Baltimore Sun

Senate OKs new NHTSA leader

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DETROIT — The Senate on Thursday confirmed former California pollution regulator Steven Cliff to run the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra­tion.

President Joe Biden’s pick to run the agency was confirmed by consent without objections or a formal roll call vote.

Cliff takes over the road safety agency at a critical time, about a week after it estimated that nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years.

Risky driving behaviors during the pandemic, such as speeding and less frequent use of seat belts, exacerbate­d the problem as people began to venture out more in 2021 for out-of-state and other road trips, analysts said.

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