Congress OKs bill to boost child car safety

updated 6:02 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2008

WASHINGTON - Congress on Thursday sent President Bush legislation to improve auto safety for children, including measures intended to reduce backovers and accidents involving power windows.

The bill, which passed the Senate on a voice vote Thursday, was approved by the House last December and now goes to Bush for his signature.

The legislation is a response to incidents of children being accidentally backed over by cars with large blind spots, strangled by power windows or struck by vehicles that roll out of the parked position.

Building upon a voluntary agreement reached by automakers, it requires new vehicles by 2010 to have brake interlock systems, which prevent a vehicle from shifting out of park unless the brake pedal is depressed.

To address backovers, future vehicles would likely offer additional mirrors, sensor devices or cameras to help reduce blind spots.

The bill also requires the government to study a power window auto-reverse safety standard to prevent children from getting caught in the windows and it creates a database of non-traffic deaths and injuries.

Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., noted that an estimated 230 children were killed last year in so-called "non-traffic" accidents and said he was hopeful the bill would "reduce this unnecessary loss of life."

"We have the technology to prevent these deaths, it just needs to be put to use," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

Safety advocates praised the measure.

"We love our kids and this is something that is going to protect them," said Janette Fennell, who founded Kids and Cars, a Kansas-based auto safety group which sought the measure.

The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., was named after Cameron Gulbransen, a 2-year-old New York boy who was killed when his father accidentally backed over him in his driveway.

Dave McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which supported the measure, said it would build upon the safety equipment being installed by automakers such as additional air bags and electronic stability control.

MORE FROM AUTOS

Autos Section Front

CEO lays out ambitious Chrysler road map Cars are approaching ‘auto’ pilot mode Review: Toyota Venza falls short What automakers have in store for 2010 Ford to put air bags into back seat belts Clunker deals: old Ford pickups for new ones New Dodge models part of Chrysler’s plans U.S. rips Toyota statement on floor mats GM posts first sales gain in nearly two years General Motors board decides not to sell Opel Autos Section Front   Add Autos headlines to your news reader: