Senate confirms Steven Cliff to lead highway safety agency

DETROIT (AP) — The Senate has 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 Thursday by consent without objections or a formal roll call vote. Cliff takes over the road safety agency at a critical time, a week after it estimated that nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years. He told the Senate Commerce Committee in December that he would work to adopt regulations such as those urging seat belt use, and would implement mandates under the new infrastructure law to reduce drunken driving.