Four Democratic U.S. senators recently sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urging the agency to stop its delay finalizing a regulation that would require keyless-ignition vehicles to audibly alert drivers that their cars are still running when they leave the vehicle.
The letter was sent by Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Bill Nelson (D-FL).
The regulation was proposed in December 2011 and is estimated to cost the auto industry $500,000 annually to implement. The Society of Automotive Engineers recommended the proposal in January 2011.
Keyless-ignition vehicles can continue running even after the driver leaves the vicinity of the vehicle. This puts people at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Since 2006, 28 people have been killed by carbon monoxide from keyless-ignition vehicles and 45 have been injured, according to a New York Times report. The real figure could be much higher, the newspaper said.
The NHTSA has relied on automakers adding the safety feature voluntarily.
“NHTSA’s lack of action has allowed other automakers to state publicly that their keyless- ignition systems meet or exceed all relevant federal safety standards, despite the known and unaddressed dangers,” the letter said. “This difference in response across the auto industry highlights the importance and necessity for a federal standard to be established and enforced without further delay.”