Ray LaHood
“Safety is our No. 1 priority when it comes to planes, trains and automobiles,” said Dept. of Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, in his interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News 2/10/10. Secretary LaHood also said,
“I’ve been in this job a little over a year. On my watch, we have not been asleep at the switch when it comes to Toyota.
“There are three recalls going on right now, two of them as a result of our people either going to Japan or me on the telephone with the president of Toyota holding their feet to the fire on this.”
Stephanopoulos also rolled tape of Joan Claybrook, who served as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under President Carter, alleging that some of the problems at Toyota were known before 2007. While Secretary LaHood did not openly criticize the DoT under the Bush Administration, he made it clear that the DoT in the Obama Administration is focused on safety.
“We feel a strong obligation to the driving public … to make sure that every car is safe. … We are holding Toyota’s feet to the fire to make sure that every car is safe.”
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