U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation

For Immediate Release
April 9th, 2008

SENATOR STEVENS HONORED FOR HIS WORK ON SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVING KIDS AND MOTOR VEHICLES
Receives Kids and Cars Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today received an award from Kids and Cars, an organization dedicated to assuring no child is injured in non-traffic, motor vehicle related accidents. Senator Stevens was presented the award to honor his work on the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act (Public Law Number: 110-189), which was signed into law this year by President George W. Bush.

“Too often, children are killed or injured, not on our nation’s highways, but by cars in their own driveways or in parking lots,” said Senator Stevens. “I was proud to co-sponsor and support this bipartisan bill and my thanks goes out to all of the families who have lost loved ones, their efforts truly made a difference here in Congress.”

There are three main components of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act:

Power Windows – Requires a rulemaking process within 18 months of enactment to consider prescribing power window auto-reverse safety standards in an effort to reduce death and injuries caused by entrapment. If the Secretary of Transportation determines “such safety standards are reasonable, practicable and appropriate,” then she would have to prescribe such safety standards within 30 months of enactment.

Rearward Visibility/Backovers -- Requires the Secretary to begin a rulemaking within 12 months of enactment in order to amend current standards governing a driver’s field of view, so that drivers would be able to detect areas behind their vehicle in an effort to reduce death and injury due to backovers. Within 36 months of enactment, the Secretary would have to issue final standards.

Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) -- Requires that all cars manufactured for sale in the United States (as of September 1, 2010) be equipped with brake transmission safety interlocks that work in every key position. A BTSI mechanism prevents a car from being shifted out of “park” unless one’s foot is on the brake.

Non-traffic, non-crash motor vehicle-related accidents include children being backed over by vehicles, being strangled by power windows, and setting cars in motion when left unattended. In 2007, more than 230 children died in non-traffic vehicle accidents.

Cameron Gulbransen, for whom this bill is named, was two years old when in October of 2002 he was accidentally run over by an SUV being backed into the driveway of his family’s home.

###

Back to Story \| Print \| Close
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation


For Immediate Release April 9th, 2008

SENATOR STEVENS HONORED FOR HIS WORK ON SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVING KIDS AND MOTOR VEHICLES Receives Kids and Cars Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today received an award from Kids and Cars, an organization dedicated to assuring no child is injured in non-traffic, motor vehicle related accidents. Senator Stevens was presented the award to honor his work on the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act (Public Law Number: 110-189), which was signed into law this year by President George W. Bush. “Too often, children are killed or injured, not on our nation’s highways, but by cars in their own driveways or in parking lots,” said Senator Stevens. “I was proud to co-sponsor and support this bipartisan bill and my thanks goes out to all of the families who have lost loved ones, their efforts truly made a difference here in Congress.” There are three main components of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act: Power Windows – Requires a rulemaking process within 18 months of enactment to consider prescribing power window auto-reverse safety standards in an effort to reduce death and injuries caused by entrapment. If the Secretary of Transportation determines “such safety standards are reasonable, practicable and appropriate,” then she would have to prescribe such safety standards within 30 months of enactment. Rearward Visibility/Backovers -- Requires the Secretary to begin a rulemaking within 12 months of enactment in order to amend current standards governing a driver’s field of view, so that drivers would be able to detect areas behind their vehicle in an effort to reduce death and injury due to backovers. Within 36 months of enactment, the Secretary would have to issue final standards. Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) -- Requires that all cars manufactured for sale in the United States (as of September 1, 2010) be equipped with brake transmission safety interlocks that work in every key position. A BTSI mechanism prevents a car from being shifted out of “park” unless one’s foot is on the brake. Non-traffic, non-crash motor vehicle-related accidents include children being backed over by vehicles, being strangled by power windows, and setting cars in motion when left unattended. In 2007, more than 230 children died in non-traffic vehicle accidents. Cameron Gulbransen, for whom this bill is named, was two years old when in October of 2002 he was accidentally run over by an SUV being backed into the driveway of his family’s home. ###