US House panel releases auto safety proposals

WASHINGTON (AP) — New cars and trucks would be required to carry black boxes to record crash information and automakers would pay fees to help fund the government’s auto safety agency under a series of proposals in Congress in response to Toyota’s massive recalls.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a draft last week that could form the basis of legislation to strengthen vehicle safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Lawmakers have vowed to address auto safety after Toyota recalled more than eight million vehicles worldwide and paid a record $16.4 million government fine for slowly responding to a recall.

The draft legislation would eliminate the cap on civil penalties an automaker could face and allow NHTSA to order an immediate recall if it finds an “imminent hazard of death or serious injury.” It would also require new safety standards related to brake override systems, the prevention of pedals from getting trapped in floor mats and vehicle electronics.

Toyota has said it will install brake override systems in all future models and retroactively on some existing ones. The system automatically disengages the throttle if a driver presses on the brakes.

Some Toyota owners have filed lawsuits contending that Toyota’s electronic throttle control systems are to blame for vehicles suddenly accelerating. The company has insisted electronics are not causing the problem.

The proposal would require a US auto executive to certify the accuracy of information submitted to NHTSA in response to a government investigation. Any executive who provided false information could face up to $250 million in fines.

Vehicles would be required to be equipped with event data recorders, commonly known as black boxes, to help authorities reconstruct the elements that led to a crash.

The plan also creates a “vehicle user fee” of $3 per vehicle, increasing to $9 in its third year, to fund NHTSA’s vehicle safety program. Safety groups have said the agency is underfunded and ill-equipped to investigate complicated safety problems.