Lowey Urges Trump to Nominate NHTSA Administrator

Lowey to President: “You owe it to the families of each victim to nominate a qualified NHTSA Administrator so this agency can continue its life-saving work.”

PRESS RELEASE

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, last week sent a letter to President Trump urging him to nominate a highly-qualified individual to serve as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA has been without a permanent leader for more than a year, undermining the agency’s life-saving work to reduce traffic fatalities.

“It is unacceptable that NHTSA has been without a permanent leader for 408 days and counting,” Lowey wrote in the letter. “Too many Americans have lost family members and loved ones due to preventable crashes, and NHTSA’s work to eliminate risky behaviors on our roads and regulate vehicle equipment has proven critical to reducing traffic fatalities. … I am concerned that the vital work NHTSA has already done to reduce traffic fatalities is in jeopardy without a permanent leader at the agency’s helm.”

Lowey concluded: “No more Americans should know the grief of losing a loved one due to a preventable traffic crash. You owe it to the families of each victim to nominate a qualified NHTSA Administrator so this agency can continue its life-saving work.”

In 2016, 37,461 people were killed in crashes on U.S. roadways, an increase of 5.6 percent from 2015.

A strong public safety advocate, Congresswoman Lowey is a supporter of the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Program administered by NHTSA. This non-invasive technology has the potential to eliminate drunk driving by preventing vehicles from operating if the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) is above the legal limit. Lowey is also a strong supporter of minimum penalties for repeat drunk drivers and mandated ignition interlock devices to prevent repeat offenders from getting behind the wheel impaired.

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