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Charges that the government agency responsible for auto and highway safety was slow to investigate a fire linked to the hybrid Chevrolet Volt are no surprise to personal injury attorney Frank Branson, who's all too familiar with the agency's failings. News reports indicate the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration knew of a fire involving the electric car's battery pack as early as this past spring, but failed to report the incident until November. NHTSA then performed additional tests on Volt battery packs, one of which smoked and sparked, while another caught fire a week later. "The problem with NHTSA is that no one wants to rock the boat," Branson says. "And the auto industry doesn't want to update safety standards, many of which were written in the 1970s or before." Branson says NHTSA has let the auto manufacturers have their way for too long, and that it's time consumer advocates participated in NHTSA's leadership, rather than leaving it to those with ties to the auto industry. For more information, contact Mark Annick at 800-559-4534 or mark@androvett.com.