Safety Bill

House panel begins work on auto safety bill

Congress took the first steps Thursday toward a wide-ranging auto safety bill that would require devices like black boxes and brake override systems, and strengthen federal regulators’ enforcement powers.

A subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce opened hearings on proposed legislation sponsored by the group’s chairman, Henry J. Waxman, a Democrat of California.

John D. Rockefeller IV, a Democrat of West Virginia who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced a similar measure earlier this week.

Both bills come in the wake of recalls of more than nine million Toyota vehicles worldwide since fall that were the subject of Congressional hearings earlier this year.

The biggest recalls are for accelerator pedals that could stick or become entangled in floor mats.

The bills marked Congress' first serious look at auto safety in a decade, since lawmakers passed reforms in the wake of accidents involving Firestone tires on the Ford Explorer.

Under the House version, automobiles would be required to contain brake override systems that would stop vehicles even if the throttle was open.

The measure would require event data recorders, also called "black boxes," that would record information that takes place 60 seconds before a crash and 15 seconds after.

Neither device is now required, and many existing data recorders do not provide that much information.

The bill would also give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the right to order immediate recalls if it felt vehicles posed a threat to motorists’ safety.

"If enacted, these measures would significantly increase the agency's leverage in dealing with manufacturers," David L. Strickland, the administrator of N.H.T.S.A., said in prepared remarks.

Mr. Strickland said the proposed legislation would bring his agency's enforcement powers in line with those of other federal regulators.

In prepared testimony, David McCurdy, chief executive of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the industry group could support the override and black box standards, which have been sought for years by safety groups.

The bill also would remove a cap on the civil penalties that can be imposed in recalls. Last month, Toyota agreed to pay a $16.4 million fine imposed by the Transportation Department, the largest now allowed by law. The department said Toyota failed to disclose information related to a sticking pedal recall ordered in January.

Toyota did not admit fault in the situation, however, and the department said it was continuing to investigate the recalls.

(Published by The New York Times - May 6, 2010)