DETROIT (AP) — A top safety regulator says automakers have agreed to fundamental changes in their relationship with the U.S. government to promote greater safety using the aviation industry as a model.
Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told reporters at the Detroit Auto Show that the process of issuing government regulations to correct safety problems takes too many years. He said that by the time the regulations are issued changes in technology make them out of date.
The concept outline by Rosekind aims to promote more cooperation and disclosure of safety information by automakers in exchange for a less punitive stance on the part of regulators to honest errors.
The past two years have seen record auto recalls for safety defects. Airline crashes are at a historic low.
