U.S. auto safety agency sets reforms after GM recall
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. safety regulators acknowledged shortfalls in their probe of a General Motors Co ignition switch defect linked to over 100 deaths, and unveiled plans on Friday for more aggressive enforcement of auto defects. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its staff missed early signs of an ignition problem because they misunderstood the technology and failed to demand a clear account of events from the automaker. "GM's responses often contained very little information and included invocations of legal privilege. Rather than push back and request more information, NHTSA analyzed the incomplete responses," the regulator said in one of two new reports on its internal practices and plans for reform. The release of the reports coincide with a more aggressive stance by the new NHTSA administrator, Mark Rosekind, who recently announced the largest recall in U.S. history to address defective Takata Corp airbags and heightened scrutiny of the recall practices at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Faulty GM ignition switches could easily be jarred out of position, preventing air bags from deploying in a crash. The result was 109 deaths, over 200 injuries and the recall of 2.6 million vehicles. Regulators said the automaker first became aware of a problem as early as 2001 but did not acknowledge a defect until 2014. "GM withheld information, failed to provide timely responses to NHTSA's requests, and used evasive techniques to distract NHTSA from potential defects," the agency said. But NHTSA also found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing among its own staff and has taken no steps to fire or discipline the people involved. "You can either have safety or you can have blame," NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind told reporters. "We're looking for ways for the entire agency and the entire safety system to get better so this stuff doesn't happen in the future." In a report titled, "NHTSA's Path Forward," the agency presented a menu of changes that would bring a stronger focus to automakers and parts suppliers and a closer relationship between regulators and plaintiffs' attorneys. Rosekind announced a new team of outside experts to advise NHTSA on implementing reforms. The group includes experts from the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The agency also unveiled a new "risk control innovations" program to cut across bureaucratic barriers and bring the agency's full expertise to bear on safety risks. Rosekind underscored NHTSA's lack of resources by saying the agency has 90 safety enforcement officers to oversee more than 265 million vehicles on U.S. roads. The Federal Aviation Administration has more than 6,000 safety officers and the Federal Railroad Administration nearly 680, he said. To raise auto safety to an optimal level, Rosekind said Congress should provide funding sought by President Barack Obama. A funding bill due to be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives next week would increase auto safety spending to $154 million in 2016, up from $130 million this year. But the sum falls short of Obama's request for $179 million. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by James Dalgleish and Christian Plumb)
