• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You've Never Heard Of
  • Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3
  • Overlanding is the New Hotness
  • New Vehicle Sales Increase in September
  • Are EVs Affordable? Only if You’re a Luxury Buyer
  • Honda Takes Wraps Off New All-Electric Prologue
  • Mercedes to Offer True Self-Driving in Late 2023
  • Biden Meets UAW Picketers, Offers Support
  • Ford Halts $3.5B MI Battery Plant; Fain Slams Company
  • An Electric Acura NSX Could Be Coming
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2024 Buick Encore GX Sport Touring AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250+
    • A Week With: 2024 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus
    • A Week With: 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV
    • A Week With: The 2024 BMW i7 xDrive60
    • A Week With: 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota Camry XSE Hybrid
    • A Week With: 2024 Subaru Impreza RS
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss
    • First Drive: 2024 Polestar 2
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Safety > Top U.S. Auto Safety Chief Leaving After Three Months

        Top U.S. Auto Safety Chief Leaving After Three Months

        NHTSA Admin Cliff named head of California Air Resources Board.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Aug. 15, 2022

        Steven Cliff has resigned his post as the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and will now return to the West Coast as the new director of the influential California Air Resources Board.

        Just months after accepting the top job at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Steven Cliff resigned to lead the California Air Resources Board.

        Cliff spent barely three months on the job as the nation’s top automotive safety chief, leaving NHTSA again searching for a leader. The agency had gone five years without an administrator before his appointment was approved by the Senate earlier this year. NHTSA Chief Counsel Ann Carlson will take over Cliff’s duties for now, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

        In a statement, Buttigieg thanked Cliff for his service “and his work to protect the lives of the American people by strengthening the safety of motor vehicles and reducing their emissions.” 

        Rudderless

        NHTSA was left somewhat rudderless during the Trump administration, the agency’s top post one of many senior government management roles left open by the former president. But the lack of an administrator resulted in slowdowns at a time when NHTSA was facing a variety of significant issues, according to industry insiders and safety experts.

        There were, for example, a number of outstanding requests to address a variety of high-tech issues. These included requests to permit the use of advanced lighting systems, as well as sideview cameras, rather than conventional mirrors.

        Buttigieg talks cars
        Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg thanked Cliff for his efforts at the agency.

        Cliff joined NHTSA as deputy administrator in February 2021, his tenure marked by an increase in automotive safety recalls. Shortly after officially becoming administrator in early June he took on one of the most significant technology issues facing the industry: autonomous driving.

        Cracking down on autonomous driving

        Technology meant to keep occupants safe and ease the burden of driving was linked to a total of 392 crashes since July 2021, according to data in a study NHTSA released in June. The agency noted the data was almost certainly incomplete, however, as not all automakers were reporting such crashes.

        That led Cliff to issue a “standing general order” requiring automakers to provide NHTSA with data on all fatal or otherwise serious crashes involving the use of advanced driver assistance systems, otherwise known as ADAS. The order also covered semi- and fully autonomous systems, such as General Motors’ Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technologies.

        Those Tesla systems have been linked to a series of fatal crashes, as well as other serious accidents and currently are facing dozens of NHTSA probes.

        Tesla Autopilot view
        Cliff issued a standing order that all automakers must provide NHTSA with data on all fatal or serious crashes involving ADAS.

        “By providing NHTSA with critical and timely safety data this will help our investigators quickly identify potential defect trends,” Cliff told reporters in June.

        “Dangerous and irresponsible”

        Cliff said one of his priorities would be to move forward on the stalled process of setting guidelines for the development, testing and commercial release of autonomous driving systems.

        Whether Carlson stays on as Cliff’s formal replacement — which would require new Senate hearings — the next NHTSA administrator will face growing pressures to act on critical safety concerns.

        Last week, former presidential candidate and longtime auto safety advocate Ralph Nader weighed in on Tesla’s FSD system, calling its use “dangerous and irresponsible,” and urging NHTSA to ban its use.

        Making a return

        Cliff’s move marks something of a return. He previously worked as an air pollution specialist for the California Air Resources Board.

        In his new role as head of CARB, Cliff will continue to wield significant influence over the auto industry. The agency has the authority to set significantly tougher emissions standards than what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has enacted — a power backed by the courts despite a push by former President Trump’s to curb that authority.

        CARB now has begun implementing rules that will phase out the sale of new vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You’ve Never Heard Of

        Sept. 30, 2023

        Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3

        Sept. 29, 2023

        Overlanding is the New Hotness

        Sept. 29, 2023

        One response to “Top U.S. Auto Safety Chief Leaving After Three Months”

        1. Jim says:
          August 16, 2022 at 6:58 am

          A choice of being the top bureaucrat in CA or a peon bureaucrat in DC. Sure beats holding a real job.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: