NCL, 55 Organizations Urge Lawmakers to Pass the Safety Is Not For Sale Act

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) and 55 of the nation’s most prominent automobile safety and consumer protection organizations sent a letter to leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of the Safety is Not For Sale Act. The legislation requires that optional automobile safety systems be made available as part of the base trim or be disclosed and offered for sale separately from non-safety-related equipment.

“Regrettably, many lifesaving safety features are solely available on luxury trims or sold as part of expensive add-on packages with non-safety-related features, such as sophisticated infotainment systems, advanced sound systems, and lavish seats,” the letter states. “As such, consumers may be forced to purchase expensive luxury features they do not want or need in order to equip their vehicle with the safety features of their choosing. These practices make vital safety technologies less affordable and accessible, as consumers frequently must pay thousands of dollars more for luxury trims and optional packages. The Safety is Not For Sale Act is vital to ensuring that consumers have more affordable access to lifesaving automobile safety features.”

In February, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade reported the Safety is Not For Sale Act to the Energy and Commerce Committee.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

Letter cosigners:

National Consumers League

Access Ready Inc.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

America Walks

Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota

Bike Cleveland

Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire

BikeLA

BikeWalkNC

BioInjury LLC

California Bicycle Coalition

Center for Auto Safety

Consumer Federation of America

Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Consumer Reports

Detroit Greenways Coalition

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

Earth Ethics, Inc.

Families for Safe Streets National

Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corp.

Impact Teen Drivers

Jacob Bikes

Just Strategy

Kids and Car Safety

League of American Bicyclists

Living Streets Alliance

Local Motion, Inc.

Marin County Bicycle Coalition

Move Redmond

Napa County Bicycle Coalition

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association

National Center for Health Research

National Coalition for Safer Roads

National Safety Council

New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition

Oregon Consumer Justice

Oregon Consumer League

Parents for Window Blind Safety

Pennsylvania Downtown Center

Ready Set Bike

Reese’s Purpose

Ride Illinois

Safe Infant Sleep

Safe Kids Worldwide

Safety Research & Strategies

Science Corps

Spark Access

Stopdistractions.org

The Wisconsin Bike Fed

ThinkFirst Foundation

Truck Safety Coalition

US Swim School Association

Vision 20/20 Project

Vision Zero Network

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org. 

NCL Applauds Subcommittee Passage of Safety is Not For Sale, PART Act

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

Washington, DC – The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade on Tuesday reported 12 bills to full committee that seek to improve roadway safety, strengthen American automobile manufacturing, and protect vehicle owners from unfair business practices. The National Consumers League (NCL) submitted a letter for the record, urging Congress to enact critical reforms to save lives, reduce injuries, support innovation, and spur economic growth.

“The death and destruction on our nation’s roads does not have to be the price we pay for commuting to work, dropping the kids off at school, or picking up groceries,” the letter states. “We applaud you for seeking to reduce the unacceptable loss of life, physical injuries, and economic costs attributable to motor vehicle crashes.”

“NCL strongly supports the Safety is Not for Sale Act, as such legislation is vital to ensuring consumers have more affordable access to life-saving automobile safety features,” the letter continues. “NCL found that some advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) are sold as luxury items that must be purchased for an extra fee or as part of expensive add-on packages. These additional costs may put these life-saving technologies out of reach for many Americans.”

NCL also expressed support for the PART Act, which requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate that catalytic converters be affixed with antitheft markings, establishes a grant program to facilitate the marking of catalytic converters currently deployed in interstate commerce, and increases criminal penalties for catalytic converter theft.

“We are encouraged that the Committee is taking action to prevent catalytic converter theft, which has become a major consumer and environmental protection issue,” the letter states.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

This month, NCL released a report on vehicle affordability, finding that federal safety and fuel economy standards save consumers thousands while having a marginal effect on affordability. The full report is available here: Sticker Shock: Uncovering the Real Drivers of Rising Vehicle Prices.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.   

NCL Calls on Lawmakers to Establish a Framework for the Safe, Responsible Deployment of AVs

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) today sent a letter to members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee calling for lawmakers to establish a framework for the safe and responsible deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs), which are vehicles that can perform the entire driving task without human intervention.  The letter comes in advance of the Committee’s hearing titled “Hit the Road, Mac: The Future of Self-Driving Cars.”   

“NCL believes in the promise of AV technology,” the letter states.  “We also recognize that technology is only as reliable as its human developers.  Without appropriate safeguards in place, the race to develop AVs may become a race to the bottom, where deploying quickly supersedes deploying safely and responsibly.  Troubling safety incidents, regulatory black holes, and lax oversight threaten to disrupt this critical balance and the future of this technology itself.” 

In the letter, NCL encourages lawmakers to establish a framework that ensures AVs meet the need for motor vehicle safety and comply with applicable safety standards, protect Americans’ right to seek justice in the courts, preserve the appropriate role of state and local governments, and address potential workforce impacts. 

Yesterday, NCL released a report on vehicle affordability, finding that federal safety and fuel economy standards save consumers thousands while having a marginal effect on affordability. The full report is available here: Sticker Shock: Uncovering the Real Drivers of Rising Vehicle Prices. 

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.  

Strong Vehicle Safety and Fuel Standards Save Families Thousands Without Harming Affordability, Finds the National Consumers League

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

Washington, DC — A new analysis from the National Consumers League (NCL) finds that federal vehicle safety and fuel economy standards account for only a small share of vehicle prices while delivering thousands of dollars in savings per vehicle and trillions of dollars in societal benefits. The full report is available here: Sticker Shock: Uncovering the Real Drivers of Rising Vehicle Prices. 

 “Families don’t have to choose between safety, fuel efficiency, and vehicle affordability, and the data proves it,” said Daniel Greene, Senior Director of Consumer Protection and Product Safety at NCL.“Federal safety and fuel economy standards save households thousands of dollars over the life of their vehicle while having a marginal effect on vehicle prices. Our findings reveal the true culprit of sticker shock: production of more luxurious models, more expensive vehicle mix, and showroom markups.” 

“While automakers discontinue their smaller, cheaper, more efficient vehicles, dealers charge higher and higher fees and inflation across the entire economy gets worse – but somehow we’re supposed to buy the industry’s arguments that safety and fuel economy standards are responsible for the high cost of cars,” said Senator Markey (D- Mass). “The National Consumer League’s report shows us definitively that fuel economy and safety standards save lives, clean our air, and make travel more affordable, while carmakers drive up costs on their own.”

“Americans deserve cars that are safe and affordable. The latest report from the National Consumers League shows that safety technology represents just a small fraction of what consumers pay for a car. We don’t need to trade away safety to talk about price. Instead, we should be looking at corporate pricing practices and gouging across the supply chain for why car prices have gone up, while continuing to promote safety standards that protect families and prevent tragedies,” said Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) 

Since 2002, average expenditures per new vehicle have increased $23,349.83. Improvements in fuel economy and safety standards account for only a modest share of this increase, as follows:    

  • Safety standards (2002-2019):$628.98, or 2.7 percent.  
  • Equipment upgrades: $3,040.20, or 13 percent. Equipment upgrades include fuel economy improvements, safety standards requiring compliance between 2020 and 2025, and improvements in durability, performance, horsepower, comfort, and convenience. 
  • Trimflation: $5,863.32, or 25.1 percent. Trimflation is the sale of more profitable, high-quality models. 
  • Vehicle mix: $3,998.54, or 17.1 percent, of the increase. Vehicle mix is the sale of more profitable light trucks than cars. 
  • Dealer markups and margins: $1,810.78, or 7.8 percent. 
  • Automaker margins and production costs: $8,008.03, or 34.3 percent.  

Vehicle affordability has stayed strong over time. Adjusting for inflation, the average price of new cars has actually fallen since 2002, while the real price of light trucks has risen modestly. Household spending on new and used vehicles has grown more slowly than on essential household costs such as housing, healthcare, education, and groceries, easing pressure on budgets.  

 “The relatively modest rise in household spending on new and used vehicles is actually easing household budgetary pressures, which are mounting due to skyrocketing healthcare, education, housing, and grocery costs,” Greene said. “Weakening safety and fuel economy standards would actually exacerbate the affordability crisis, leading to more unnecessary deaths, injuries, illnesses, property damage, and gasoline consumption. Families can ill afford the associated loss of wages and increase in healthcare, repair, and fuel costs.”  

Today’s vehicles are safer and more fuel-efficient than ever. The real–world fuel economy has risen by more than 60% for cars and nearly 50% for light trucks since 2002, saving owners of 2024 vehicles roughly $9,000–$10,000 in fuel costs over their lifetimes. Federal safety standards from 1968 to 2019 have generated an estimated $12.8 trillion in benefits, including $5,164.51 per household in 2025 alone.  

 The full report is available here.  

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.   

NCL Decries Trump Administration’s Proposed Rule to Weaken Fuel Economy Standards

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

Washington, DC – The Trump administration today released a proposed rule to weaken fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the proposed standards would achieve a fleet average fuel economy of 34.5 miles per gallon by model year 2031, a dramatic decrease from the 50.4 miles per gallon that the Biden era standards were projected to achieve. 

“The Trump administration’s proposed rule ignores a simple truth: costs are low when fuel economy standards are high,” said Daniel Greene, Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety.  “Slamming the brakes on robust fuel economy standards will inflict more pain at the pump, hamper American competitiveness, exacerbate the climate crisis, and harm public health.  The National Consumers League urges the administration to reverse course and help address the affordability crisis through meaningful increases in fuel economy standards.” 

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.   

An Important Day for Safer Cars and Products

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL CEO

From left to right: Torine Creppy, Safe Kids Worldwide President; Janette Fennel, Kids and Car Safety President; Sally Greenberg; Brett Horn, Charlie’s House Founder

On a recent Sunday in October, I flew to Kansas City to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Kids and Car Safety. The organization was formed by my friend and colleague, Janette Fennell, who dedicated her life’s work to preventing injury to children after she and her husband were kidnapped in their car. More on this story later, but it has a happy ending.

As a general matter, it’s often hard to celebrate advances in product and auto safety because they happen in the aftermath of injuries to children and adults from poorly designed products. 

Indeed, I began working with Janette in 2002 to address the danger of drivers backing over children, typically toddlers, who are too small to be seen behind cars with no camera, which cars didn’t have in 2002.  The first time I met Janette, she was hosting a press conference in suburban Washington, D.C. She had a speaker at the microphone who described the agony of backing over his grandchild. Hard to believe I hadn’t thought about this obvious hazard to children before. 

Back to Janette’s history. In 1996, she and her husband Greig were forced into their trunk one evening when returning from a party in San Francisco, their 9-month-old strapped in his car seat in the backseat.  The kidnappers thankfully kept the baby in his seat and placed him on the front lawn. He was unharmed. The robbers drove the couple to a remote location, demanded their ATM cards and PINS and cleaned out their accounts. She and Greig found a cable inside their Lexus that allowed them to pop open the trunk. 

Janette swore that if she got out alive, and thankfully she did, she would dedicate the remainder of her life to saving kids in and around cars.  

After this harrowing press event, I drove back downtown and on the way, decided Consumers Union, where I worked as product safety counsel at the time, should work with Kids and Cars to get a safety standard enabling drivers to see behind them as they backed up their vehicles. 

As of Model Year 2018, after a decade and a half of passing a law, then bringing a lawsuit against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to get it implemented, (this included many families who had lost children coming to Washington and a concerted consumer advocacy campaign), every passenger motor vehicle is required to have a backup camera. 

Back to my story about sadness and product safety. While in Kansas City, I met up with child safety advocate, Brett Horn and toured Charlie’s House, the model home he built as a tribute to his 2 ½ year old son, who was crushed 20 years ago under a chest of drawers that toppled over on him. Over 400 kids have died in furniture tip overs. Thanks to Brett and other safety advocates the STURDY Act passed in 2022, requiring the Consumer Product Safety Commission to set mandatory safety standards for all dressers and similar products made or sold in the U.S.  

Every room in Charlie’s House – which is used to train parents and community members – has examples of hazards to children, such as lighters shaped as toys, colorful laundry pods, power tools, handguns with locks, refrigerators that lock shut,  and small batteries that can be swallowed and children can die from. Believe me, there are things you’ve never thought of that kids get into. We all need to be educated about those hazards and ensure every home is made as safe as possible for kids. 

 While at Charlie’s House, the CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, Torine Creppy, arrived to tour the house and afterward we all headed out to Olathe, Kansas, for the Kids and Cars 30th Anniversary Celebration. As we enjoyed Kansas barbecue, Janette told her compelling story once again. To me the most rewarding part of the event was hearing these encouraging statistics: 

  • The number of children strangled by power windows has drastically decreased thanks to safer switches. Kids and Car Safety (KACS) is responsible for the passage of a law that mandated a regulation on all new vehicles manufactured on or after October 1, 2010, to have the safer ‘pull up to close/push down car window switches.  

In addition, many people are surprised to learn that hundreds of cars are stolen with children in the back seat every year. Cars are stolen from gas stations, convenience store parking lots, and even home driveways. Kids and Cars keep the data as no other group does, the first step to attacking the problem.  

Though the most well-known and beloved technology in cars today are those backup cameras – not only because they provide a critical measure of safety, but they also give drivers a vast view of what is behind them as they backup into parking spots, garages, parking ramps and around dangerous corners. If I had a dollar for every person who tells me how much they love their car cameras, I’d be rich!   

Don’t ever forget, the auto industry did not want to implement these safety changes, nor did the NHTSA, and both fought against them. But the advocates prevailed. And as with so many safety technologies, they provide a myriad of additional benefits. 

My day in Kansas City reminded me once again why I do this work. Saving lives of children first, and protecting the rest of us, will never get old. My hat is off to Brett Horn and Janette Fennell and Kids and Cars – who have set a high bar, refused to cave to industry or government resistance, and told their stories over and over again and invited others to tell theirs. Hats off to them and others who have dedicated their lives to making our lives safer and more rewarding.   

NHTSA Delays Updates to the Five-Star Safety Rating Program

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829  

Washington, DC— The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) postponed the effective date of updates to the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which is a Five-Star Safety Rating Program that provides consumers with important information to compare the safety of different vehicles.  

“Safety delayed is safety denied,” said Daniel Greene, the Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety.  “NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program should be a valuable tool of illumination, providing consumers with vital information necessary to compare the safety of different vehicles.  Regrettably, the five-star safety rating has become a mere participation trophy, with nearly all manufacturers earning four or five stars.  NHTSA must abide by the law and consumer consensus and update NCAP.” 

As required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NHTSA updated NCAP in 2024 to establish pedestrian crashworthiness ratings, update automatic emergency brake ratings, and create ratings for blind spot warning, blind spot intervention, lane keeping assist, and pedestrian automatic emergency braking.  In response to a request from the automobile manufacturers’ trade association, NHTSA has postponed the effective date of these updates for one model year. 

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.   

With 44,000 dead every year, now is not the time to defund traffic safety

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) and 17 other safety organizations today sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling on Congress to provide the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with the resources necessary to reduce the unacceptably high number of deaths and injuries caused by traffic crashes.    

“NHTSA is our nation’s principal automobile safety regulator, charged with reducing deaths and injuries associated with traffic crashes,” says NCL Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety, Daniel Greene.  “With NHTSA on the beat, traffic safety is a priority, not an afterthought. We urge the committee to reject significant cuts to NHTSA proposed in the FY 2026 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill.” 

A copy of the letter can be found HERE 

Letter cosigners: 

National Consumers League 

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety 

Center for Auto Safety 

Consumer Federation of America 

Consumer Reports 

Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety 

Families for Safe Streets 

Impact Teen Drivers 

Kids and Car Safety 

League of American Bicyclists 

National Coalition for Safer Roads 

National Safety Council 

Safe Kids Worldwide 

Safety Research & Strategies 

Stopdistrations.org 

The Dawn Project 

Truck Safety Coalition 

Vision Zero Network 

Whirlwind Wheelchair International 

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.  

NCL, 17 safety organizations, call on Congress to provide robust resources to NHTSA  

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829  

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) and 17 other safety organizations today sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling on Congress to provide the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with the resources necessary to reduce the unacceptably high number of deaths and injuries caused by traffic crashes.   

“Traffic crashes do not have to be the price we pay for commuting to work, dropping the kids off at school, or picking up groceries,” says NCL Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety, Daniel Greene.  “By providing NHTSA with sufficient resources to support revolutionary safety technologies, educate the motoring public, and improve the design, construction, and performance of motor vehicles, we can dramatically improve roadway safety.”     

Today, the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee is marking up the FY 2026 THUD bill.  On Thursday, the Appropriations Committee is marking up the FY 2026 THUD bill.  

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.  

Letter cosigners:  

National Consumers League  

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety  

Center for Auto Safety  

Consumer Federation of America  

Consumer Reports  

Families for Safe Streets  

Impact Teen Drivers  

Kids and Car Safety  

League of American Bicyclists  

National Coalition for Safety Roads  

National Safety Council  

PeopleForBikes  

Safe Kids Worldwide  

Safety Research & Strategies  

The Dawn Project  

Truck Safety Coalition  

Vision Zero Network  

Whirlwind Wheelchair International  

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)       

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org. 

NCL sounds the alarm on bigger freight trucks: “a dangerous gamble for public safety and our roads”

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829    

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is strongly opposing federal proposals to allow significantly longer and heavier freight trucks on U.S. highways, calling the move a significant threat to public safety, infrastructure, and taxpayers.  

In an opinion piece published today in The Hill, NCL’s Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety, Daniel Greene, joined David Williams, the President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, to warn lawmakers and the public about the dangers of weakening truck size and weight limits.  

“Increasing size and weight limits would exacerbate the nation’s traffic safety crisis,” write Greene and Williams. “The heavier the truck, the greater the crash forces, increasing the lethality accidents.”  

Data cited in the article show that trucks weighing 91,000 pounds or more are up to 400 percent more likely to be involved in major crashes and cause significantly more damage to roads and bridges. Replacing weakened infrastructure to accommodate these trucks could cost taxpayers $80 billion, according to a 2023 analysis.  

“Politicians and advocacy groups across the political spectrum may not always agree on the best way to fix America’s roads, but they should agree that introducing larger and heavier vehicles is a recipe for disaster,” Greene and Williams continued. “ Lawmakers should swerve away from these policy potholes and commit to real bipartisan protections.”  

 NCL is calling on Congress to uphold current truck size and weight limits and reject efforts to allow heavier trucks or longer multi-trailer rigs on U.S. highways. 

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)       

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.