Mike Quigley: “This amendment would disrupt the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ability to enforce rules and…”

“This amendment would disrupt the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ability to enforce rules and regulations when vehicles are not in compliance with current Federal law. For my colleague concerned about vendors who have been selling pulsing brake lights, it is my understanding that the issue is now in litigation. We should not be impeding on or presupposing the outcome of the matter that has been referred to the courts. My colleagues may disagree with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's longstanding interpretation that high-mounted brake lights must be steady burning, not pulsing, but this is not an appropriations issue. If my colleague feels strongly that NHTSA should be considering new regulations related to the potential benefits of these lights, they should work together through regular order, which would be through the appropriate authorizing committees. This amendment, as written, would not just address the pulsing light issue. It would impact the NHTSA's ability to conduct compliance investigations involving all high-mounted stop lamps and prevent them from gathering information related to compliance test failures. In 2021, there were over 1.7 million rear-end crashes involving light vehicles, which resulted in almost 3,000 deaths and over 475,000 injuries. This amendment adds an unreasonable restriction on NHTSA's ability to conduct research and improve public safety on the Nation's roads.…”