Latest news with #VehicleSafetyAct
23-05-2025
- Automotive
New car seat regulations go into effect: What parents need to know
Parents purchasing a new car seat in the next year will want to be aware of an important safety update: Starting June 30, 2025, all car seats sold in the U.S. must meet new federal safety standards aimed at improving protection during side-impact collisions. The regulation, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is a major move toward reducing child fatalities and injuries in what experts consider one of the most dangerous types of crashes. "These new standards are a major step forward in protecting children during one of the most serious types of crashes," the agency told "Good Morning America." Why now? Side-impact collisions, also known as T-bone crashes, can be particularly deadly for children because there is less space and structure between them and the point of impact, the NHTSA said. While frontal crashes remain the most common, the NHTSA noted that side impacts cause nearly as many fatalities and serious injuries for children under 12. So why weren't side-impact tests part of the original safety standards? According to the NHTSA, the delay was due to the extensive data required under the Vehicle Safety Act. "We focused on frontal crash protection first because those are the most frequent crashes and lead to the most injuries and deaths in child car seats," the agency said. It wasn't until years of research, including the development of a specialized side-impact crash dummy and test, that the agency was able to introduce a new rule based on real-world risk. What is FMVSS No. 213a? The updated regulation, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213a, adds a new sled test for child seats simulating a 30 mph side-impact crash involving two vehicles. The rule applies to child seats designed for children weighing under 40 pounds. "NHTSA's new standard ensures that child seats can restrain the child, prevent harmful head contact with a vehicle door or seat structure and reduce crash forces to the chest," the agency said. What this means for parents If you already own a car seat, there's no need to replace it, as long as it hasn't expired, is correctly installed and has not been recalled. "Current child seats are highly effective in reducing the likelihood of death or serious injury in vehicle crashes," the NHTSA said. To ensure maximum protection, the agency recommends using the correct type of seat based on your child's weight and height, following manufacturer instructions and checking installation. Tools like the NHTSA's Find the Right Seat guide and Inspection Station Locator can help. For those shopping for a new seat, many brands are already ahead of the June 2025 deadline, the NHTSA said. While not all packaging will explicitly mention compliance with FMVSS 213a, consumers can contact manufacturers directly to confirm. According to the NHTSA, all car seats sold after June 30, 2025, must meet the new standard. What parents should do now Check the expiration date of your current seat. Verify recalls and register your car seat with the manufacturer. Use installation guides or visit a certified safety technician. Ask your retailer or car seat brand if a new model meets the 213a standard. What's next? While this update represents a major leap in child passenger safety, the NHTSA said there are no additional updates planned for booster seats or other restraint systems at this time. However, the agency continues to conduct research and may revise guidelines as new data becomes available. In the meantime, parents and caregivers interested in the science behind these changes can view the crash tests that informed the new regulation. The NHTSA conducted four side-impact crash tests with dummies representing 3-year-old children to ensure accuracy. These tests, numbers 6634 through 6637, are available in the NHTSA's research database here.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Families Of Tesla Crash Victims ‘Fear' Musk's Influence Over Self-Driving Car Regulations
Families of victims who died or were injured in crashes involving Tesla's self-driving technology say they fear Elon Musk's influence on President Donald Trump's administration may weaken government oversight on automated vehicles, Politico reports. Seven families wrote to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday, expressing their concern that the Trump administration will repeal the Standing General Order, a Biden-era policy that required vehicle manufacturers like Tesla to report crashes that involved advanced driver assistance technologies or automated driving systems. 'We fear this important measure is under threat given recent media reports and the influence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose company operates the most widely used Level 2 ADAS systems in America,' the families wrote in the letter shared by The Verge. Concerns over the tech billionaire's influence grew weeks after his Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration initiative tasked with cutting federal spending, fired several employees who were a part of the specialized unit in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration overseeing the safety of autonomous vehicles. Neima Benavides was among the family members who signed the letter to Duffy. She lost her sister Naibel in 2019 when a Tesla vehicle engaged in autopilot mode struck Naibel and her boyfriend while they were stargazing in Key Largo, Florida. According to the letter, data from Naibel's crash helped the NHTSA develop safety improvements in autonomous vehicles. 'The deaths of our loved ones were preventable,' the families wrote. 'As Secretary, you have the power to ensure these tragedies are not repeated. By maintaining strong federal safeguards, you can prevent more families from having to face the same heartbreak we have endured.' A Department of Transportation spokesperson told HuffPost that Duffy's 'heart goes out to the victims' families' and that he 'takes their concerns seriously.' Duffy is 'committed to allowing NHTSA's investigators to follow the evidence and operate objectively,' the spokesperson said. 'Our priority is safety, and the agency will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and the agency's data-driven, risk-based investigative process.' Trump Commerce Secretary's Cringeworthy Tesla Pitch On Fox News Leaves Critics Stunned Attorney General Bondi Lashes Out At Tesla Vandalism, Calls It 'Domestic Terrorism' International Auto Show Boots Tesla From Event, Citing Safety Concerns
USA Today
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Federal agency investigating Elon Musk's Tesla hit with DOGE layoffs
Hear this story WASHINGTON − The federal agency investigating Tesla's self-driving technology has laid off about 4% of its workforce, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday. The firings are part of President Donald Trump's mass purge of the federal workforce steered by Tesla CEO Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. "The last administration grew NHTSA by a whopping 30%. Even with these modest efficiencies, NHTSA is still considerably larger today than it was four years ago," an agency spokesman said in a statement. "We have retained positions critical to the mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs due to road traffic crashes." More:Federal agencies divided on how to respond to Elon Musk's latest threat to their employees In October the NHTSA opened an investigation into about 2.4 million Tesla vehicles with self-driving capabilities following four reported crashes including a collision in 2023 that killed a pedestrian. The NHTSA launched a separate investigation in January of 2.6 million Teslas following crashes involving a feature that allows drivers to move their cars remotely. That same month, the NHTSA announced recalls of more than 230,000 Teslas over issues with certain models' rearview cameras The NHTSA employed about 800 workers before the cuts. The spokesman did not say which jobs had been cut, or whether the fired employees were involved in the investigations of Tesla. The spokesman said the NHTSA "will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment, in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and our data-driven, risk-based investigative process." Earlier this month, Trump nominated Jonathan Morrison, former NHTSA legal counsel in the first Trump administration, who most recently worked as a lawyer for Apple, as the new administrator of NHTSA. Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
