Pallone Highlights Vehicle Safety Improvement Act at Takata Hearing

Video of Pallone’s opening statement at the hearing is available HERE.

Pictures of the press conference are available HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade hearing on the Takata airbag recall, Congressman Frank Pallone (D NJ-06), Ranking Member of full Committee, called on Congress to pass the Vehicle Safety Improvement Act (VSIA). The hearing followed last month’s recall due to fatal defects in Takata airbags. After long delays, the recall was not only the largest vehicle recall ever, but the largest recall of any consumer product in U.S. history. Prior to the hearing, Pallone also discussed VSIA today at a press conference.

In calling for passage of VSIA, Pallone highlighted the Takata recall of nearly 34 million cars and trucks nationwide and the record 64 million recalled vehicles in 2014. He introduced the bill in February with Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky (D IL-09).

“With today’s hearing on the Takata recall, which affects one out of seven cars on U.S. roads, it is clear that the time is now for Congress to act to bring American consumers the protections and safety they deserve,” said Congressman Pallone. “The Vehicle Safety Improvement Act would help protect consumers and would give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the tools and resources necessary to handle the kinds of safety hazards involved with these recent recalls.”

The legislation addresses lessons learned from the record recalls of the past year to enhance oversight, establish new protections for consumers, provide the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with additional safety authorities, and promote safety of American cars.

At the press conference, Congressman Pallone was joined by Congresswomen Schakowsky and Diana DeGette (D CO-01), consumer advocates, and a victim of Takata’s defective airbags.

Among other measures, the Vehicle Safety Improvement Act:

- Requires that all recalls occur on a national basis;

- Grants NHTSA the authority to expedite auto company recalls in the case of an “imminent hazard,” when a defect substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death if not remedied immediately;

- Requires that manufacturers’ safety-related communications regarding defective parts be made public on NHTSA’s website;

- Requires the establishment of standards for motor vehicles to reduce the number of injuries and death of pedestrians struck by vehicles;

- Increases the penalties that could be assessed for violations of federal motor vehicle safety laws, like the failure to disclose relevant information to regulators in a timely manner;

- Requires used car dealers to repair safety defects before used cars can be sold.