one thing our government is supposed to do is keep us safe. countless government agencies full of countless bureaucrats busy enforcing countless rules, countless regulation while spending countless billions of dollars. how did the geniuses at the national highway traffic safety administration, that would be nhtsa for short, not notice that toyota was making cars with accelerators that race wildly out of control? joe johns reports. >> reporter: toyota is on the hot seat this week in washington, but it's nhtsa, the national highway traffic safety administration, the feds who were supposed to be looking out for motorists taking a real beating here. accused of missing multiple warning signs and getting caught completely by surprise when the story blew up in their faces last year. john clay brook used to run nhtsa during the carter