Auto Safety: Existing Mandates and Emerging Issues Hearing
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AUTO SAFETY: EXISTING MANDATES AND EMERGING ISSUES HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MAY 18, 2009 Serial No. 111–40 ( Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce energycommerce.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 72–888 WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE HENRY A. WAXMAN, California, Chairman JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan JOE BARTON, Texas Chairman Emeritus Ranking Member EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts RALPH M. HALL, Texas RICK BOUCHER, Virginia FRED UPTON, Michigan FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey CLIFF STEARNS, Florida BART GORDON, Tennessee NATHAN DEAL, Georgia BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois ED WHITFIELD, Kentucky ANNA G. ESHOO, California JOHN SHIMKUS, Illinois BART STUPAK, Michigan JOHN B. SHADEGG, Arizona ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York ROY BLUNT, Missouri GENE GREEN, Texas STEVE BUYER, Indiana DIANA DEGETTE, Colorado GEORGE RADANOVICH, California Vice Chairman JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania LOIS CAPPS, California MARY BONO MACK, California MICHAEL F. DOYLE, Pennsylvania GREG WALDEN, Oregon JANE HARMAN, California LEE TERRY, Nebraska TOM ALLEN, Maine MIKE ROGERS, Michigan JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois SUE WILKINS MYRICK, North Carolina HILDA L. SOLIS, California JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas TIM MURPHY, Pennsylvania JAY INSLEE, Washington MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee MIKE ROSS, Arkansas PHIL GINGREY, Georgia ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York STEVE SCALISE, Louisiana JIM MATHESON, Utah PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama G.K. BUTTERFIELD, North Carolina ROBERT E. LATTA, Ohio CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana JOHN BARROW, Georgia BARON P. HILL, Indiana DORIS O. MATSUI, California DONNA CHRISTENSEN, Virgin Islands KATHY CASTOR, Florida JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, Connecticut ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio JERRY MCNERNEY, California BETTY SUTTON, Ohio BRUCE BRALEY, Iowa PETER WELCH, Vermont (II) VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois Chairman JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois CLIFF STEARNS, Florida Vice Chair Ranking Member JOHN SARBANES, Maryland RALPH M. HALL, Texas BETTY SUTTON, Ohio DENNIS HASTERT, Illinois FRANK PALLONE, New Jersey ED WHITFIELD, Kentucky BART GORDON, Tennessee CHARLES W. ‘‘CHIP’’ PICKERING, BART STUPAK, Michigan Mississippi GENE GREEN, Texas GEORGE RADANOVICH, California CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York MARY BONO MACK, California JIM MATHESON, Utah LEE TERRY, Nebraska G.K. BUTTERFIELD, North Carolina MIKE ROGERS, Michigan JOHN BARROW, Georgia SUE WILKINS MYRICK, North Carolina DORIS O. MATSUI, California MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas KATHY CASTOR, Florida ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio BRUCE BRALEY, Iowa DIANA DEGETTE, Colorado JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan (ex officio) (III) VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING C O N T E N T S Page Hon. Bobby L. Rush, a Representative in Congress from the State of Illinois, opening statement ................................................................................................ 1 Hon. George Radanovich, a Representative in Congress from the State of California, prepared statement ........................................................................... 2 Hon. John D. Dingell, a Representative in Congress from the State of Michi- gan, prepared statement ...................................................................................... 149 Hon. Phil Gingrey, a Representative in Congress from the State of Georgia, prepared statement .............................................................................................. 150 WITNESSES Ronald L. Medford, Acting Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .......................................................................................... 5 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 7 Kathryn O’Leary Higgins, Board Member, National Transportation Safety Board ..................................................................................................................... 12 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 14 Robert Strassburger, Vice President, Vehicle Safety & Harmonization, The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers ............................................................... 50 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 52 Stephen L. Oesch, Senior Vice President, Insurance Institute for Highway and Auto Safety .................................................................................................... 60 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 62 Joan Claybrook, Board Member, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety ........ 69 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 72 Janette Fennell, President, Kids and Cars ........................................................... 94 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 97 Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., President, Biologue, Inc. ................................................ 128 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 131 SUBMITTED MATERIAL Statement, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, submitted by Mr. Rush ................ 151 Statement, Public Citizen, submitted by Mr. Rush .............................................. 154 (V) VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING AUTO SAFETY: EXISTING MANDATES AND EMERGING ISSUES MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:00 p.m., in Room 2322, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Bobby L. Rush [chair- man of the subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Rush, Sarbanes, Barrow, Braley, and Radanovich. Staff Present: Anna Laitin, Professional Staff Member; Christian Tanetsu Fjeld, Counsel; Michelle Ash, Counsel; Valerie Baron, Leg- islative Clerk; Brian McCullough, Minority Senior Professional Staff Member; and Chad Grant, Minority Policy Analyst. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BOBBY L. RUSH Mr. RUSH. The subcommittee will come to order. Today’s hearing is on ‘‘Auto Safety: Current Mandates and Emerging Issues.’’ And the Chair recognizes himself for 5 minutes for the purposes of opening statements. I want to let you know that there is a hearing or openings state- ments on the markup of the energy bill that occurs downstairs and the majority of our subcommittee members are there waiting for the opening statements. So they will be coming in and out of this hearing in that they are preoccupied with the opening statements. Today the subcommittee will conduct its first oversight hearing of NHTSA in the 111th Congress. The intent of today’s hearing is fairly simple, and I want to know if NHTSA is taking the necessary proactive steps to ensure that American consumers are as safe as they can reasonably be in their personal, commercial, and their rec- reational vehicles. Whether it is a parent driving his or her child or children to school or a motor coach full of children traveling to the museum or simply driving to work, Americans every day put their faith in the safety of their cars and trucks that they drive. It is of absolute importance that manufacturers and government regulators meet this very basic expectation. With this overarching goal in mind, there are several issues I want to explore in this hearing that specifically implicate safety. First, is NHTSA issuing safety rules that are relevant and time- ly? Is the agency sufficiently heeding the recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board and responding to findings (1) VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:00 May 25, 2012 Jkt 072888 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 E:\HR\OC\A888.XXX A888 emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with HEARING 2 that point to dangerous problems? In this regard I am very inter- ested to know how NHTSA has responded to recommendations from NHTSA on issues surrounding tire pressure monitoring, re- tread standards, and electronic on-board recordings