Pryor urges extension of roof-crush ruling
Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2008
WASHINGTON D. C. - U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., on June 19 called on U. S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters to extend the current deadline for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's proposed rule on vehicle roof strength.
The chairman of the Subcommittee on Automobile Safety, Consumer Affairs and Insurance, Pryor held an oversight hearing on June 4, reviewing NHTSA's progress on the rulemaking and hearing public comments on the proposed rule, FMVSS 216.
Thousands of Americans are killed and injured each year in motor-vehicle accidents, including more than 10, 000 killed each year in rollover crashes, Pryor said. Roof safety standards are designed to protect passengers in such accidents but they haven't been revised in more than three decades, he said.
NHTSA's deadline for issuing a new final rule is July 1, with an extension if necessary.
"A smart standard could make the difference between life or death for thousands. NHTSA should take all needed time to get this rulemaking right. Most importantly, the NHTSA should remove preemption provisions to ensure that vehicle manufacturers do not receive total immunity from claims brought by vehicle purchasers and users," Pryor said in a June 19 news release.
Pryor and others senators made the request in a letter to Peters.
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