New Auto Safety Rules Pushed in Congress, but Automakers Stall

WASHINGTON - A sweeping overhaul of the nation's auto safety laws is stalled -- and faces an uncertain fate when Congress returns after its August recess.

Auto safety advocates urged Congress during a press conference Wednesday to move quickly on an overhaul in the wake of Toyota Motor Corp.'s recall of 8.5 million vehicles worldwide over sudden acceleration concerns, The Detroit News reported.

Congress has held eight hearings on auto safety issues, and House and Senate committees have approved similar versions of legislation. Automakers, however, are seeking major changes.

As public attention has faded from Toyota's problems and Congress has turned its attention to issues like the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some advocates are worried that Congress will go home without getting the auto safety measure passed.

"It's time for Congress now to ignore and oppose efforts by industry lobbyists to weaken the central provisions to prevent another Toyota fiasco," said Jacqueline Gillan, vice president for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

None of the three members of Congress who was scheduled to attend the event showed up.

"We're going to try to move it when we come back after the August recess," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce, said in an interview Wednesday.

Waxman's committee in May approved a watered-down version of a bill introduced in the spring. The bill requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take action on a host of new regulations, including:

• Fining auto executives who submit false reports $5,000 per day or up to $5 million for a single recall.
• Increasing the cap for fines against automakers to $200 million, or $25,000 per vehicle -- up from the current maximum of $16.4 million per recall.
• Requiring NHTSA to start developing rules on the placement of pedals, to avoid obstructions, within 18 months. Toyota recalled 5.4 million vehicles over concerns that floor mats would trap pedals.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers -- the trade group representing Detroit's Big Three automakers, Toyota Motor Corp. and seven others -- is urging significant changes to the measure.

"There are still a few issues in the bill that need to be addressed as it moves forward," said Wade Newton, a spokesman for the group. "We hope to continue to work with Congress to resolve these issues as the bill proceeds."