(Center for Study of Responsive Law)
November 30, 2025, marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of Ralph Nader's landmarkbook Unsafe at Any Speed. The book focused on the faulty rear suspension system of the GeneralMotors Corvair. More generally, Unsafe at Any Speed documented how Detroit habitually subordinated safety to style and marketing concerns. The main cause of automobile occupant injuries, Nader demonstrated, was not the “nut behind the wheel” so often blamed by the auto industry, but the inherent engineering and design deficiencies of motor vehicles that were woefully unsafe, especially in terms of “crashworthiness”-no seat belts, etc.
The publication of Unsafe at Any Speed led to GM's contemptible investigation by privatedetectives and attempts to smear Nader, GM's subsequent public apology at a Senate hearing,and ultimately the 1966 auto and highway safety laws that have saved countless lives andprofoundly accelerated the pace of auto safety innovation.
This episode catapulted auto safety into the public spotlight, leading to a series of landmark lawsthat have prevented millions of motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries. In particular, thepublication of Unsafe at Any Speed put forces in motion that brought about the passage of thelaw that created the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to assertfederal leadership in auto and highway safety. The agency was empowered to set minimum,uniform safety performance and eventually fuel efficiency standards for all motor vehicles, and to require automakers to notify owners and recall cars containing safety-related defects.
In November of 1966, Ralph Nader's lawyer, Stuart Speiser, filed suit against GM for its harassment, invasion of privacy, attempted intimidation, and other nefarious actions. In 1970, GM settled with Nader, agreeing to pay him $425,000, which he used to found several public interest organizations. Newsweek remarked that this settlement will in effect serve as “General Motors' contribution to the consumer movement. They are going to be financing their own ombudsman.”
This prediction turned out to be true; Nader went on to found a wide variety of organizations, allaimed at advancing corporate and government accountability.
In 2006 he was cited by The Atlantic as one of the one hundred most influential
figures in American history, TIME Magazine has called him the “U.S.'s toughest customer,” theNew York Times has said of him that “[w]hat sets Nader apart is that he has moved beyond socialcriticism to effective political action,” and in 1974, a survey conducted by U.S. News and WorldReport rated him as the fourth most influential person in the United States.
For additional information, visithttps://nader.org/books/unsafe-at-any-speed/
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SOURCE Center for Study of Responsive Law
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