Last Updated: November 2021
Now that the current regulatory system proved to be a colossal failure for millions of owners of General Motors vehicles, members of Congress have proposed legislation to improve federal oversight.
The Early Warning Reporting System Improvement Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), would require vehicle and equipment manufacturers to submit any reports that first alert them to a fatal accident involving their vehicle or equipment.
The bill would also require NHTSA to make this information publicly available in a searchable, user-friendly format. This would make it easier for car owners and independent safety experts to evaluate potential safety defects themselves.
Meanwhile, GM’s CEO Mary Barra testified before the House of Representatives yesterday (and will go before the Senate today) that she does not yet have answers to why GM took more than 10 years to catch that faulty switch. She is, however, “deeply sorry.”
VIDEO: CEO Mary Barra reads full testimony at GM recall hearing.