virsight hearing - Motor Vehicle Hazard Archive Project

Until ftHTSA puts a st.ndard ln Dlace, of cou.se, ADericans rlll hav! to rcly
rolely on tho good f.ith of the cdr cdnpanies for.dequrt€ r€dr-5Pat rP!tr.lnt
protpction in crishes. lf the conpanies declde to discontinue pl.n5 for puttlng
re.r-s€.t lap-rhoulder belts jn ney cars tornor.ov tDrning, thev iill be entirely
t.ee to do 5o -- just as Gen€ral fiotors.nd Fard discontjnued thPir proni9€d i1r
bao oronrihs in rhe 1970's becausp NHTSA h.d nor. put .
"oassr!o
restrrlnt'
st.nd.rd ln place.
Thus th€ i.dustr), not the regulato.y .gency, has €ffectively talca conlrol of
providing or den)in9 idequate c.ash Drotection to rerr-saat occupants. Thls
defies th€ lntert of !he ildtional Trafflc.nd flotor Y€hitlt Safety Act of 1966
srncp in €ftect it t.urhs thc requlatary relns over to the nanufactur?r.
The orly recourle available to people injured in cra5hes due to haa.rdous
rear-seat la9-only b€lts is cofinon-lar.ction .q.inst th€ derellct fiafiofdcture.
8ut, heie too, the manufacturers have n.d€ l€9al |nanuevers to thn6rt these clains
on the basis that their anlv obligation is to meet thP ninimun st.ndard s€t by
IHTSA -- in thls instanc€, th€ re;r-se.t ]!p-belt-only li;n-d;d. rhis lgnores
the Act.'s cryst.l-clear injunction thrt c(mpli.nce yiith a mininum stand.rd does
not protect a nanufacturer from co''rnon-lit actiDn rhen the nanufactu.er could
have prevented or lessened the 5everitv of a crash injury by providing a better
allernative safety 5ystein. In fact, a central Purpose of the Act and the
st.ndards is to encouraq. m.nufactur€rs to Pxcepd the minimums rith improYed
technologies nhenever po!sible. (see Attachment 'F" for a full discussion 6f
this issue.)
There is no €rcus€ for l(ttTSA's continued failure to 9et a Federal ltotor Y?hlc'1.
Safety St.nderd requiring th.t at a nlninun. re.t_s€it outboard occupint5 of
future new cais be given tap-lho0lder belt systeils to protect them in cri3hcs.
Anything less nakes; nockery of the Actts intentions and llHTsA's ftission
The IiHTSA
should issup requlations regdrdinq thP nanu{scture.nd s.le o{ retrcfit
3 Point re.r seat belt syslens, and_the iistallatron of factorY_built, 3 Polnt
belt systefls in all neH vehiclee.
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