From the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
President Trump recently nominated Apple executive Jonathan Morrison to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), bringing back to Washington, D.C., a leader with extensive experience in the automotive sector. Before joining Apple, Morrison served as chief counsel for NHTSA from 2017 to 2021 and had previously worked for the California New Car Dealers Association as director of legal and regulatory affairs.
As the head of NHTSA, Morrison will have a prominent voice in the intersection of motor vehicles and technology, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
In a statement, SEMA expressed the following:
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) looks forward to supporting Jonathan Morrison's nomination to serve as the next administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Jonathan was a proven leader as the agency's general counsel. He is highly qualified and an excellent choice to serve as NHTSA administrator. We look forward to working with Jonathan and will share with him the important perspective of the automotive aftermarket industry and that of the nation's community of automotive enthusiasts.
We are at a critical juncture for vehicle technology; the emergence of ADAS presents a transformative opportunity for our industry and vehicle safety. As Mr. Morrison looks to take the reins at NHTSA, we ask that he regard the automotive aftermarket as a resource for understanding how these systems interact with modified vehicles and ways to preserve automotive enthusiasts' ability to engage in legal racing and off-road use. The aftermarket, after all, gave birth to many of the safety features that are ubiquitous in today's vehicles; our unparalleled ability to innovate and meet the needs of our customers will offer highly valuable insights to Mr. Morrison and his team for the coming conversations about safety and technology.
For more information, contact Eric Snyder, SEMA's senior director for federal government affairs, at erics@sema.org.
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