National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA

Ralph Nader's 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed and rising highway deaths pushed Congress to pass the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act, both signed on September 9, 1966, the first federal safety mandates for cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took its current form under the Highway Safety Act of 1970. It is led by an Administrator confirmed by the Senate.

NHTSA writes Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering seat belts, air bags, brakes, crash protection, and lighting, and automakers must certify that their vehicles comply. It investigates defects and can force recalls, which cover tens of millions of vehicles in a typical year, and its five-star New Car Assessment Program rates crash safety. It also sets Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, gives grants to states for traffic safety programs, and collects national crash data.

U.S. traffic deaths rose to about 43,000 in 2021, the highest in sixteen years, before declining, and pedestrian deaths remain far above earlier levels. NHTSA has required crash reporting for vehicles with automated driving systems since 2021 and opened several investigations of driver-assistance features. In 2025 the budget reconciliation law eliminated penalties for missing fuel economy targets and the agency proposed resetting the standards. Supporters said the changes would lower car prices and give buyers choices, while environmental and consumer groups said they would raise fuel costs and emissions.