Trump’s NHTSA Pick Promises Rapid Self-Driving Deployment
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President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the nation’s top car safety regulator pledged to prioritize safety while at the same time making it easier for automakers to deploy-self driving cars.
Jonathan Morrison, who was nominated by Trump on Feb. 11 to be administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told lawmakers in a hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee July 16 that the agency he hopes to soon lead should craft self-driving rules that go beyond the voluntary guidelines that were enacted under previous administrations.
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Current rules limit automakers to 2,500 test vehicles that don’t meet federal motor vehicle safety standards, like having steering wheels and brake pedals. Prior congressional proposals would have allowed carmakers to request as many 100,000 of these exemptions.
Morrison said during the hearing that NHTSA “cannot sit back and wait for problems to arrive with such developing technologies.” Instead, he said, the agency “must demonstrate strong leadership” by taking proactive steps to put federal rules in place that would allow for the rapid deployment of autonomous vehicles.
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“Realization of the mobility and safety benefits from AVs depends entirely upon on consumer trust, and that trust must be rooted in safety,” said Morrison, who’s currently a lawyer at Apple Inc. and formerly served as NHTSA’s chief counsel under Trump’s first administration.
At the same time, Morrison indicated he doesn’t want federal regulations for both traditional and self-driving cars to “impose undue costs or design restrictions that hamper innovation.”
If he is confirmed by the Senate, he could lead several investigations into Tesla Inc.’s cars and driver assistance technologies. Morrison told lawmakers he has heard in recent years from industry leaders who’ve complained about the “lack of federal leadership in this space.”
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The last thing automakers want to do is to spend “billions and billions down a particular technological pathway and then having the federal government shut the door on that pathway,” Morrison said. “That has a major chilling effect on investment, and that’s something we have to avoid.”
Morrison could take over 73 federal probes into potentially defective cars and trucks that remain open after Trump took office in January, including eight active investigations involving Tesla. NHTSA is also expected to tackle federal rules for autonomous vehicles and repeal stringent fuel economy rules for carmakers, should Morrison be confirmed.
Michael Brooks, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Auto Safety, which advocates for stringent regulations, noted that during Morrison’s earlier tenure at NHTSA, the agency rolled back safety standards and halted probes of carmakers utilizing autonomous vehicle technology that were initiated by the Obama administration.
“We think it is reasonable to expect more of the same” if Morrison is confirmed as NHTSA administrator, Brooks said in an email.
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Rosemary Shahan, president of the Sacramento, Calif.-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety group, said she worked previously with Morrison when he was a lobbyist for the California New Car Dealers Association. Shahan said Morrison is “very smart and knowledgeable about the auto industry” and well-versed in the NHTSA’s mandate.
But she said how aggressive the agency will be toward auto regulation will ultimately come down to Trump.
John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which lobbies for most major automakers, such as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Stellantis NV, Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., praised Trump’s Morrison nomination in February.
Bozzella said Morrison has “the right background to lead the country’s top traffic safety regulator.”
The White House and Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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