Unwarranted Delays by the Department of Transportation To Improve Light Truck Safety

Since the first federal motor vehicle safety standards were promulgated in 1967, passenger car safety has noticeably improved. The same has not been true for light trucks. During the early 1970's, light trucks were noted to have safety problems which may have been due, in part, to their exemption from certain safety standards. At that time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) took little direct action to investigate the extent and seriousness of these problems. Although more detailed accident data have become available since then, the Safety Administration has not fully analyzed them to assess the extent of potential safety problems.