Advocates, along with other safety partners have sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Transportation Housing and Urban Development urging them to prioritize adequate funding for safety agencies during deliberations for the mark-up of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies legislation. The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and its agencies must have adequate resources, including funds and staff for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, “Agency”), to accomplish their vital safety missions.
Sufficient funding and resources for NHTSA can be the catalyst for implementing effective safety countermeasures to prevent crashes, save lives, reduce injuries and contain costs. Vehicle safety upgrades remain a key component of a comprehensive and effective approach to improving traffic safety. The issuance of vehicle safety standards and requirements for technology and systems are proven to prevent crash fatalities and curb costs.
While traffic fatalities continue to be a public health crisis, the funding for NHTSA’s lifesaving mission has fallen woefully short for more than four decades as costs and statutory responsibilities have increased. While 96 percent of transportation-related fatalities involve motor vehicles, NHTSA historically receives only one percent of the overall U.S. DOT budget.
Providing adequate funding and staff resources to the U.S. DOT and its safety agencies will enable timely implementation of the safety requirements and address the urgent need to advance additional proven and cost-effective solutions to prevent crashes and save lives.
Read the full letter here.