Automakers want the delay or abandonment of some new regulations passed this year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which includes GM, Ford and Toyota, argues the regulations are too costly and require too short of a timeframe for compliance. The group is asking the NHTSA to reconsider their safety standards, and meeting with some success. In February the NHTSA asked Congress to allow them more time to finalize some of the new regulations.
One regulation standard at issue is the implementation of back-up cameras. By 2014 the NHTSA wants new cars to have both better visibility and cameras in the back of vehicles to help prevent fatalities to pedestrians. The NHTSA reported that children are especially vulnerable to back-up accidents, with one-third of child fatalities from back-up accidents occurring to children under age five. Approximately 300 children die each year from these kinds of accidents, and 18,000 are injured.
Another regulation generating discussion is a design to prevent drivers and passengers from being thrown from the car in a rollover. The NHTSA is now requiring automakers to help prevent roll-over deaths by forcing automakers to not allow any unbelted person in a car to move more than four inches out of a side window. Some automakers, such as Porsche, would have to completely redesign some of its vehicles or stop manufacturing certain models. However, the NHTSA believes the new regulation could save several hundred lives.
Defective Cars Not Up to Regulation Standards
Ray LaHood, the head of the Department of Transportation (DOT), released initial data in April indicating 2010 had the fewest traffic fatalities of any year ever recorded. However, 32,788 people still lost their lives in traffic accidents last year.
Higher safety standards can help to prevent some of these deaths. It has been a large focus of the NHTSA, who have issued several new standards and are making new recommendations for child booster seats.
In car accidents where the manufacturer had a defect or was not up to regulation standards, the car company may be liable for damages the defective product caused. If you have been in a car accident, contact a local personal injury attorney to discuss your case.
