Safety Advocate Clarence Ditlow Dies

Clarence Ditlow, the executive director of Center for Auto Safety, died late last week at  age 72 following a year-long bout with cancer.

Ditlow had headed the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group since 1976. The non-profit organization, which was founded in 1970 by Ralph Nader and the Consumers Union advocacy group, has long pressured carmakers and regulators to improve safety.

Ditlow is credited with helping to lead efforts that forced several high profile recalls, such as the Ford-Firestone tire fiasco of the 1990s, General Motors Co.’s recent defective ignition switches and the ongoing massive Takata airbag initiative.

The CAS also helped establish “lemon laws” to provide consumers recourse for faulty vehicles. Its Safe Climate Campaign promotes vehicle fuel efficiency.

Ditlow held a degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University and law degrees from Georgetown Law School and Harvard Law School. He authored several books, including The Lemon Book, and Sudden Acceleration and supervised production of the center’s annual The Car Book of safety ratings, fuel economy and other consumer topics.