The US Government's head of car safety has told a Senate panel that his top priority is reducing deaths and injuries in rollovers and in crashes between smaller cars and larger sport utility vehicles and pickups. From Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington
Jeffrey Runge said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering stronger safety requirements in four areas: tougher door locks that are less prone to popping open, sturdier roofs, side air-bags which help to keep people from being flung out of vehicles, and chimes or other systems to remind occupants to buckle up.
Although "light trucks" - SUVs, pickups and minivans - account for 36 per cent of registered vehicles in the US, they are involved in more than half of fatal two-vehicle crashes with cars in the country, and four of every five people killed in these crashes are in cars.
The mismatch between small and large passengers vehicles has always been a problem. But the increasing number of SUVs and pickups, which ride higher off the road, has added geometry to the challenges posed by differences in vehicle weight. SUVs can override car bumpers, door sills and other structures which protect people.
Although Runge praised industry efforts to voluntarily tackle SUV safety problems, the Bush appointee said he is prepared to use government mandates to get the job done. "Sometimes a regulation can level the playing field so manufacturers who are willing to invest more in safety are not put in a competitive disadvantage with manufacturers who are not willing to invest more," said Runge.
Some new standards, such as the door locks, are expected to be issued later this year. But there is no timetable for a side air-bag requirement, the most significant improvement.
While some senators decried regulation as a form of government "nannyism," other Commerce Committee members indicated that they would support higher standards for SUV safety. The panel's chairman, Senator John McCain, said he was sceptical of voluntary pledges by car-makers. "You have to judge their performance by history," McCain said.
"The auto industry has testified before this committee on numerous occasions that they couldn't afford seat belts, couldn't afford air bags. Where is their credibility in establishing voluntary standards?" Of the industry's new pledges to improve SUV safety, McCain said: "I don't think that's good enough."
Safety groups are asking US lawmakers to order NHTSA to require side air-bags in all vehicles. Now available as an option on many models in the US, side air-bags would not only help prevent SUV occupants from being ejected in rollovers, they would also reduce head and neck injuries for people in cars struck by the taller, heavier vehicles.
"A happy benefit can be gained by installing side curtain air bags," said Robert Lange, head of safety for General Motors. But Lange urged lawmakers to allow time for the industry to come up with its own plan. "We believe it's important to move forward," he said. - Washington Post