. 15:51:07 I WOULD SAY CERTAINLY IN THE PENALTY AREA, THAT THAT'S A 15:51:13 LEGISLATIVE ISSUE. >> MM-HMM. 15:51:15 >> AND IN THE FUNDING, THAT'S A LEGISLATIVE ISSUE. 15:51:21 THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET IS WHAT IT IS. 15:51:23 AND IT'S TOTALLY INSUFFICIENT. AND SO IT'S NOT THIS COMMITTEE'S 15:51:28 RESPONSIBILITY, ALTHOUGH YOU DO AUTHORIZE, OF COURSE. 15:51:33 I THINK THAT IN THE AREA OF TRANSPARENCY, THERE HAVE BEEN 15:51:35 SOME DECISIONS MADE BY THE AGENCY THAT THIS COMMITTEE COULD 15:51:38 CHANGE IN THE EARLY WARNING ACT WHILE THERE WAS A LOT OF 15:51:42 DISCUSSION ABOUT THE INFORMATION BEING OPEN. 15:51:44 IN FACT, THE WAY THAT IT WAS WRITTEN WAS INTERPRETED AS NOT 15:51:49 BEING OPEN. SO I THINK THAT IT WOULD HELP 15:51:52 CLARIFICATION ON TRANSPARENCY WITH THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM 15:51:55 BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT AVAILABLE TO ANY OF US. 15:51:58 >> AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE A CHANGE OR A CLARIFICATION IN 15:52:02 LAW? >> YES, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY 15:52:04 HELPFUL TO HAVE A CLARIFICATION OF THAT. 15:52:06 IN TERMS OF CONSUMERS BEING ABLE TO BRING A LAWSUIT WHEN THE 15:52:13 DECISION IS -- A CASE IS CLOSED IN THE ENFORCEMENT AREA, WE 15:52:16 DEFINITELY NEED TO HAVE LEGISLATION THERE BECAUSE OF THE 15:52:18 COURT OF APPEALS' DECISION. AND THEN I THINK IT WOULD BE 15:52:27 VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT FOR 15:52:31 IMPROVING THE BLACK BOX. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE 15:52:34 DONE ADMINISTRATIVELY BY THE AGENCY. 15:52:36 I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE IF THE BLACK BOX 15:52:41 IS MANDATORY, IF IT GATHERS A LOT OF REALLY GOOD DATA, IF IT 15:52:43 CAN BE DOWNLOADED EASILY, ALL OF THAT DATA CAN COME INTO NITSA'S 15:52:48 DATA SYSTEM, AND IT WOULD VASTLY ENHANCE, EXCITINGLY ENHANCE, THE 15:52:53 CAPACITY AGENCY TO ANALYZE PROBLEMS TO FIND OUT WHAT'S 15:52:56 GOING ON ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE RICH INFORMATION 15:53:00 FROM CRASHES THAT OCCUR RIGHT THEN ON THE HIGHWAY. 15:53:03 AND THIS INFORMATION IS TOTALLY LACKING IN THE AGENCY NOW. 15:53:06 AND GATHERING IT THROUGH THE SYSTEM WHICH IS THIS NATIONAL 15:53:10 ACTION SAMPLING SYSTEM WHICH IS AFTER THE ACT, AFTER 15:53:15 INVESTIGATIONS, THERE WAS INTENDED TO BE 20,000 OF THEM A 15:53:17 YEAR. IT'S NOW 4,000 BECAUSE OF THE 15:53:19 COST. AND THIS, I THINK, WE'LL NEVER 15:53:21 GET TO THE 20,000. SO WHY NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 15:53:23 THIS DATA THAT'S GOING TO BE COLLECTED ANYWAY IN BLACK BOXES 15:53:26 UNDER WHAT I THINK HAS TO BE A MANDATE FOR THE BLACK BOX ITSELF 15:53:31 AND USE THAT DATA FOR THE OPERATIONS OF THE AGENCY AS WELL 15:53:36 AS PARTICULAR CRASHES? >> MR. McCURTY, YOU SEEM TO BE 15:53:40 NODDING AT THAT. DID YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON THIS? 15:53:43 >> THANK YOU, MA'AM. ACTUALLY, I DID WANT TO COMMENT. 15:53:47 WE ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR NAS. 15:53:52 WE THINK THAT DATA NEEDS TO BE COLLECTED. 15:53:54 AND THIS COMMITTEE HAS OVERSIGHT OF NITSA, AND THE DATA IS THERE. 15:53:58 BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AGENCY HAS THE TOOLS AND 15:54:03 RESOURCES TO GATHER IT. MY ONLY CAVEAT ON THAT -- AND I 15:54:06 THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO WORK ON -- IS I DON'T BELIEVE 15:54:09 THAT THE WHOLESALE RELEASE OF RAW AND UNVERIFIED DATA WOULD 15:54:14 FURTHER THE OBJECTIVE OF QUICKLY IDENTIFYING AND CORRECTING 15:54:19 DEFECTS. IF ANYTHING, IT MAY LEAD TO MORE 15:54:21 LITIGATION. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S THE 15:54:23 ANSWER. >> OH, WELL, I SHOULD SAY, MR. 15:54:26 McCURTY -- >> I ACTUALLY HAVE THE MIKE, MR. 15:54:30 CHAIRMAN. YOU KNOW, I DON'T BELIEVE IT 15:54:32 WOULD, IN FACT, DO THAT. I WOULD HOPE, BEFORE THE 15:54:37 GENTLELADY LEAVES OR WE AT LEAST HAVE ANOTHER ROUND, ACTUALLY 15:54:41 TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL ISSUES THAT YOU'RE THE KEY 15:54:44 SPONSOR OF WHICH WE SUPPORTED, THE KAMRAN GO BRANSON ACT AND 15:54:50 THE ROLE THAT WE ACTUALLY PLAYED BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF OUR 15:54:53 PRIORITIES. AND IT SHOWS WHERE WE CAN 15:54:55 ACTUALLY WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS. 15:55:01 AND THOSE ARE SOME OF THE MOST TRAGIC INCIDENTS -- 15:55:04 >> THEY ARE. THANK YOU. 15:55:05 >> -- THAT WE KNOW OF. AND I'VE WORKED WITH SENATOR 15:55:08 CLINTON AT THE TIME. >> EXACTLY. 15:55:09 >> AS WELL AS YOUR STAFF, AND THIS STAFF ON THE COMMITTEE TO 15:55:13 MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND THE INDUSTRY FULLY SUPPORTED 15:55:15 THAT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S ON 15:55:18 THE RECORD AS WELL. >> AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 15:55:23 IS THERE ANY WAY, MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT MS. CLAYBROOK CAN RESPOND 15:55:27 BACK TO THAT? >> JUST PRIVACY INFORMATION. 15:55:30 I JUST WANT TO MAKE CLEAR THAT I DON'T THINK THIS DATA SHOULD BE 15:55:33 PUBLIC AS TO INDIVIDUAL CRASHES. IT WOULD BE FOR STATISTICAL 15:55:37 PURPOSES. THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY. 15:55:38 >> THANK YOU. >> THE TIME HAS EXPIRED. 15:55:40 THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES THE GENTLEMAN FROM FLORIDA, MR. 15:55:46 STAERNS. >> THERE, MR. CHAIRMAN. 15:55:48 MS. CLAYBROOK, LET ME JUST FOLLOW UP WITH WHAT MS. 15:55:52 SCHAKOWSKY HAS TALKED ABOUT. IN THESE BOXES, ISN'T THE BOX 15:55:57 THAT'S ON A PERSON'S CAR, THAT BOX WOULD BELONG TO THAT PERSON, 15:56:00 WOULDN'T IT? >> YES. 15:56:01 >> SO WOULDN'T THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO OPT OUT IF THEY WANTED 15:56:04 TO? >> NO. 15:56:05 >> COULDN'T THEY FLICK A SWITCH SO IF THEY DIDN'T WANT THIS TO 15:56:09 OCCUR, THEY COULD DO IT? >> I DON'T THINK THERE OUGHT TO 15:56:11 BE AN ON/OFF SWITCH. >> SO YOU THINK THERE SHOULD BE 15:56:13 NO OPT OUT. >> I DO NOT THINK THERE SHOULD 15:56:16 BE AN OPT OUT. >> SECONDLY, THE INFORMATION 15:56:18 THEY COLLECT IS, OBVIOUSLY, SPEED, PERHAPS LOCATION. 15:56:22 IS IT GOING TO GO BEYOND THAT IN TERMS OF WEIGHT IN THE CAR OR 15:56:28 DRIVING HABITS? WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION -- 15:56:31 >> ON THE BLACK BOX? >> IN THE BACK BOX. 15:56:33 BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO EXPAND IT. 15:56:35 I THINK MANY PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THE FEDERAL 15:56:38 GOVERNMENT WILL HANDLE THIS DATA. 15:56:42 IF I DON'T WANT -- SAY I CAN'T OPT OUT OF THE BOX UNDER YOUR 15:56:47 PERSUASION, THEN IF IT GOES TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, HOW IS 15:56:49 THIS GOING TO BE PUBLIC ON THE INTERNET? 15:56:54 SHOULD PRIVATE CITIZENS BE ABLE TO GO AND SEE THAT ABOUT THEIR 15:56:56 NEIGHBORS WHO ARE DRIVING? I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME PRIVACY 15:57:00 IMPLICATIONS, I THINK, THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT. 15:57:02 >> I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ASKING THE QUESTION BECAUSE I 15:57:05 CERTAINLY DIDN'T MEAN TO SUGGEST THAT EVERYONE'S DRIVING CRASH -- 15:57:09 EVERY CRASH THAT OCCURS SHOULD BE PUBLICLY EXPOSED ON THE 15:57:12 INTERNET WITH THE NAME OF THE PERSON AND THE CAR AND ALL THE 15:57:13 REST OF IT. THE BLACK BOX GENERALLY COLLECTS 15:57:19 DATA 25 SECONDS BEFORE A CRASH AND FIVE TO TEN -- 15:57:22 >> SO IT DOESN'T COME ON ALL DURING THE WHOLE TIME? 15:57:24 >> NO. >> OKAY. 15:57:25 >> AND SO IT'S VERY, VERY LIMITED TIME FRAME. 15:57:28 AND WHAT IT RECORDS IS WHETHER -- IF IT WAS ON THE 15:57:32 ACCELERATOR, WHETHER IT WAS ON THE BRAKE. 15:57:34 A LOT OF ASPECTS OF THE ENGINE ITSELF, THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE 15:57:36 AND SO ON. AND THAT DATA, WHEN I'M TALKING 15:57:41 ABOUT HAVING IT GO TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IT WOULD BE 15:57:43 ONLY STATISTICAL DATA. ALL PRIVACY INFORMATION WOULD BE 15:57:47 ERASED. SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 15:57:48 WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE IT. IT WOULD JUST BE STATISTICAL 15:57:52 DATA. IT WOULD JUST BE THAT A CRASH 15:57:53 OCCURRED AND WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE. 15:57:55 SO THAT YOU COULD THEN ACCUMULATE THAT DATA AND SAY, 15:57:58 THESE ARE THE KIND OF CRASHES THAT ARE OCCURRING. 15:58:00 AND THESE ARE THE KIND OF REMEDIES THAT WE NEED TO THINK 15:58:03 ABOUT APPLYING BECAUSE OF THAT. SO I DO THINK IT NEEDS TO BE 15:58:08 MANDATORY. I THINK IT SHOULD BE IN EVERY 15:58:09 VEHICLE. ACTUALLY, GENERAL MOTORS, FORD 15:58:12 AND CHRYSLER READILY REVEAL THE CONTENTS OF THEIR BLACK BOXES IN 15:58:17 LITIGATION BECAUSE THEY THINK IT'S ADVANTAGEOUS. 15:58:20 >> I GUESS, YOU KNOW, THIS COMMITTEE WOULD BE CONCERNED 15:58:23 ABOUT THE PRIVACY. LET ME MOVE ON. 15:58:25 I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION, MR. McCURDY. 15:58:28 WELCOME TO THE COMMITTEE. NICE TO SEE YOU. 15:58:30 EDDIE TOWNS AND I DROPPED A BILL ON JANUARY 28th, 2009, WHICH 15:58:35 WOULD DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ISSUE 15:58:38 REGULATIONS WHICH WOULD MITIGATE THE SAFETY HAZARD CAUSED BY A 15:58:41 NEAR SILENT HYBRID AND ELECTRIC CARS. 15:58:44 I WAS IN A PARKING LOT GOING INTO THE GROCERY STORE. 15:58:49 AND I WAS JUST WALKING ALONG, I WASN'T THINKING ON MY 15:58:51 BLACKBERRY, AND THIS CAR CAME UP THAT WAS A HYBRID, AND I DIDN'T 15:58:54 HEAR IT. AND IT PRACTICALLY HIT ME. 15:58:57 SO MY QUESTION IS, I THINK BOTH GENERAL MOTORS AND NITSA HAVE 15:59:02 COME UP AND PROPOSED METHODS