Reprinted from The Safety Record, V3 Issue 3, May/June 2006

Washington, D.C. - A U.S. District Court judge has kicked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration final rule on the confidentiality of records submitted under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act back to the agency. On March 31, Judge Robert Leon found that NHTSA "pulled a switcheroo" when it published its Business Information Confidentiality rule regarding the confidentiality of defect-related information in the early warning database established under TREAD nearly three years ago, and did not allow adequate opportunity for public comment.

A Florida judge has granted the advocacy group Public Citizen a hearing next month to determine if the court should again make public "critically important auto safety documents" on roof strength that helped the plaintiffs win a $10.2 million verdict in Duncan v. Ford.