Congressmen Brett Guthrie and Gus Bilirakis have announced a hearing on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and motor vehicle safety. The hearing, titled “Looking Under the Hood: The State of NHTSA and Motor Vehicle Safety,” will take place on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET in the Rayburn House Office Building. It will be open to the public and live-streamed online.
Guthrie and Bilirakis emphasized the importance of evaluating how NHTSA can enhance vehicle safety as Congress considers reauthorizing the agency. They noted that nearly 40,000 Americans die annually in motor vehicle crashes.
Catherine Chase from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety provided testimony highlighting the human and economic toll of road accidents. She said that in 2023, there were nearly 41,000 fatalities due to road incidents, with an economic cost of approximately $340 billion. Chase also mentioned that since 1968, safety standards have prevented over 860,000 deaths.
Chase identified leading factors contributing to crashes in 2023: alcohol-impaired driving caused 12,429 deaths; speeding resulted in 11,775 fatalities; unrestrained occupants accounted for 10,484 deaths; and distracted driving led to 3,275 fatalities. She called for Congress to include unfulfilled safety advances required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in future legislation.
The testimony also addressed autonomous vehicles (AVs), noting their involvement in serious crashes despite promises of increased safety. Chase pointed out that AVs have driven only a fraction of what humans drive annually.
Chase concluded by highlighting that traffic fatalities remain a public health crisis while NHTSA’s funding has been insufficient for decades. Despite accounting for most transportation-related fatalities, NHTSA receives only one percent of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s budget.
For more information about the hearing or press inquiries, contact Alex Khlopin or Daniel Kelly via email.
Information from this article can be found here.
