Power car windows cost lives
7 children die in accidents; safety advocates fault automakers, government, say fix is easy
By Jeff Plungis / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The horrific deaths of seven children in the past few months is putting renewed pressure on Detroit automakers to replace outdated power-window switches that consumer advocates say pose a serious safety hazard.
The problem involves rocker switches that can accidentally be activated by a child in a car or truck. After the switch has been depressed, toddlers have been crushed or strangled by closing glass, usually after a parent has stepped away from the vehicle.
Later this month, the federal government is expected to propose a regulation that could lead to safer switch designs.
“We intend to propose a new power-window regulation in the not-too-distant future,” said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “In the meantime, we would not discourage manufacturers from stepping forward and addressing the issue themselves.”
European automakers have begun changing their switch designs in response to tougher regulations. And Japanese manufacturers have changed the switches in many popular models. The updated designs feature “lever” switches that must be pulled up by a single finger to make the window rise.
U.S. automakers have been slow to embrace the new designs, consumer activists say.
“There’s no question they lag behind the rest of the industry in changing their designs,” said Sally Greenberg, senior product safety counsel with Consumers Union.
Greenberg has been lobbying Congress to pass a law that would force NHTSA to collect data on power-window injuries and propose a new regulation to cut down on injuries.
The legislation passed the Senate in February as part of an auto safety package in a highway funding bill. The House passed a highway bill without the auto safety provisions. Negotiators are expected to hammer out the final details of the bill this month.
In the meantime, deaths involving electric power windows continue. The latest incidents include:
* On June 5 in Dallas, 3-year-old Yency Ayala was strangled in the window of a 2001 F-250 pickup.
* A 4-year-old boy died in a 1991 Lincoln Continental on June 3 in Walworth County, Wis.
* On March 30 in Delphi, Ind., 3-year-old Rian Addison Brandt died after stepping on the rocker switch of a Ford Expedition SUV.
Five of the seven deaths this year involved Ford Motor Co. vehicles, said Janette Fennell of Kansas City, a mother who founded Kids and Cars, a group that tracks child-related automotive safety hazards.
more...
7 children die in accidents; safety advocates fault automakers, government, say fix is easy
By Jeff Plungis / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The horrific deaths of seven children in the past few months is putting renewed pressure on Detroit automakers to replace outdated power-window switches that consumer advocates say pose a serious safety hazard.
The problem involves rocker switches that can accidentally be activated by a child in a car or truck. After the switch has been depressed, toddlers have been crushed or strangled by closing glass, usually after a parent has stepped away from the vehicle.
Later this month, the federal government is expected to propose a regulation that could lead to safer switch designs.
“We intend to propose a new power-window regulation in the not-too-distant future,” said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “In the meantime, we would not discourage manufacturers from stepping forward and addressing the issue themselves.”
European automakers have begun changing their switch designs in response to tougher regulations. And Japanese manufacturers have changed the switches in many popular models. The updated designs feature “lever” switches that must be pulled up by a single finger to make the window rise.
U.S. automakers have been slow to embrace the new designs, consumer activists say.
“There’s no question they lag behind the rest of the industry in changing their designs,” said Sally Greenberg, senior product safety counsel with Consumers Union.
Greenberg has been lobbying Congress to pass a law that would force NHTSA to collect data on power-window injuries and propose a new regulation to cut down on injuries.
The legislation passed the Senate in February as part of an auto safety package in a highway funding bill. The House passed a highway bill without the auto safety provisions. Negotiators are expected to hammer out the final details of the bill this month.
In the meantime, deaths involving electric power windows continue. The latest incidents include:
* On June 5 in Dallas, 3-year-old Yency Ayala was strangled in the window of a 2001 F-250 pickup.
* A 4-year-old boy died in a 1991 Lincoln Continental on June 3 in Walworth County, Wis.
* On March 30 in Delphi, Ind., 3-year-old Rian Addison Brandt died after stepping on the rocker switch of a Ford Expedition SUV.
Five of the seven deaths this year involved Ford Motor Co. vehicles, said Janette Fennell of Kansas City, a mother who founded Kids and Cars, a group that tracks child-related automotive safety hazards.
more...
