New Proposal Seeks to Triple NHTSA Funding

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) could see a major boost in funding if President Obama has his way.

The President’s budget proposal for fiscal 2016 would nearly triple the funding for NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigation, the division that examines vehicle safety defects. The White House is proposing to allocate $31.3 million to the Office of Defect Investigation, up from $11 million for the current fiscal year. The request would also more than double the office’s employees from 51 to 108 including 22 engineers and more investigators, statisticians and other works that can bolster the department’s ability to detect and analyze safety defects.

SEE ALSO: Over 2M Vehicles Re-Recalled for Airbag Issue

The additional funding is part of a plan to spend nearly $6 billion on NHTSA over the next six years. Given the amount of vehicles that have been recalled and the recent massive ignition-switch recall from GM that accounts for at least 51 deaths, NHTSA has faced criticism from lawmakers and safety advocates over the last year.

NHTSA’s current Administrator, Mark Rosekind, has made it clear several times that the agency is underfunded and currently employs eight defect screeners, 16 defect investigators and four analysts.

[Source: Automotive News]