Court to weigh challenge over delayed auto safety rule

Safety advocates are taking the Obama administration to court over delayed regulations imposing stricter standards for rearview technology in vehicles.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York will hear a challenge from groups who say the Transportation Department has blown congressionally mandated deadlines for the long-sought rule, aimed at protecting children from getting backed over.

{mosads}The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act requires automakers to install rearview cameras or similar technology in all cars. The 2007 statute gave the Transportation Department until 2011 to enact the regulations.

But the agency pulled back last year, claiming it needed until 2015 to conduct further analysis.

 Safety advocates, represented by the group Public Citizen, responded with a lawsuit challenging the delay. They say as many as two children are killed per week by vehicles backing over them.

In December, the agency’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration submitted a revamped version of the regulations to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, where it remains under review.

The delays have also prompted pushback from Congress, where lawmakers, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), have criticized the delays.


Proponents stress that then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was among the rule’s supporters.