During a Commerce Subcommittee hearing, Klobuchar pushed NHTSA officials for answers about why they waited so long to respond to growing evidence that linked GM vehicles to multiple fatal crashes, including a 2006 accident that killed Natasha Weigel of Minnesota 

Klobuchar’s questioning followed a new report in the New York Times this week which found that in a number of recent, high-profile vehicle safety issues, NHTSA has been slow to respond

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar pressed key federal highway safety officials on their handling of the General Motors (GM) recall that is linked to a string of deadly crashes across the country. During a Commerce Subcommittee hearing, Klobuchar pushed officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for answers about why they waited so long to respond to growing evidence that linked GM vehicles to multiple fatal crashes, including a 2006 accident that killed Natasha Weigel of Minnesota. Klobuchar’s questioning followed a new report in the New York Times this week which found that in a number of recent, high-profile vehicle safety issues, NHTSA has been slow to respond.

“Even in the face of growing evidence that these GM ignition switches were faulty and dangerous, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to connect the dots and sound the alarm – and with tragic consequences,” Klobuchar said. “This is a basic matter of public safety and public trust. We have to ensure that consumers’ complaints are given as much attention as the industry’s defense of those complaints, and I’ll keep pressing to ensure that we get to the bottom of what went wrong and how to help prevent it from happening again.”

Witnesses at the hearing included: Mr. David J. Friedman, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Mr. Joseph Comé, Deputy Principal Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation; Ms. Jacqueline S. Gillan, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety; Mr. Kendell Poole, Chairman, Governors Highway Safety Association; and Mr. Robert Strassburger, Vice President, Vehicle Safety and Harmonization, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

At a Commerce Committee hearing earlier this year, Klobuchar urged Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to work quickly to find out why NHTSA waited to respond to mounting evidence linking GM cars to fatal crashes, including the crash that killed Natasha Weigel. Klobuchar has also questioned the CEO of GM and NHTSA officials about why they failed to act more aggressively in the face of mounting evidence of defective ignition switches.

Broadcast-quality video of Klobuchar’s remarks area available here.

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