About NHTSA

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Assistance Resources

 

NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights supports the agency’s safety mission in the enforcement and implementation of federal civil rights laws and regulations.

Through NHTSA’s internal equal employment opportunity and external equal opportunity programs, NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights ensures that recipients of federal financial assistance comply with federal laws that prohibit discrimination in employment and in the delivery of services or benefits based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion or disability. Additionally, the office ensures state motor vehicle departments comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, regardless of whether the entities receive federal funds.
 

Internal Program

NHTSA’s equal employment opportunity program, often referred to as EEO, mandates the workplace is free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, religion, disability or retaliation for engaging in protected EEO activity or for opposing discriminatory practices by NHTSA employees and applicants for employment; and provides a means of redress for employees, former employees, and applicants who raise allegations of discrimination through EEO counseling, alternative dispute resolution, and the EEO complaint process. 

NHTSA's Office of Civil Rights provides informal counseling during the EEO process to employees, former employees or applicants for employment who allege discrimination based on a protected status. 

  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e.
  • The Equal Pay Act of 1963.
  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA).
  • Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12111-12117.
  • 29 C.F.R. Part 1630 et seq.
  • Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794.
  • The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).
  • Notification and Federal Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act).
  • 29 C.F.R. Part 1614.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1991, Title I – Federal Civil Rights Remedies. 

Employment Complaints

NHTSA embraces equal employment opportunity and inclusiveness and strives to maintain a model federal work environment that is free of discrimination. No employee, former employee, or applicant for employment at NHTSA will be denied equal opportunity based on their race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, retaliation, or any other non-merit-based factor.

All NHTSA employees, former employees, and applicants for employment have the right to raise allegations of discrimination and harassment without fear of reprisal. When employees are found to have engaged in discrimination, retaliation, or harassment, regardless of whether the action violates federal law or agency policy, NHTSA will take swift and appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

Employees, former employees, and applicants for employment who believe they have been subjected to unlawful discrimination or retaliation for opposing discrimination at NHTSA, or hindered from participating in the employment discrimination complaint process, are encouraged to contact an EEO counselor, NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights, or USDOT’s Office of Civil Rights within 45 calendar days from the date of the alleged discrimination or retaliation or from the date on which they reasonably became aware of the discrimination or retaliation.

The EEO counselor has 30 days from the date of the aggrieved person's initial contact to attempt to resolve the matter. The EEO counselor will meet with the aggrieved person and the responsible management official(s) to seek resolution. In certain circumstances, the counseling period may be extended for an additional 60 days; however, the entire counseling session must not exceed 90 days. When aggrieved persons participate in alternative dispute resolution, the pre-complaint processing period will be 90 days.

If a formal complaint is filed and accepted, there will be a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation, and NHTSA will keep confidential, to the greatest extent possible, the facts of these investigations. All formal complaints are processed by USDOT’s Office of Civil Rights, which receives complaints of discrimination and determines whether the complaint will be accepted for investigation.

External Program

NHTSA’s equal opportunity program, often referred to as EO, mandates all state motor vehicle departments and all recipients of federal financial assistance from NHTSA comply with all federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender or disability in all services, programs, and activities provided to the public.

Title VI and Title IX

NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights ensures compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, such as NHTSA grantees, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The office also ensures compliance by NHTSA and NHTSA funding recipients with Executive Order 13166, which requires all federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide meaningful access for individuals with limited English proficiency.

Compliance Reviews

NHTSA is required by law to conduct periodic post-award civil rights compliance reviews of its grantees. Periodic post-award compliance reviews have many benefits. They provide an opportunity for NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights to provide in-depth technical assistance that will allow grantees to comply with civil rights laws; build a culture of accountability and community of practice; create opportunities for learning by both NHTSA and its funding recipients; and develop relationships between NHTSA and funding recipients.

Race, Color, National Origin

  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq. – Prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
    • 28 C.F.R. Part 42 – DOJ’s Coordination Regulations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, applicable to all Federal entities providing FFA.
    • 49 C.F.R. Part 21 – DOT’s Implementation Regulations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.
    • Executive Order 13985 – Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (1/25/21).
    • Executive Order 14031 – Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. 
    • Executive Order 14035 – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. 
       

Disability

  • Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C §§ 12131-12134 – Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all services, programs, and activities provided to the public by state and local governments.
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794 – Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.
    • 49 C.F.R. pt. 27 – DOT’s Implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Age

  • Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 6101 – Prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Sex

  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681.
  • Executive Order 13988 – Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation

Environmental Justice

  • Executive Order 12898 – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations.
  • Executive Order 14091 – Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.
  • DOT Order 5610.2 – “Department of Transportation (DOT) Order to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations."
  • Environmental Impact and Related Procedures, 23 C.F.R. Part 77.
     

Limited English Proficiency

  • Executive Order 13166 – Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency. 
  • DOT Policy Guidance Concerning Recipients' Responsibilities to Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons, Federal Register, vol. 70, no. 239 (December 14, 2005).
     

Filing a Compliant

How to File a Civil Rights Complaint with NHTSA

NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights has jurisdiction to investigate complaints of discrimination filed under:

  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

If you believe that you have been discriminated against, you may file a complaint with NHTSA’s Office of Civil Rights. Your complaint should include:

  • A written explanation of what happened.
  • Your contact information (e.g., email address).
  • The basis of the complaint (e.g., race, color, national origin, sex, disability).
  • The agency alleged to have discriminated.
  • The date(s) of the alleged discriminatory act and location.


Email your complaint to NHTSACivilRights@dot.gov

Or mail it to:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Office of Civil Rights
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
West Building, W43-403 (NCR-110)
Washington, DC 20590

If you have questions, call 202-366-0972 or email NHTSACivilRights@dot.gov.