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Center for Auto Safety Statement: Motor Vehicle Safety Title in House Infrastructure Bill Mandates Vehicle Safety
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
For Immediate Release
June 23, 2020
Contact: Jason Levine, [email protected] or 202-328-7700
Motor Vehicle Safety Title in House Infrastructure Bill Mandates Vehicle Safety
The Center for Auto Safety Welcomes Requiring Advanced Vehicle Safety On All New Vehicles
Making available safety technology standard equipment in all vehicles has been the work of the Center for Auto Safety for 50 years. The Motor Vehicle Safety Title included in H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, if enacted, will be a giant leap on the road to making advanced vehicle safety standard for all Americans.
Existing advances in vehicle safety technology can significantly reduce the tragedies that wreck thousands of families every single day. Right now, many of these advances are available only in the latest luxury vehicles. By requiring the auto industry to share the wealth when it comes to safety technology, the Motor Vehicle Safety Title will greatly reduce thousands of preventable deaths and injuries every year. Moreover, it will force the Department of Transportation to back up its rhetoric with action when it claims that safety comes first.
Not only will every new vehicle include features like advanced driver assistance systems, these systems will have to meet stringent performance standards, ensuring that the technology will be capable of reducing crashes, injuries, and deaths. The Safety Title will also make standard technology in every new car which will:
- Help prevent children from dying of heat asphyxia in the back of cars;
- Minimize the chance of older adults dying in their homes from the silent killer of carbon monoxide unknowingly spewing from their keyless vehicle;
- Ensure that limousines must meet the basic safety requirements of other passenger vehicles; and
- Reduce the scourge of drunk driving which kills thousands every year.
By renewing the 5-Star Crash Rating program, Americans will be empowered to make decisive safety choices based on useful, comparative data, instead of having to rely on the outdated participation trophy NHTSA has allowed the program to become. Simply by providing consumer information, and incentivizing the market, this program will lead to cars which will reduce deaths from seatback failures, distracted driving, and finally overcome the auto industry’s refusal to protect all ages, genders, and body-types in car crashes.
The current administration’s record when it comes to mandating improved safety in new vehicles has been a perfect zero. The Motor Vehicle Safety Title presents a chance for a big win for consumer safety.
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The Center for Auto Safety was founded in 1970 and has always been based in Washington, DC. We are a member supported, independent, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy for all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Over the last 50 years, the Center has successfully led the fight for lemon laws in every state, airbags in every vehicle, and recall repairs being made at no cost to the consumer. The Center publishes TheCarBook.com, which has for the last 40 years been America’s most comprehensive car buying guide and now offers, exclusively for members, the monthly Safety TuneUp Report for regular alerts on safety issues relating to their cars. To learn more about the Center, please visit www.AutoSafety.org.