WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Congress today passed the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 1216).  Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Commerce Committee, is a cosponsor of the Senate companion legislation (S.694) which was introduced by Senators John Sununu (R-N.H.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). This measure will address child safety issues involving motor vehicles, including back over incidents, injuries by power windows, and deaths when a vehicle inadvertently shifts out of gear and into motion.  The bill now goes to the President for his signature.

 

           

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

Power Windows – The bill calls for 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.  Within 48 months after that, the auto industry would have to be in full compliance.  If she believes no additional requirements are necessary, then she would have to let Congress know why standards were not prescribed, and provide information to the public as to which motor vehicles do and do not have auto-reverse windows.

 

Rearward Visibility/Backovers -- The legislation also 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.  The Secretary would be able to prescribe different requirements for different vehicles, and the standard could be met with additional mirrors, sensor devices, cameras, or other pertinent technology.  The Secretary could give phase-in priority to different types of vehicles based on the rate of back over incidents.  Full industry compliance would be required within 48 additional months.

 

Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) -- The act requires that all cars manufactured for sale in the United States (as of September 1, 2010) be equipped with BTSI that works in every key position.   A BTSI mechanism prevents a car from being shifted out of “park” unless one’s foot is on the brake.  Manufacturers are required to disclose which of their vehicles do not have BTSI in all positions to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and NHTSA is to publish that data on their website.

 

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.

 

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