1.This Act may be cited as the
Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars
Safety Act of 2007
.
2.Rulemaking
regarding child safety
(a)Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation (referred to in this Act as the
Secretary
) shall issue regulations, applicable to light motor
vehicles, requiring power windows and panels to automatically reverse direction
when they detect an obstruction to prevent children from being trapped,
injured, or killed.
(b)Not later than 24
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue
regulations, applicable to light motor vehicles, requiring a rearward
visibility performance standard that provides drivers with a means for
detecting the presence of a person or object behind the vehicle to prevent
death and injury resulting from backing incidents, particularly incidents
involving small children and disabled persons.
(c)
(1)The regulations issued pursuant to subsections (a) and
(b) shall require—
(A)a phase-in
period, as determined by the Secretary, for compliance with the regulations,
which period shall commence not later than 6 months after the date on which
final rules are issued; and
(B)that new light
motor vehicles manufactured after the date that is 31/2
years after the issuance of the final rule shall comply with such
regulations.
(2)In requiring the phase-in of rearward visibility
performance regulations under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider
whether to give priority during the phase-in to types of light motor vehicles
that have a comparatively larger or longer rear blind zone. If the Secretary
determines that any type of light motor vehicles should be given priority, the
Secretary shall issue regulations that specify—
(A)which type or
types of light motor vehicles shall be phased-in first; and
(B)the percentages
in which such light motor vehicles shall be phased-in.
(d)Preventing
vehicles from rolling away
(1)Not later than 24 months after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall issue regulations to require light motor
vehicles that are equipped with an automatic transmission that includes a
Park
position to have a system that requires the service brake
to be depressed before the transmission can be shifted out of
Park
. This system shall function in any starting system key
position in which the transmission can be shifted out of
Park
.
(2)The
regulation issued under paragraph (1) shall apply to light motor vehicles
manufactured on or after September 1, 2010.
(3)Publication of
noncompliant vehicles
(A)Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, for the current model year, and annually thereafter through 2010,
each motor vehicle manufacturer shall submit to the Secretary the make and
model of light motor vehicles that are equipped with automatic transmissions
that do not comply with the regulations required under paragraph (1).
(B)Not
later than 30 days after receiving the information submitted under subparagraph
(A), the Secretary shall publish and otherwise make available to the public the
make and model of the light motor vehicles that do not comply with the
regulations required under paragraph (1). Any vehicle not included in the
publication under this subparagraph will be assumed to comply with the
regulations issued under paragraph (1).
(e)Database on
injuries and deaths in nontraffic, noncrash events
(1)Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and maintain a database of injuries
and deaths in nontraffic, noncrash events involving light motor
vehicles.
(2)The
database established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include information
regarding—
(A)the number, types,
and causes of injuries and deaths resulting from the events described in
paragraph (1);
(B)the make, model,
and model year of light motor vehicles involved in such events; and
(C)other variables
that the Secretary determines will enhance the value of the database.
(3)The
Secretary shall make the information contained in the database established
pursuant to paragraph (1) available to the public.
(f)In
this section:
(1)The term light motor vehicle means a motor
vehicle, other than a motorcycle, with a gross vehicle weight rating of not
more than 10,000 pounds.
(2)The term rear blind zone means the area behind
a light motor vehicle which the driver cannot see using the vehicle mirrors and
windows provided as original equipment.
3.Child safety
information program
(a)Not later than 6
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide
information about hazards to children in nontraffic, noncrash incident
situations by—
(1)supplementing an existing consumer
information program relating to child safety; or
(2)creating a new consumer information program
relating to child safety.
(b)In carrying out
the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
(1)utilize
information collected under section 2(e) regarding nontraffic, noncrash
injuries, and other relevant data from private organizations, to establish
priorities for the program;
(2)address ways in
which parents and caregivers can reduce risks to small children arising from
backover incidents, hyperthermia in closed vehicles, accidental actuation of
power windows, and any other risks that the Secretary determines should be
addressed; and
(3)make information
related to the program available to the public through the Internet and other
means.