Congress: Make Our Cars Safe!
- by: Consumers Union
- recipient: U.S. House and Senate
As Americans plan to take to the highways for their summer vacations, we need Congress to make sure that important safety measures for cars and highways are included in the final surface transportation bill before it becomes law.
Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for all Americans ages five to 34. Strong vehicle safety requirements would save lives and reduce costs associated with vehicle crashes by, for example, improving standards for car seats for children and providing grants to states that pass and enforce anti-distracted driving laws.
The House wound up approving its version of the transportation bill without including the Senate-backed safety measures. But there's still hope that these important consumer protections will become law. A committee of House and Senate members is now working a final draft of the transportation bill.
Take action! Tell your lawmakers that you want strong vehicle safety standards for you and your family.
Dear [Decision Maker],
As Americans plan to take to the highways for their summer vacations, Congress must ensure that the final surface transportation legislation includes the vital vehicle safety provisions included in the Senate version of the bill.
[Your personal comments will be added here.]
Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for all Americans ages five to 34. In 2010, nearly 33,000 people were killed and more than 2.2 million were injured on our nation's highways. In fact, while overall traffic fatalities declined in 2010, large truck crash fatalities increased by nearly nine percent.
The Senate passed a bi-partisan transportation bill (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century - MAP-21 Act, S. 1813) that includes important and strong vehicles safety provisions -- provisions that are missing in the House version of the bill, including:
- New safety standards for car seats for children, as well as prioritizing new research into emerging child safety concerns,
- New rules for vehicle stopping distance,
- New requirements for break override,
- Grants to states that pass and enforce anti-distracted driving laws,
- Improving NHTSA's public database of consumer safety reports to make it more useful and accessible to consumers, and
- Requiring event data recorders in all new cars starting with model-year 2015 vehicles, with appropriate privacy protections.
Improving safety on our highways is important to me and my family. These vehicle safety provisions could save countless lives. I urge you to stand up for consumers and make these safety measures the law of the land.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
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