Senate Republicans argue that newer safety rules offer diminishing returns and are an impediment to affordability. By Stewart Burnett
US Senate Republicans plan to scrutinise vehicle safety technology requirements including automatic emergency braking and rear-seat child reminders, arguing the mandates are ineffective and unnecessarily drive up vehicle costs. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has scheduled the hearing for 14 January.
Chief Executives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis alongside a senior Tesla executive—notably not Elon Musk—will be summoned to explain rising vehicle prices. Musk still appears to be persona non grata to the Republican Party, following a public feud with President Donald Trump which culminated in the Chief Executive threatening to fund a new party and insinuating ties between the president and Jeffrey Epstein.
Average new vehicle prices exceeded US$50,000 this autumn, up from approximately US$38,000 before the coronavirus pandemic, prompting committee Republicans to argue that the most effective safety advancements occurred between the 1960s and 1980s with diminishing returns since. Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who chairs the committee, said US citizens are more focussed on affordability.
Vehicle safety advocates have countered that the newer mandates save lives and remain necessary, citing approximately 40,000 annual road deaths in the US. “Regulation is the best way to make sure everybody’s got this technology that’s highly effective,” said a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to The Wall Street Journal.
California Governor Gavin Newsom—a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s automotive policies—lambasted the Republican lawmakers. “Republican priorities: Ensure it’s easier to get into a car accident. Great work,” Newsom wrote on social media platform X. Newsom has previously come out against efforts to eliminate the EPA’s waiver for California to impose tighter CO2 emission rules on road vehicles, as well as the elimination of the US$7,500 electric vehicle tax credit.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required automatic braking systems in new cars starting in 2029, although automakers have attempted to block the rule arguing the standards are impractical and could cause rear-end collisions. The agency said this year it was considering extending the deadline as the hearing precedes next year’s reauthorisation of a US$300bn highway bill providing funding for the administration.