Bill Would Require Unintended Acceleration Standard
To be debated in a May 6 hearing by the House Education Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 also would require all vehicles to have event data recorders that record crash data.
Members of a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee, the Education and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, will discuss a new bill to give NHTSA new powers and responsibilities at a May 6 hearing. The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 would require the enactment of a new safety standard on unintended acceleration, require all vehicles to have event data recorders that record crash data, increase civil penalties NHSTA could impose, and give the agency authority to order immediate recalls if it finds an "imminent hazard of death or serious injury."
The bill also would establish a new Center for Vehicle Electronics and Emerging Technologies at NHTSA. The committee's summary of the bill indicates the new unintended acceleration standard would specify that pedals cannot become trapped by floor mats and other obstruction, and it would encompass the performance of vehicle electronic systems.
Manufacturers would have to designate a senior executive in the United States to certify the accuracy of information they submit to NHTSA in response to investigations. A citizen whose petition requesting a defect investigation is rejected by NHTSA could challenge that decision in court. To fund this, a vehicle safety user fee paid by manufacturers would be created for each vehicle certified to meet the federal motor vehicle safety standards that is for sale in the United States.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CDT in Washington, D.C.