NHTSA Oversight and Management of Its Vehicle Safety Compliance and Gray Market Programs
T-RCED-87-3: Published: Mar 6, 1987. Publicly Released: Mar 6, 1987.
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GAO testified on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) oversight and management of its vehicle safety compliance and gray market programs. GAO found that: (1) individuals imported only 23,900 gray market vehicles in 1986 due to the strong U.S. dollar in the foreign market; (2) NHTSA does not inspect firms that modify vehicles to ensure that they have the capability to conform the vehicles to the safety standards or test vehicles to determine that they did the modifications properly; (3) although the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) certification program has more internal controls than does NHTSA, it does not provide for periodic inspection of the modifying firms or testing of the vehicles; (4) substantial percentages of gray market vehicles that NHTSA and EPA approve do not conform to the federal standards; (5) NHTSA has not selected 10 of its 39 testable safety standards for testing for periods ranging from 5 to 17 years and has never tested three additional testable standards; (6) NHTSA has developed neither milestones nor standard procedures for processing noncompliance investigation and civil penalty cases; and (7) NHTSA lacks guidelines concerning which investigation cases it should forward to its Chief Counsel's office for penalty assessment. GAO also found that: (1) neither NHTSA nor EPA have responded to its recommendations to improve internal controls; and (2) the Department of Transportation plans to implement GAO recommendations to ensure testing of safety standards over a period of time and develop milestones and procedures for processing and monitoring investigation and civil penalty cases.
Jan 7, 2021
Aircraft Noise:
Better Information Sharing Could Improve Responses to Washington, D.C. Area Helicopter Noise ConcernsGAO-21-200: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
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Automated Technologies:
DOT Should Take Steps to Ensure Its Workforce Has Skills Needed to Oversee SafetyGAO-21-197: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 17, 2020
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Emergency Responder Safety:
States and DOT Are Implementing Actions to Reduce Roadside CrashesGAO-21-166: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 17, 2020.
Nov 24, 2020
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Reagan National Airport:
Information on Effects of Federal Statute Limiting Long-Distance FlightsGAO-21-176: Published: Nov 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 24, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Federal-Aid Highways:
States and Local Governments Reported Benefits to Federal Highway Fund Swapping, but Impacts Cannot be Definitively DeterminedGAO-21-88: Published: Oct 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
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Aviation Certification:
FAA Needs to Strengthen Its Design Review Process for Small AirplanesGAO-21-85: Published: Nov 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
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Aviation Safety:
FAA's Office of Aviation Safety Should Take Additional Actions to Ensure Its Workforce Has Needed SkillsGAO-21-94: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020
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Puerto Rico:
Perspectives on the Potential to Expand Air Cargo OperationsGAO-21-21: Published: Oct 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
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Supplemental Material For GAO-20-686:
Transit Asset Management: Survey of TAM Program ParticipantsGAO-20-687SP: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020. -
Transit Asset Management:
FTA Should Clarify Performance Data and Develop a Plan to Guide Future Program ImprovementsGAO-20-686: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
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