Appointee Bart M. Schwartz will review company safety recall practices as part of the automaker’s settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in September.
by Staff
November 2, 2015
SCHWARTZ
2 min to read
SCHWARTZ
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has appointed a former New York City prosecutor to serve as federal monitor for General Motors – a role that will include reviewing company policies and practices for safety recalls.
Bart M. Schwartz, former chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, is the appointee. His monitoring role is part of GM’s $900 million settlement with the Justice Department over the automaker’s handling of defective ignition switches. The settlement agreement specifies that the monitor will oversee GM’s recall processes for three years.
Ad Loading...
Schwartz is currently chairman of Guidepost Solutions, a firm specializing in monitoring, compliance, international investigations and risk management. His time with the U.S. Attorney’s Office was in the 1980s, serving under Rudy Giuliani.
“We welcome Bart Schwartz and his insights, and we pledge our full cooperation and the same transparency and candor that has guided our response to the ignition switch recall,” said Craig B. Glidden, executive vice president and general counsel for General Motors.
GM expects Schwartz to maintain an office at the company and work closely with Jeffrey A. Taylor, who just joined GM as deputy general counsel for federal oversight.
In recent years, Schwartz has provided compliance-related consulting services to a number of companies involved in high-profile cases and investigations. Last year, for example, the U.S. Attorney’s Office approved Schwartz as a consultant to evaluate and report on the insider-trading compliance procedures of SAC Capital Advisors and its entity, Point 72 Asset Management.
Another noteworthy assignment for Schwartz was serving as receiver of the Madoff-related Merkin hedge funds. Duties included making investment decisions, managing litigation and investor relations.
Distracted driving remains one of the most persistent risks in fleet operations. New approaches focus on removing mobile device use entirely while adding real-time safety support.
As distraction risks evolve, fleets are turning to smarter, more connected technologies to better understand what’s happening behind the wheel. Part 2 explores how these tools are helping identify risky behaviors and improve visibility across operations.
Distracted driving is often measured by what we can see—phones in hand, eyes off the road. But what about the distractions we can’t? A recent incident raises a bigger question about awareness, attention, and why subtle risks so often go unnoticed.
Fleets have more driver data than ever, so why isn't behavior changing? Training requires more than reports and coaching — it requires real-world practice.
A two-part conversation with Stefan Heck on how AI is transforming the fight against distracted driving. As fleets adopt smarter tools, the focus shifts from reacting to preventing risk. In Part 1, we look at where AI is making an impact for fleets today.
An 11% drop in pedestrian fatalities in early 2025 signals progress in U.S. road safety, but elevated death rates and ongoing risks underscore the need for continued action from fleets and policymakers.
