President Barack Obama nominated Charles Hurley, the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the White House reported on its web site.


Hurley joined MADD in 2005, and has been involved with the organization since its inception, MADD says on its site.

Prior to 2005 Hurley was vice president of the Transportation Safety Group for the National Safety Council and was the executive director of the Council's Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign. He also has worked at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and in 2004 received the J. Stannard Baker Award for Highway Safety from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Hurley graduated from Dickinson College with a degree in political science, served in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer, and has worked as a staffer on Capitol Hill. He must be confirmed by the Senate.

NHTSA is the Department of Transportation agency that regulates equipment safety standards for trucks and cars. Right now it is working on a rule to require shorter stopping distances for heavy-duty trucks. That rule was sent to the White House for review late last year but has been returned to the agency for further work. It is now due in September. NHTSA is also working with other government agencies on a conceptual approach to setting fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks.