Misplaced Pages

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50-630: It was extended by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. The regulations were withdrawn by President Reagan in Executive Order 12287 of January 28, 1981. In 1973 and again in 1979 the US Government took control of private stocks of oil under this law. ( Jaffe & Soligo, "The role of inventories in oil market stability", Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 42. 2002. ) This article relating to law in

100-530: A perception that an effect of NHTSA's regulatory activity is to protect the U.S. market for a modified oligopoly consisting of the three U.S.-based automakers and the American operations of foreign-brand producers. It has been suggested that the impetus for NHTSA's seeming preoccupation with market control rather than vehicular safety performance is a result of overt market protections such as tariffs and local-content laws having become politically unpopular due to

150-527: A result of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU), the agency has issued a Final Rule requiring manufacturers to place NCAP star ratings on the Monroney sticker (automobile price sticker). The rule had a September 1, 2007 compliance date. The agency has an annual budget of $ 1.09 billion (FY2020). The agency classifies most of its spending under

200-528: A result, it was no longer possible to import foreign vehicles into the United States as a personal import, with few exceptions—primarily vehicles meeting Canadian regulations substantially similar to those of the United States, and vehicles imported temporarily for display or research purposes. In practice, the gray market involved a few thousand cars annually, before its virtual elimination in 1988. In 1998, NHTSA exempted vehicles older than 25 years from

250-566: A specified amount of money per life saved, or will save more money (in property damage, health care, etc.) than it costs. Requirements are balanced through estimated costs and estimated benefits. For example, FMVSS #208 effectively mandates the installation of frontal airbags in all new vehicles in the United States, for it is written such that no other technology can meet the stipulated requirements. It has been argued that even using conservative cost figures and optimistic benefit figures, airbags' cost–benefit ratio so extreme that it may fall outside of

300-545: A vehicle's weight, engine size, or fuel economy in calculating vehicle registration taxes ( road tax ). In 1979, NHTSA created the/a New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) in response to Title II of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972, to encourage manufacturers to build safer vehicles and consumers to buy them. Since that time, the agency has improved the program by adding rating programs, facilitating access to test results, and revising

350-608: The California Air Resources Board . The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are contained in the United States 49 CFR 571 . Additional federal vehicle standards are contained elsewhere in the CFR. Another of NHTSA's activities is the collection of data about motor vehicle crashes, available in various data files maintained by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, in particular

400-604: The Department of Transportation , focused on transportation safety in the United States . NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as well as regulations for motor vehicle theft resistance and fuel economy , as part of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) system. FMVSS 209 was the first standard to become effective on March 1, 1967. NHTSA licenses vehicle manufacturers and importers, allows or blocks

450-583: The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS, where technicians investigate a random sample of police crash reports), and others. In 1964 and 1966, public pressure grew in the United States to increase the safety of cars , culminating with the publishing of Unsafe at Any Speed , by Ralph Nader , an activist lawyer, and the report prepared by

500-530: The National Academy of Sciences entitled Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society . In 1966, Congress held a series of publicized hearings regarding highway safety, passed legislation to make the installation of seat belts mandatory, and created the U.S. Department of Transportation on October 15, 1966 ( Pub. L.   89–670 ). Legislation signed by President Lyndon Johnson earlier on September 9, 1966, included

550-839: The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act ( Pub. L.   89–563 ) and Highway Safety Act ( Pub. L.   89–564 ) that created the National Traffic Safety Agency, the National Highway Safety Agency, and the National Highway Safety Bureau, predecessor agencies to what would eventually become NHTSA. Once the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) came into effect, vehicles not certified by

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600-763: The Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System , oil exported to Canada, heavy oil from California, certain trades with Mexico, and some exceptions for re-exporting foreign oil. When oil is processed, e.g. distillation, it can be exported without a license. Although, the export ban was quoted as a reason why crude oil was discounted $ 10 below the world price from early 2014 throughout 2015, as measured by the West Texas Intermediate benchmark, this claim has not been supported by empirical research. Oil producing companies and oil producing states, such as Texas, Alaska and North Dakota lobbied to lift

650-600: The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations , which developed what became the UN Regulations on vehicle design, construction, and safety and emissions performance for vehicles and their components. While many countries adopted or required adherence to the UN Regulations, the United States did not recognize these standards and restricted the importation of vehicles and components not certified by manufacturers as compliant with U.S. regulations. Because of

700-555: The 1976 model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was given the authority to regulate fuel economies for automobiles and light trucks. Part B of Title III of the EPCA established the Energy Conservation Program, which gives the Department of Energy the "authority to develop, revise, and implement minimum energy conservation standards for appliances and equipment." As currently implemented,

750-510: The 2012 model year. This technology was first brought to public attention in 1997, with the Swedish moose test . Other than that, NHTSA has issued only a few regulations in the past 25 years . Most of the reduction in vehicle fatality rates during the last third of the 20th century were gained from the initial NHTSA safety standards during 1968–1984 and subsequent voluntary changes in vehicle crashworthiness by vehicle manufacturers. Audits by

800-629: The 41-year-old ban. Republicans favored lifting the ban and in return agreed to not block a $ 500m payment to the UN Green Climate Fund and tax breaks for solar and wind power. The EPCA contained several policies to encourage the production of domestic energy sources. It authorized a program to promote coal production that would guarantee qualifying underground coal mining operations up to $ 30 million per project. The qualifying requirements are tailored to promote more environmentally friendly development and smaller coal producers. Recipients of

850-491: The Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for automobiles. The average fuel economy for model years, 1978, 1979, and 1980 were set at 18, 19, and 20 miles per gallon, respectively, and by 1985 the average economy was required to be 27.5 mpg. Furthermore, automobiles were required to be labeled with their fuel economies, estimated fuel costs, and the range of fuel economy for comparable vehicles after

900-565: The Department of Energy currently enforces test procedures and minimum standards for more than 50 products covering residential, commercial and industrial, lighting, and plumbing applications. The law has banned crude oil exports, with the U.S. Commerce Department able to grant exceptions for certain types of oil. In 1980, crude oil exports peaked at 104 million barrels, dropping to 43.8 million barrels in 2013. The exceptional export licenses were for oil from Cook Inlet , oil flowing through

950-602: The Inspector General's audit a decade before, in 2011. The 2018 audit found NHTSA incapable of conducting adequate, timely safety recalls. The 2015 audit found NHTSA's collection and analysis of safety-related data to be inadequate, and the agency to be lackadaisical and careless in examining safety defects. Government data (from FARS for the U.S.) in a 2004 book by former General Motors safety researcher Leonard Evans shows other countries achieving greater traffic safety improvements over time than those achieved in

1000-568: The Israelis during the war of Arab-Israeli war of 1973, which resulted in the 1973-74 oil embargo against the U.S and other countries supporting the Israelis. The cutoff of oil flowing into the United States from OPEC sent economic shockwaves throughout the nation. The upcoming issues about energy skyrocketed to the top of the nations agenda, which led to the creation of the Federal Energy Administration in 1974, renamed to

1050-484: The President was given authority to order maximum domestic oil and gas production, and the President was directed to submit plans for energy conservation and energy rationing in case of a fuel shortage. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA / ˈ n ɪ t s ə / NITS -ə ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government , part of

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1100-688: The U.S Department of Energy in 1977. In the aftermath of the oil crises, the United States established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (United States). The EPCA declared it to be U.S. policy to establish a reserve of petroleum, setting the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) into motion, and extended the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973 (EPAA). A number of existing storage sites were acquired in 1977. Construction of

1150-485: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2021 have concluded that NHTSA is ineffectual ; the 2021 audit found NHTSA failing to issue or update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards effectively or to act within timeframes on petitions and investigations; having no process in place for critical agency responsibilities like evaluating petitions, and having failed to implement consensus recommendations derived from

1200-582: The U.S. legal system are incompatible with some aspects of the UN regulatory system. Studies have concluded that commonizing regulations between the US and the rest of the world (which uses U.N. Regulations ) would save significant money, likely without affecting safety. NHTSA uses cost–benefit analysis for every safety device, system, or design feature mandated for installation on vehicles. No device, system, or design feature may be mandated unless it costs no more than

1250-571: The United States or its constituent jurisdictions is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Energy Policy and Conservation Act The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 ( EPCA ) ( Pub. L.   94–163 , 89  Stat.   871 , enacted December 22, 1975 ) is a United States Act of Congress that responded to the 1973 oil crisis by creating a comprehensive approach to federal energy policy. The primary goals of EPCA are to increase energy production and supply, reduce energy demand, provide energy efficiency , and give

1300-496: The United States: Research suggests one reason the U.S. continues to lag in traffic safety is the relatively high prevalence in the U.S. of pickup trucks and SUVs, which a 2003 study by the U.S. Transportation Research Board found are significantly less safe than passenger cars. Comparisons of past data with the present in the U.S. can result in distortions, due to a significant population increase and since

1350-430: The agency has not put this proposal into effect. NHTSA administers the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), which is intended to incentivize the production of fuel-efficient vehicles by dint of fuel economy requirements measured against the sales-weighted harmonic average of each manufacturer's range of vehicles. Many governments outside North America promote fuel economy by heavily taxing motor fuel and/or by including

1400-608: The ban. Oil refineries have been against lifting the export ban, because their raw material, the sweet, light domestic crude was available at a low price. In June 2015, the Obama administration had permitted the export of sweet, light oil for the import of heavy, sour oil from Mexico. Environmental groups have opposed lifting the ban because it would mean more oil sales, more drilling and more oil production with all its environmental impacts, increasing emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. On December 18, 2015, Congress lifted

1450-520: The construction and maintenance of energy facilities cannot reasonably be accomplished without exercising such authority. The EPCA also directs the President to report within 60 days otherwise such authority will be administered. The EPCA also directs the Secretary of the Interior to take action within 30 days which prohibits the same previous fuel sources. Part A of Title III of the EPCA established

1500-490: The context of no demonstrated safety benefit to amber over red. More recent NHTSA-sponsored research has demonstrated that amber rear turn signals provide significantly better crash avoidance than red ones, and NHTSA has found there is no significant cost penalty to amber signals versus red ones, yet the agency has not moved to require amber—instead proposing in 2015 to award extra NCAP points to passenger vehicles with amber rear turn signals. As of September 2022, however,

1550-550: The cost–benefit requirements for mandatory safety devices. Cost–benefit requirements have been used as the basis for lighting-related regulation in the U.S; for example, while many countries in the world since at least the early 1970s have required rear turn signals to emit amber light so they might be distinguished from adjacent red brake lamps, U.S. regulations permit rear turn signals to emit either amber or red light. This has historically been justified on grounds of lower manufacturing cost and greater automaker styling freedom in

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1600-588: The early 2020s, more than 40,000 U.S. residents died in automotive collisions every year. NHTSA has conducted numerous high-profile investigations of automotive safety issues, including the Audi 5000/60 Minutes affair, the Ford Explorer rollover problem, and the Toyota sticky accelerator pedal problem. The agency has introduced a proposal to mandate Electronic Stability Control on all passenger vehicles by

1650-550: The executive branch additional powers to respond to disruptions in energy supply. Most notably, EPCA established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve , the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products , and Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations. The need for a national oil storage reserve had been recognized for at least three decades. Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes advocated

1700-400: The first results were released on October 15 that year. The agency established a frontal impact test protocol based on Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 ("Occupant Crash Protection"), except that the frontal 4 NCAP test is conducted at 35 mph (56 km/h), rather than 30 mph (48 km/h) as required by FMVSS No. 208. To improve the dissemination of NCAP ratings, and as

1750-569: The first surface facilities began in June 1977. On July 21, 1977, the first oil—approximately 412,000 barrels (65,500 m ) of Saudi Arabian light crude—was delivered to the SPR. Fill was suspended in FY 1995 to devote budget resources to refurbishing the SPR equipment and extending the life of the complex. The current SPR sites are expected to be usable until around 2025. Fill was resumed in 1999. The EPCA gave

1800-406: The format of the information to make it easier for consumers to understand. NHTSA asserts the program has influenced manufacturers to build vehicles that consistently achieve high ratings. The United States was the first country/region to have an NCAP program, which was then copied by other NCAP programs. The first standardized 35 mph (56 km/h) front crash test was on May 21, 1979, and

1850-419: The front and 2.5 mph (4 km/h) at the rear. However, these regulations at low-speed collisions did not enhance occupant safety. Vehicle manufacturers have acknowledged the functional equivalence of the UN and U.S. regulations, encouraged developing countries to recognize and accept both, and advocated for equal recognition of both systems in developed countries. However, some structural features of

1900-435: The import of vehicles and safety-regulated vehicle parts, administers the vehicle identification number (VIN) system, develops the anthropomorphic dummies used in U.S. safety testing as well as the test protocols themselves, and provides vehicle insurance cost information. The agency has asserted preemptive regulatory authority over greenhouse gas emissions , but this has been disputed by such state regulatory agencies as

1950-460: The increasing popularity of free trade , thus driving the industry to adopt less visible forms of trade restrictions in the form of technical regulations different from those outside the United States. An example of the market-control effects of NHTSA's regulatory protocol is found in the agency's 1974 banning of the Citroën SM automobile, which contemporary journalists described as one of

2000-479: The legislation, the EPCA also provided mechanisms to allow the government to ensure that natural gas and petroleum based fuels are available to consumers in times of fuel shortages or crises. The Federal Energy Administration 's authority to require power plants to burn coal instead of natural gas or petroleum based fuels was extended through 1977. This mechanism would reduce the use of these fuels for power generation and free them for use by other consumers. Furthermore,

2050-517: The level of large commercial truck traffic has substantially increased from the 1960s, but highway capacity has not kept up. However, other factors exert significant influence; Canada has lower roadway death and injury rates despite a vehicle mix and regulations similar to those of the U.S. Nevertheless, the widespread use of truck-based vehicles as passenger carriers is correlated with roadway deaths and injuries not only directly by dint of vehicular safety performance per se , but also indirectly through

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2100-564: The loan guarantees are required to have a contract with a customer who is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency to operate their plant in compliance with the Clean Air Act . At least 80% of the total guarantee amount must finance low-sulfur coal development. Finally, large coal or oil companies are prohibited from receiving loan guarantees. Complementary to the increased coal production goals of

2150-743: The maker or importer as compliant with US safety standards were no longer legal to import into the United States. Congress established NHTSA in 1970 with the Highway Safety Act of 1970 (Title II of Pub. L.   91–605 , 84  Stat.   1713 , enacted December 31, 1970 , at 84  Stat.   1739 ). In 1972, the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act ( Pub. L.   92–513 , 86  Stat.   947 , enacted October 20, 1972 ) expanded NHTSA's scope to include consumer information programs. Despite improvements in vehicle design and public awareness of issues like drunk driving, traffic fatalities have remained stubbornly high. In

2200-520: The nation or national security. If the president chose to exercise this power the president was required by the act to report to congress of these actions on a quarterly basis. Another power the president is authorized to require the allocation of or priority performance under contracts that relates to supplies of materials and equipment in order to maximize domestic energy supplies. If the president finds that maintenance or more exploration, production, refining, transportation or conserving energy supplies or

2250-407: The president many new presidential powers. One of these includes the power to restrict the export of coal, petroleum products, petrochemical feedstocks, natural gas and materials or equipment for exploration, production, refining, or transportation of energy supplies. It also gave the president the authority to make exceptions to these restrictions if the president decided it was in the best interest of

2300-718: The relatively low fuel costs that facilitate the use of such vehicles in North America. Motor vehicle fatalities decline as gasoline prices increase. In 1958, under the auspices of the United Nations, a consortium known as the Economic Commission for Europe was established to standardize vehicle regulations across Europe. Its goals included promoting best practices in vehicle design and equipment and reducing technical barriers to pan-European vehicle trade and traffic. This organization eventually evolved into

2350-521: The rules it administers, since these are presumed to be collector vehicles. In 1999, certain very low production volume specialist vehicles were also exempt for " Show and Display " purposes. In the mid-1960s, when the framework was established for US vehicle safety regulations, the US auto market was an oligopoly , with three companies ( GM , Ford , and Chrysler ) controlling 85% of the market. The ongoing ban on newer vehicles considered safe in countries with lower vehicle-related death rates has created

2400-591: The safest vehicles available at the time. NHTSA disapproved the SM's designs featuring steerable headlamps that were not of the sealed beam design that was then mandatory in the U.S. as well as its height adjustable suspension , which made compliance with the 1973 bumper requirements cost-prohibitive. The initial bumper regulations were intended to prevent functional damage to a vehicle's safety-related components such as lights and fuel system components when subjected to barrier crash tests at 5 miles per hour (8 km/h) at

2450-438: The stockpiling of emergency crude oil in 1944. President Harry S Truman 's Minerals Policy Commission proposed a strategic oil supply in 1952. President Dwight Eisenhower suggested an oil reserve after the 1956 Suez Crisis . The Cabinet Task Force on Oil Import Control recommended a similar reserve in 1970. Few events so dramatically underscored the need for a strategic oil reserve as the 1973-74 oil embargo . U.S support for

2500-455: The unavailability in America of certain vehicle models, a grey market arose in the late 1970s. This provided a method to acquire vehicles not officially offered in the United States, but enough vehicles imported this way were faulty, shoddy, and unsafe that Mercedes-Benz of North America helped launch a successful congressional lobbying effort to close down the grey market in 1988. As

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