WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) has introduced House Bill 6051, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2012. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Bono Mack is a member of the committee and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.
The bill includes a section on the conditions of importation of vehicles and equipment, port inspections and samples for examination or testing, and public availability of recall information. It also includes provisions on the promotion of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Hotline for Manufacturer, Dealer and Mechanic Personnel. This section includes specific details regarding the Public Availability of Communications with Dealers and the Passenger Motor Vehicle Information Program.
The legislation goes on to discuss promotion of Vehicle Defect Reporting. Important to the collision industry will be a required Study of Crash Data Collection.
In addition, a section is included on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Electronics, Software and Engineering Expertise – which references the Council for Vehicle Electronics, Vehicle Software and Emerging Technologies to build, integrate and aggregate the administration’s expertise in passenger motor vehicle electronics and other new and emerging technologies. The Automotive Service Association (ASA) had previously reported on the National Research Council’s (NRC) released report on Automotive Electronic Safety, which called for more NHTSA oversight on new vehicle technologies.
To view the full text of the bill and the NRC report, visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.
