Former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrators, automobile industry executives, and a Detroit News reporter who covered the Congressional hearings on the Toyota recalls talked about federal oversight of car safety standards. They also responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Recent congressional hearings on Toyota Motor Company’s recalls have called into question the rigor of the government’s enforcement of these standards. 
NHTSA was created in 1966 to develop and enforce car safety standards with the goal of reducing deaths and injuries on America’s highways. During the February and March 2010 hearings, House and Senate Commerce Committee members questioned NHTSA enforcement efforts and the past hiring of former NHTSA officials by Toyota and other automakers. Clips from these hearings on February 23-24 and March 11, 2010 were shown.