Auto Safety Agency Exploring New Car Door Rules After Deaths in Teslas
The agency said nine Tesla owners reported being unable to get into their cars, sometimes with children inside, before it chose rulemaking over a defect probe.
- On Thursday, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it will begin rulemaking to mandate robust and obvious door egress systems in all motor vehicles, granting a petition to address electronic latching risks.
- Bloomberg News uncovered at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents where occupants or rescuers could not open doors of crashed Tesla vehicles after power loss, prompting the agency's action.
- A Silicon Valley engineer petitioned regulators in November to "address a critical, life-threatening safety gap" caused by electronic or "hidden" door systems. Illinois Democrat Representative Robin Kelly introduced the SAFE Exit Act earlier this year.
- Although the agency is starting the process, NHTSA noted that commencing rulemaking does not guarantee new regulations will be adopted, as automakers often resist mandates that impose additional costs.
- Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said the rulemaking is essential but warned he does not expect final manufacturer compliance before 2030 even if the process proceeds swiftly.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Lowerable door handles like Tesla use them have been in criticism for years. After a complaint, the US traffic authorities also want to adopt new regulations.
US moves to regulate hidden car handles
US regulators on Thursday said they plan to develop rules to address the safety risks linked to the hidden electric car door handles popularized by Tesla. Investigations from Bloomberg have uncovered more than a dozen deaths from crashes in which people became trapped inside a Tesla because the doors wouldn’t open. The EV giant said it is working on a redesign. China earlier this year became the first country to ban the modern handles, in a move…
US to begin work on new car door safety rules after deaths in Teslas
U.S. auto safety regulators will start developing new requirements to ensure drivers and passengers can safely exit their vehicles, a significant move to address issues exposed by sometimes deadly incidents in which people have become trapped inside cars. The National…
American automotive safety authorities will begin to study the creation of new requirements to ensure that drivers and passengers can safely get out of their vehicles, to an important extent to deal with problems revealed by episodes, sometimes fatal, in which people have been trapped inside cars.
Pasadena Star News
Auto safety agency exploring new car door rules after deaths in Teslas
Vehicles designed with flush, electrically operated door handles made by Tesla Inc. and other carmakers have been involved in a series of incidents in which occupants have been trapped inside their cars after the vehicles lost power.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
