FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 14, 2008
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Senator Hutchison Applauds Passage of Child Automotive Safety Bill
Senate Passes Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Texas’ senior senator, today announced Senate passage of legislation that she cosponsored, which would increase automotive safety standards and help prevent the thousands of child injuries or deaths that occur in and around motor vehicles every year.
“As a mother, my heart goes out to the families who have suffered from the unimaginable tragedy of losing a child,” said Sen. Hutchison. “It is very important that we do everything we can to keep our children out of harm’s way. With passage of the Kids and Cars Safety Act, we have taken an important step toward increasing automotive safety and preventing these terrible accidents.”
In 2005, 222 children across the United States were lost to preventable, auto-related deaths, such as being backed over due to limited rear visibility or being strangled by power windows. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that an average of 9,100 children per year are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries sustained in or around cars.
The Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007 (H.R.1216), directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations for all passenger vehicles to address these dangers. Regulations include: automatic reversal of direction by power windows and panels when they detect an obstruction; a rearward visibility performance standard to prevent backing incidents; and automatic transmissions to be equipped with an anti-rollaway system that requires the service brake to be depressed before the transmission can be shifted out of park.
With Senate passage of the legislation, the measure will now be sent to President Bush for his signature.
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