Obama nominates transportation safety board member to take over troubled auto safety agency

President Obama is nominating National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind to run the troubled National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA has been without a formal chief since David Strickland left the agency last December.

If confirmed by the Senate, Rosekind would take over an agency under fire for being too slow to react to exploding air bags and widespread safety problems at General Motors.

He has been an NTSB member since June of 2010. He has helped investigate seven transportation accidents and has worked on several safety studies. He's also well-known as an expert in human fatigue.

Deputy Administrator David Friedman has been running the agency since Strickland's departure.