Daily Auto News Car Safety Bill Generates Disagreement
Daily Auto News
The government’s power to require recalls and the inclusion of “black boxes” to record data before and after crashes are at the crux of debate around a car safety bill being considered by Congress.
BusinessWeek writes, “U.S. auto regulators lack needed power to order immediate recalls under proposed Senate legislation, the federal car-safety chief said today.”
The Wall Street Journal adds, “The recall measure, part of a bill proposed earlier this month in the House, would empower the NHTSA chief to order a stop to all sales of a car that he or she concludes poses an ‘imminent hazard’ to the public, eliminating the current public-hearing process. Mr. Strickland, testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee, called for the provision to be included in a Senate version of the bill.”
David Strickland, the current head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said in written testimony submitted to the Senate Commerce Committee, “If the threat to human life is truly imminent, the agency needs to act quickly and not be slowed down by a lengthy procedural process,” adding that NHTSA would use the power “very judiciously…only in those situations where the hazard was truly imminent and the manufacturer unwilling to cooperate.”
The Detroit News says, “The U.S. House of Representatives has drafted a bill that would allow NHTSA to immediately recall vehicles, halt production or block imports if it concludes that those vehicles pose an imminent hazard. It also would increase the $16.4 million limit on recall fines.”
Not surprisingly, car makers are against the provision.
The Wall Street Journal writes, “Car companies have said the provision is too broad and would unduly eliminate their right to question government-imposed recalls. They said they fear the prospect of recalls being ordered due to politics and public pressure even when evidence of a car defect was insufficient.”
The increased congressional focus on car safety comes in the wake of the massive Toyota recalls due to reports of unintended acceleration in some Toyota vehicles.
A proposal to require “black boxes” to record data before and after crashes in new cars is also generating some controversy. While car makers and safety experts agree that the devices should be included in new cars, they disagree on how durable the devices need to be and how much data they should record.
The Washington Post writes, “One proposal, by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and backed by safety advocates, would require that the devices be strong enough to withstand high-speed rollover crashes, as well as immersion in fire or water. It also calls for the black boxes to collect 60 seconds of data before a crash and 15 seconds after a crash.”
However, “auto company representatives say such rules, particularly those that require them to withstand fiery high speed crashes, could be unreasonably expensive. Gloria Bergquist, vice president of the Auto Alliance, an industry group, noted that black boxes for airplanes can cost between $5,000 and $25,000.”
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