Word: nhtsa
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...bumpers has seemed like sweet reason itself. If sheet metal crumples on impact, why not require automakers to build tougher bumpers? That was the thinking behind Congress's directing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1972 to order stronger bumpers on U.S. cars. Now the NHTSA wonders whether its standards are too costly to manufacturers and car owners and is mulling whether to roll them back. This has set consumer and insurance groups to howling while Detroit is cheering...
...much one way or the other at such low speeds, but car owners say that the better bumpers lead to fewer, and smaller, repair bills. Insurance companies argue that as a result, collision coverage rates for drivers are as much as 20% lower than they would otherwise be. The NHTSA itself evaluated the cost effectiveness of its standard twice under the Carter Administration and each time came up with different findings, with net saving to consumers ranging from $11 to $39 during the life...
Even so, the Reagan Administration, as part of its drive to reduce the regulatory burden on the U.S. auto industry, asked the agency to take another look at the calculations. In April the NHTSA reversed itself and declared that the current regulations might not actually save consumers any money at all. Reason: new data from a household survey convinced the NHTSA that drivers are in fact involved in fewer low-speed crashes than had initially been assumed, and thus have been paying for improved bumpers that most do not really need...
...engines in the X-cars. Moreover, almost none of the new U.S.-made models will be larger than today's compact Ford Fairmont. Unfortunately, now that cars will no longer resemble fortresses on wheels, there will be less protection in an accident. Two weeks ago, NHTSA reported that ten out of twelve small cars failed a test in which they crashed into a wall at 35 m.p.h...
...NHTSA orders a recall, Ford, already reeling from the auto sales slump, is expected to fight. It could challenge the order in court. Or it could propose a compromise, such as installing a warning light or buzzer to warn drivers when the transmission is not fully locked into park. Even that could cost, says Ford, more than $300 million...