The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is moving to postpone updates to its New Car Assessment Program, a cornerstone of vehicle safety ratings that many consumers rely on when buying a car. Critics say the agency’s latest proposal highlights a broader trend of missed deadlines and sluggish rulemaking across the department, raising concerns about whether safety standards can keep pace with rapid advances in automotive technology. Industry groups and consumer advocates warn that delayed testing and reporting could leave drivers without timely information about crash performance, fuel efficiency and emerging safety features. The NHTSA says the postponement is intended to allow more thorough data analysis, but stakeholders argue that the agency’s chronic tardiness undermines public confidence in the program’s relevance and effectiveness.
NHTSA is proposing delays to the already laggard New Car Assessment Program, part of a larger pattern of tardiness by the agency.
