Saving kids’ lives through safer vehicles

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Virtually every safety feature in automobiles, even those we take for granted, like seat belts and airbags, became standard equipment only after overcoming intense resistance. The technologies that have made cars much safer for both passengers and pedestrians have come about because of the commitment, determination, and resourcefulness of those who refuse to surrender in the fight for positive change.

That’s why I am so grateful for the partnership of Sally Greenberg and the National Consumers League (NCL). The work they have done and continue to do is saving countless lives.

In the 1980s, healthcare professionals were publishing papers on the number of people, predominantly small children, who were being killed or injured by cars backing out of driveways or parking spots. A 1993 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that as many as 200 pedestrians, mostly children, were being killed each year by backing out collisions. At least 50 children every week were being backed over by vehicles.

My organization, Kids and Car Safety, compiled data on the problem and concluded that the only solution would be to mandate a rear visibility standard—cameras that would allow the driver to see what was behind the car, particularly a small child who could not be seen through the rearview mirror or rear window. The regulators were not acting, so we began working with Congress on legislation to require a rear visibility standard allowing drivers to see behind them when backing up. After all, you cannot avoid hitting something or someone you cannot see.

That’s when I teamed up with Sally Greenberg, then with Consumers Union. We began a battle that would take years but was so very necessary to prevent more families from suffering avoidable tragedies. We matched our research and our firsthand witness testimonies against the arguments that rear backup cameras would add too much to the cost of cars and that drivers wouldn’t use them. We argued that they shouldn’t only be offered as an optional feature in luxury cars.

Sally and Consumers Union, along with Kids and Car Safety and NCL, tirelessly insisted that safety could not be offered only to those who could afford it.

Finally, in 2014, a new rule was issued and took effect in 2018, mandating that all vehicles sold or leased in the United States, no matter where they were manufactured, be equipped with a rear backup camera. Today, they are thought to be as essential as seat belts, airbags, side impact protection, and electronic stability control—features that no vehicle should ever be without. And it happened because of advocates like Sally Greenberg and others who simply wouldn’t back down to the powerful, well-financed opposition.

There is more to be done to make cars safer for drivers and their families. On average, about 40 children die annually in hot cars. Often, these are infants and toddlers in rear- facing car seats, and the driver, looking in the rearview mirror, can’t tell if the seat is occupied or not.

We’re pleased to have NCL’s powerful voice engaged in yet another effort to use effective technologies to save lives. Occupant detection systems can distinguish between living beings and inanimate objects in the vehicle and can alert the driver that a child is unattended in the vehicle. This system will save lives, as NCL has compellingly pointed out. There is resistance to making occupant detection systems a mandatory feature in new cars. There always is. Yet, we were successful in adding a lifesaving traffic safety provision designed to prevent hot car fatalities, in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Kids and Car Safety and NCL have a solid track record of collaborating on these issues. When lives, health, and safety are at stake, I wouldn’t bet against us.

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Janette Fennell is the Founder and President of Kids and Car Safety, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing injury and death to children and animals in and around motor vehicles.

Guest blog: Kids and car safety

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By Sydney Greenberger, NCL Summer Intern

On June 20, the first day of Summer 2024, 1,086 baby onesies were placed in a display across from the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, DC, representing the number of young lives lost to hot cars since 1990 in the United States. Kids and Car Safety predicts that over 7,500 more children have survived being left in hot cars, with various injuries. Already in 2024, three young children have lost their lives; the situation is exacerbated because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has failed to issue a regulation requiring technology to be placed in new cars to stop hot car deaths despite a mandate from Congress to do so.

In 2022, Congress directed the NHSTA to issue a federal safety standard requiring new vehicles to be equipped with technology to prevent hot car deaths by November 2023. The NHTSA has delayed action until November 2024. The technology is there, and it isn’t expensive, but the NHTSA has priorities other than protecting the lives of innocent children and companion animals at risk of being forgotten in hot cars this summer.

A common misconception among parents in the U.S. is ‘this would never happen to my family; how could you ever leave your child in a car?’ However, history proves that these tragedies can happen to anyone. More than half of these accidents occur because a parent unknowingly left their child in their vehicle. It happens to parents who are absent-minded. But it also happens to the most attentive parents. Parents who are well-educated and well-off. Over the past decade, it has happened to a dentist, a social worker, a police officer, a nurse, an assistant principal, a pediatrician, and many more. Preventable hot car tragedies can happen to anyone.

On average, 38 American children die yearly from these tragedies. 88% of these victims are under three years of age. 43% of children who were unknowingly left in cars were supposed to be dropped off at their daycare. Rear-facing car seats look the same to parents whether there is a child in them or not, and if a child is asleep, it can be easy to forget they are there.

Once a child has been left in a hot vehicle, saving them from these preventable tragedies is a race against the clock. A child’s body temperature rises 3-5 times faster than an adult’s. Cracking the windows and parking in the shade do little to slow the heating process or decrease the maximum temperatures in a vehicle, and temperatures in cars rise fastest within the first 10 minutes of being parked. Hot car deaths have occurred on sunny days with temperatures as low as 60 degrees. Heatstroke starts when the body reaches a core temperature of 104 degrees, and death can occur at just 107 degrees. By the time parents realize what has happened, it is almost always too late.

Technology could have prevented most of these accidents from occurring. Most car manufacturers support rear-seat reminder systems, which are audio and visual systems that remind drivers to check the backseat after shutting off the engine and exiting the vehicle. The hot car provision passed by Congress calls for these audio and visual reminders, but advocates believe that occupant detection systems are needed to prevent hot car deaths and injuries. Occupant detection systems use motion, radar, lidar, and carbon dioxide to detect a living being inside a vehicle. These systems can distinguish between living things and inanimate objects in the back seat. The system cannot be overridden or disabled, and minimizes false alarms.

Rather than require occupant detection and alert technology that costs less than $20 per vehicle, the NHTSA has decided that a “Stop. Look. Lock.” campaign is more effective than inexpensive life-saving technology.

Until the NHTSA passes these required regulations to ensure child safety in hot cars this summer, it’s up to parents to ensure the safety of their children and pets. If you see a child left unattended in a vehicle, immediately call 911. Teach children that vehicles are not a play area, and store car keys out of reach. Have a plan that your childcare provider will call you if your child fails to show up for school. Create a “look before leaving” routine whenever you get out of the car. Many parents leave their briefcase or ID badge in the back seat, so they must check before going into the office. Others always keep a large stuffed animal in the car seat. If their child is in the car, the stuffed animal moves to the front seat, reminding parents that the child is in the back.

The most effective way to prevent hot car deaths of children and pets is through the life-saving technology that the NHTSA has failed to regulate and require. The NHTSA has left it solely to parents to ensure child and animal car safety. We should all be calling our members of Congress and urging government officials to prioritize and regulate the safety of children and pets.

Sources

Safety recommendations from noheatstroke.org

Kids and Car Safety

Kids and Car Safety Occupant Detection vs. End of Trip Reminder

From the NHTSA

32304B. Child Safety

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

Press Release

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NCL urges regulators to investigate auto makers’ data collection practices

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March 27, 2024

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831

Washington, DC – Today, the National Consumers League sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging oversight of vehicle manufacturers’ collection of consumer data. Modern cars can collect a range of information on drivers, including the locations they visit, their exact weight, and their texts and call records. Consumers are often unaware of this data collection and are even more surprised when insurance companies utilize this surveillance to increase drivers’ premiums. As digitally connected vehicles become more commonplace, the risks they pose to consumer privacy will only become greater—absent mandatory safeguards.

The full letter can be found here.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization.  Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit nclnet.org.

NCL: Increasing truck size and weight limits is bad for consumers

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May 23, 2023

Media contact: National Consumers League – Katie Brown, katie@nclnet.org, 202-823-8442

Washington, D.C. – The National Consumers League, America’s pioneering worker and consumer advocacy organization, today called on lawmakers to protect consumers by blocking efforts, at both the federal and state levels, to raise the weight and size limits on commercial trucks.

Each year, the number of commercial trucks is increasing, while the number of experienced truck drivers is decreasing. In its new white paper, the consumer group examined the safety, economic, and environmental impact that putting bigger and heavier trucks onto our nation’s already congested roads would have on consumers.

“Large, heavy commercial trucks are being driven by increasingly inexperienced drivers, which is putting other drivers in danger, putting stress on roads and bridges and polluting the air we breathe,” said NCL CEO Sally Greenberg. “Lawmakers should be looking to address these concerns, rather than pushing to get even bigger and heavier trucks on the road.”

The NCL white paper examines how accidents involving long trucks continue to increase, despite a decline in the overall rate of traffic accidents. The paper looks at how the high turnover in commercial truck drivers is leading to more inexperienced drivers, who are more likely to be involved in accidents. It also shines a light on the attempts to expand driverless trucks, including massive convoys of trucks being controlled by the lead truck.

The white paper shows how large trucks are the single biggest contributor to black carbon emissions. Putting larger and heavier trucks on the road will contribute to increased rates of asthma and other lung problems, especially among children.

NCL’s paper also looked at the impact large and heavy trucks are having on our nation’s infrastructure. A Department of Transportation report showed that increasing weight limits for trucks would have an impact on 5,000 bridges across the country. The report finds that allowing double trailer trucks would require the immediate reinforcement of 2,500 interstate highway bridges.

The white paper proposes numerous steps lawmakers can take to address these problems. Aside from rejecting efforts to increase truck size and weight limits, lawmakers should take the following actions to protect consumers from large commercial trucks:

  • Enact a Vehicle Miles Traveled and Weight Tax
  • Stricter licensing requirements for larger trucks
  • Keep autonomous trucks off the road
  • Shift weight limit penalties onto carriers

“Consumers are already bearing the burden of sharing roads and bridges with massive trucks carrying heavy loads,” said Greenberg. “Lawmakers have a choice. They can either take steps to make our roads and bridges safer and our air cleaner or they can make things worse. Consumers are looking for them to step up and do the right thing.”

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization.  Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit nclnet.org.

NCL urges House Transportation Committee to demand answers from FAA on aviation safety

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February 7, 2023

Media contact: National Consumers League – Katie Brown, katie@nclnet.org, 202-823-8442

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a hearing focused on the need to enhance America’s aviation safety system. The committee calls the U.S. system a “gold standard” for the world. Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) previously sterling record in this area has been badly tarnished by the Boeing 737 Max scandal, operational meltdowns, and scary near-misses. 

In particular, Congressional leaders must hold the FAA accountable for its failure to implement statutorily-required minimum dimensions for passenger seats. For decades, air carriers have reduced seat sizes across all fare classes. The result is that millions of travelers must fly under conditions that the FAA’s own advisory has deemed unsafe.  

Fortunately, thanks to advocacy by NCL and other passenger rights organizations, momentum is growing for reform. In November, NCL along with a coalition of six public interest groups, filed comments with the FAA calling for a moratorium on airlines reducing seat sizes until the FAA can update its emergency evacuation standards. In December, Senators Baldwin and Duckworth introduced legislation requiring the FAA to update evacuation standards to reflect the modern cabin environment. 

The following statement is attributable to NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud John Breyault: 

“Shrinking seats on airplanes have serious consequences, from impeding emergency evacuations to raising the risk of serious negative health effects. The FAA is more than three years overdue in complying with the law and addressing this problem. As the only agency in the nation responsible for aviation safety, the House Transportation Committee must ensure that the FAA does not continue to slow-walk critical aviation safety issues like setting minimum seat size standards.  

We are disappointed that the first hearing on this issue in the new Congress will not feature any witnesses representing those who are most directly impacted by such safety oversight – namely, passengers. Nonetheless, NCL urges Congress to use this opportunity to ensure the executive branch’s compliance with air safety mandates.” 

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization.  Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit https://nclnet.org.

Airline executive testimony conflicts with travelers’ reality

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By Eden Iscil, Public Policy Associate

Last month, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing titled “Oversight of the U.S. Airline Industry,” which featured the CEOs of the major domestic airlines (American, Delta, Southwest, and United). With the federal government’s $50 billion bailout of the aviation industry serving as the primary focus of the hearing, airline CEOs managed to avoid serious scrutiny despite the massive service failures seen in 2021 and early 2022.  

The underlying problem centers around the air traffic companies choosing to incentivize employees to leave their jobs, despite receiving billions of dollars in assistance from the federal government with the primary condition being not to fire workers. The bailout, officially known as the Payroll Support Program, served as an undeniably central piece to America’s quick economic rebound from the early COVID-19 recession. Yet, airlines still could not service hundreds of thousands of flights over the past seven months due to a lack of staffing. This caused a meltdown of delays and cancellations in the summer and early fall of 2021 and again during the end-of-year holidays over the previous two weeks. 

While certain conditions understandably contributed to flight schedule changes, such as the Omicron variant, the airlines’ lack of preparation remains a consistent problem. For example, in October 2021, Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 2,000 flights, blaming weather and FAA issues. But these excuses do not hold water, as consumers quickly pointed out that while Southwest cancelled 28 percent of its schedule, competitors only cancelled around 3 percent of their flights. A couple weeks later, CEO Gary Kelly acknowledged staffing shortages that had led to Southwest’s service problems. 

The reality travelers have faced does not match the rosy picture airline executives painted at the Senate hearing. Southwest’s Kelly expressed pride in not cutting hours or laying off employees throughout the pandemic. Yet, his airline was still understaffed at the end of October (according to Southwest’s own hiring goals) after the airline reduced its workforce by 28 percent at the onset of the pandemic. To get around the prohibition on involuntary firing, air traffic carriers like Southwest incentivized early retirement and extended time off packages. The results of these practices are visible in every major airport nationwide. 

Additionally, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told senators that “large events” of cancellations “don’t happen very often” and that a shortage of employees is not a problem. Just a week later, airlines began experiencing staffing troubles, which led to more than 18,000 flight cancellations between Christmas Eve and January 3. Given the predictable spike in COVID infections we have seen during periods of high travel for almost two years, especially during the winter holidays, it is unclear why airlines were entirely unprepared for the latest holiday traffic.  

To be clear, employees absolutely should not report to work when they are ill (hopefully by taking paid sick leave). Given the record-breaking transmissibility of the Omicron variant, workers’ safety needs to remain paramount. It is unfortunate that airlines did not take steps to rectify previous mistakes and increase staffing ahead of the winter travel season in order to avoid the enormous wave of cancellations. In addition to the headaches and last-minute adjustments stranded travelers needed to make, the service failures were especially impactful as this was the first holiday season for many people to enjoy with loved-ones since before the pandemic.

Groups offer support for Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act of 2021

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December 9, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org or (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League, Business Travel Coalition, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, and U.S. PIRG have signed onto a letter to Members of Congress in support of the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act of 2021. Their letter appears below:

Dear Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, Chairman Larsen, and Ranking Member Graves:

The undersigned consumer advocacy organizations support the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act of 2021. This bill would protect consumers from unreasonable fees that airlines have reimposed as consumer demand to fly has rebounded from the pandemic.

Millions of consumers are annually charged excessive fees for checking baggage, changing reservations, canceling flights, and other services.[1] These fees are a major profit center for the airlines. For example, U.S. airlines collected $5.8 billion in baggage fees alone in 2019.[2] Compare this to analyst estimates that it costs airlines less than $20 per bag flown to provide the service.[3]  Furthermore, exaggerated change and cancellation fees are especially punitive as consumers cannot plan for unexpected events that force them to adjust their reservations.

The capture of more than 80% of domestic air traffic by just four U.S. airlines is a clear predicate of the rise in ancillary fees.[4] The non-competitive nature of the industry has allowed predatory practices to go unchallenged for too long. To be clear, airlines have the right to charge appropriate fees to cover operational costs and to make a profit. However, the supra-competitive amounts that airlines collect for providing basic services are unjustifiable. Prior to some ancillary fees being waived during the COVID-19 pandemic, such add-on fees were a steadily increasing source of revenue for the industry.[5] Now that the airlines’ moratorium on many of their fees has ended, we are concerned that this trend will resume.

The federal government must act to protect consumers from being forced to pay billions of dollars in bogus charges. The FAIR Fees Act, which has received bipartisan support,[6] would bring much-needed relief to travelers by requiring fees to be reasonable and reflect the actual costs of the services provided.

In addition to this immediate cost-saving benefit to consumers, the FAIR Fees Act would also direct the Department of Transportation to review any other fees charged by airlines and work to reduce airlines’ untaxed revenue. Since the IRS does not consider baggage fees or other ancillary fees to be related to the transport of a person, airlines do not pay excise taxes on the earnings they receive from these charges.[7] As ancillary charges have become a major source of revenue for the industry, this loophole has allowed airlines to avoid (conservatively) hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxes.[8] Therefore, reining in ancillary fees would help reduce the amount of untaxed income this industry receives.

We applaud Representative Cohen for his continued leadership in protecting consumers from the exorbitant ancillary charges found on too many plane tickets. We urge your respective committees to report the legislation without delay.

Sincerely,

National Consumers League
Business Travel Coalition
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Reports
U.S. PIRG

 

cc:       Members, House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure

[1] USA TODAY. Shopping for flights? Change fees and other pre-pandemic penalties are back or returning soon on cheapest tickets. April 2, 2021. Online: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/04/02/covid-travel-airlines-change-fees-return-cheap-tickets-american-united/4805128001/

[2] CNBC. US airlines charged almost $5 billion in baggage fees last year—here’s how to avoid them. May 16, 2019. Online: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/15/us-airlines-brought-in-almost-5-billion-dollars-in-baggage-fees-last-year.html

[3] McCartney, Scott. “What It Costs An Airline to Fly Your Luggage,” Wall Street Journal. (November 25, 2008). Online: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122757025502954613 (Note: $15 in November 2008 is equal to $19.11 when adjusted for inflation in September 2021, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

[4] Openmarketsinstitute.org. Airlines & Monopoly. Online: https://www.openmarketsinstitute.org/learn/airlines-monopoly

[5] Statista.com. Total ancillary revenue in the airline industry from 2011 to 2020. December 4, 2020. Online: https://www.statista.com/statistics/788849/airline-industry-ancillary-revenue/

[6] Office of Senator Edward J. Markey. “FAA Bill a Missed Opportunity to Protect Passengers from Ridiculous Airline Fees, Says Senator Markey.” Press release. (October 3, 2018) Online: https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/faa-bill-a-missed-opportunity-to-protect-passengers-from-ridiculous-airline-fees-says-senator-markey

[7] Smarter Travel. If Fees Were Taxed, Would Airlines Ditch Them? July 16, 2020. Online: https://www.smartertravel.com/if-fees-were-taxed-would-airlines-ditch-them/

[8] Testimony of Dr. Gerald Dillingham (Director of Civil Aviation Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office) before the House Subcommittee on Aviation. (July 14, 2010) (“However, if checked bag fee revenues that airlines reported in fiscal year 2009 had been subject to the excise tax on domestic travel, it would have generated about $186 million, or somewhat less than 2 percent of the Trust Fund revenues for 2009.”) Online: https://www.congress.gov/event/111th-congress/house-event/LC6763/text?s=1&r=9

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Technology can limit speeds on cars; EU set to require it

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According to reports, the European Union (EU) is set to require a sophisticated set of technologies on all vehicles to limit driver speeds, described as satellite location cameras, intelligent speed assistance, video cameras, data recorder, and emergency braking starting in 2022. They say it will increase safety–but at what cost?

These measures will purportedly reduce fatalities by 20 percent and prevent 25,000 deaths over a 15-year period. Consumer advocates care deeply about auto safety, but how it’s done, what measures are used, and who pays for it is also important. There’s anger and skepticism in Europe about these kinds of measures. I must say, I share some of that concern.

Here in Washington DC, the Mayor and City Council put hundreds of speed and red light cameras all over the city and imposed large fines—$150 in some places for a first offense—for violations. DC has a lot of low- and middle-income residents; NCL looked at the placement of the cameras and found the biggest revenues were generated in heavily African American neighborhoods. And though the rationale for the cameras is pedestrian safety, after these cameras have been in place for several years, pedestrian injuries and fatalities are once again on the rise. The fines have become a cash cow for the city, generating well over a half billion dollars. Apparently, they haven’t done much to actually improve pedestrian safety. And I’ve talked to many people who drive for a living—they’ve all received the pricey $150 tickets for going 36 mph—while otherwise driving safely, some on roads that have virtually no foot traffic.

There’s more to learn about the new EU rules. Germany has no set speed limit, but in France, backlash on its limits has resulted in half the network of speed cameras being destroyed. I’m more of a “build safer cars” advocate, not “impose draconian fines on drivers.” The former is more effective in preventing injury and death. Two EU rules that have reduced fatalities significantly: mandatory seat belt usage and performance standards for crashworthiness of vehicles make a lot of sense. So does emergency braking technology, because it’s automatic when conditions trigger it. But I fear that more video cameras, data recorders, tracking the location of vehicles—all of which raise privacy issues—may sound good but won’t bring safer roads and will just result more in fines generated for municipalities.

We will be watching with interest the EU rollout of required technologies on cars. We should overserve it closely because the United States will probably not be far behind.

Automobile industry ignoring safety packages – National Consumers League

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NCL Public Policy Intern Melissa Cuddington contributed to this post.

In November 22, 2004, Automotive News, the publication that covers the auto industry, ran one of my favorite editorials of all time:

“All safety related devices should become standard equipment on all vehicles. No choice. It’s not an economic decision; it’s a moral decision. When the choice becomes profit vs. lives, the decision should be simple.”

This issue is more pertinent now than ever. The National Consumers League strongly supports enhanced auto safety technologies and, like the quote above says, it’s a moral decision to make safety technologies standard equipment. Case in point: driver-assist technology, has been available for about a decade in the United States. It includes automatic breaking, lane-changing aids, and cruise control, each of which has made driving safer.

One would think that these driver-assist programs would be included in “standard safety packages,” but they are not. As such, it’s sad to read that the auto industry is doing a poor job marketing and selling these systems. According to the Wall Street Journal, salespeople are apparently not being properly trained to discuss the benefits of these safety technologies. In a recent survey done by the MIT AgeLab, only six out of 17 car sellers were able to explain the safety technologies. In fact, many car salespeople say they don’t have the knowledge or the time to explain these packages. Car sellers are not incentivized to explain these technologies because they drive up the cost of the car and take “excessive” time in the showroom. What a loss! Thirty percent of traffic accidents and fatalities could be avoided if the majority of cars had these standard safety packages, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

This lack of enthusiasm for selling the safety that exists today is ironic. Automobile manufacturers are trying to rush through Congress a bill that gives nearly carte blanche for the deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) with little regulation. Safety is one of the top reasons AVs are being touted by the auto industry as a means for greatly reducing auto injuries. But we are skeptical; just look how industry gives short shrift to the safety devices we have access to now!

There are notable exceptions. NCL applauds carmakers Honda Motor Co., Subaru Corporation, and Toyota Motor Corporation for their plans to include safety packages in their standard car models, such as the 2019 Subaru Ascent and the 2018 Honda Accord. These companies have also made a concerted effort to keep prices down for models featuring the safety technology. We’d like to see them and their competitors expand these features to their whole fleet.

We urge the automobile industry take a second look at the cost of these driver-assist packages that aren’t standard equipment, to train their sales force to sell these lifesaving packages, and—most importantly—to start to include these safety packages in standard car models. Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between affordability and safety. Like Automotive News said nearly 15 years ago, “All safety-related devices should become standard equipment on all vehicles.”

NCL statement on demise of ATC privatization bill – National Consumers League

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March 1, 2018

Contact: NCL Communications, Carol McKay carolm@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2831

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) announced that his proposal to privatize the Federal Aviation Administration’s critical air traffic control (ATC) function will not receive sufficient support to move the bill forward. The National Consumers League (NCL), which has long opposed the proposal to hand control over critical ATC infrastructure to an unaccountable body dominated by the nation’s largest airlines, welcomed the development.

The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director:

“We are glad to see Chairman Shuster dropping this ill-conceived plan to allow the nation’s largest airlines to take over America’s air traffic control system. This is a win for the flying public. Congress should instead focus on restoring consumer rights and protections to the flying public. We urge the House to take up the Senate’s FAA reauthorization bill, which includes bipartisan support for the pro-consumer FAIR Fees Act that would help balance the scales and curb the industry’s ever-expanding appetite for fees and penalties that come at the expense of the flying public.”

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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit https://nclnet.org.