Obama picks Senate aide to head NHTSA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama on Friday announced that he has nominated David L. Strickland to be the new administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Strickland has served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for eight years. As senior counsel of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee, Strickland is currently the lead staff person for NHTSA oversight. He is recognized as an expert in vehicle fuel economy, vehicle safety and driver behavior factors.

The nomination requires approval from the Senate.

The Criminal Justice and Highway Safety Coalition, a group of organizations that focus on drunken driving, quickly applauded the nomination.

Coalition spokesperson Stephen Talpins said that Strickland is known for his long history as a leader on highway safety issues, and he's written many of the nation's key laws on drunken driving and underage drinking.

"David has a tremendous understanding of the importance of combining law enforcement, technologies, treatment and behavioral strategies in order to tackle these critical issues,” Talpins said.

Obama had previously picked Chuck Hurley, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), to be administrator of NHTSA, but Hurley was withdrawn from consideration in May. Media reports indicated that environmental groups were concerned about his dedication to stricter fuel efficiency requirements and his ties to automakers (several have given funding to MADD).