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Summary

NHTSA did not effectively control the costs of the driving simulator, which grew to $80.8 million, more than twice the original estimate of $36.5 million. NHTSA also did not follow congressional directives for obtaining one-third of the simulator's cost from non-DOT sources and establishing the Federal Government's fee for using the simulator. We recommended that NHTSA: 1) obtain clarification from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations about the Government's fee for using the simulator; 2) include in its annual budget request the potential costs and benefits of simulator research, actual costs and benefits of the prior year’s research, and price structure for determining the simulator fee paid by DOT and non-DOT simulator customers; and 3) work with the university to ensure that the simulator’s quality assurance standards are certified or based on universally recognized international standards.