Aug. 12, 2014—A recently-introduced Senate bill aims to improve highway safety through funding and amended legal requirements for manufacturer recalls, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) announced Aug. 11.
The bill, Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Enhancement Act of 2014, which was introduced by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), seeks to improve auto safety by amending legal requirements for recalls for manufacturers going through bankruptcy and implement stricter penalties for civil and criminal auto safety violations.
Part of the act also focuses on highway safety grant funding through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It would also update the highway safety grant program and adjust the criteria for ignition interlock grant funding.
In addition, the bill includes the text from 2013’s Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act, which requires that recalled rental vehicles are repaired before a customer drives it.
The ASA announced that the bill will not likely move forward before 2015, as there are currently only a handful of legislative days in the current Congress.
For more information about the ASA’s legislative watch, visit the ASA’s legislative site, TakingTheHill.com.
