Nominee pressed on vehicle safety: impaired‑driving rulemaking, autonomous vehicles and fuel‑economy standards

Committee members questioned Stephen Bradbury about vehicle safety priorities, including impaired‑driving enforcement technology, automated vehicle testing and the federal role in setting CAFE (fuel economy) standards.

Senator John Hickenlooper and others noted the high toll of impaired driving: "13,000 people died in alcohol impaired accidents last year," a statistic cited during questioning to underline urgency for an impairment standard. Bradbury told the committee that while NHTSA and others have promoted training for first responders and that technology solutions are being explored, the accuracy and reliability of impairment detection technologies must be assessed before imposing mandates; he said some technologies could be closer to market than others and pledged to follow the law directing rulemaking.

On automated vehicles and driver‑monitoring systems, senators pressed whether the department would mandate specific technologies (for example, radar, lidar or in‑vehicle monitoring). Bradbury said he favored a national framework for testing and certification but was "reluctant to mandate a menu of technologies and tell the industry how the vehicle needs to operate," arguing that incentives for private innovation combined with reliable, repeatable testing could secure safety gains while preserving affordability.

Senators also pressed Bradbury about the administration's review of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. Bradbury said the secretary directed NHTSA to review the standards and propose replacements, and he emphasized the constitutional role of Congress in making law while noting the department's duty to implement statute. Bradbury told senators he supports a consistent federal standard to give industry regulatory certainty.

Why it matters: Decisions about impaired‑driving rulemaking, mandated safety technology, and fuel‑economy standards affect vehicle design, consumer costs and roadway safety. Lawmakers and the nominee agreed on the priority of reducing roadway fatalities, but they differed on how prescriptive federal rules should be versus reliance on market incentives and testing frameworks.

What was not decided: The hearing yielded no final policy decisions. Senators asked for further written responses and for technical details from NHTSA and other agencies; Bradbury promised to work with the committee and to follow statutory requirements in rulemaking.