Press Release - Rockefeller Wins Fight to Provide Safety Rating on New Cars
Press Release - Rockefeller Wins Fight to Provide Safety Rating on New Cars
-5-Star "Stars on Cars" System Will Appear in 2007-
Washington, DC - Marking the culmination of his fight to make auto safety ratings as prominent as a new car's sticker price, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) applauded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator's agreement to carry out "Stars on Cars." Stars on Cars, a 5-star safety rating sticker system, will begin appearing in 2007, giving car shoppers an evaluation of how each model protects occupants in the event of a crash.
"Giving consumers the means to see a car's safety ratings is critical," said Rockefeller. "Parents and all consumers will now find it easier to factor in the issue of safety for their families and children. That means that safety can be part of the equation when they buy a new car.
"Consumers should have as much information as possible at their fingertips, so that they can make informed choices. Stars on Cars gives them that opportunity."
Cars will be rated according to a five-star system, with five stars being the safest car, while one star represents the most dangerous car. NHTSA already rates the crash test performance of a car, based on rollover resistance and frontal and side impact crashes. But those ratings are only available on the NHTSA website. Now, the star ratings will appear on the cars as they sit on the dealership lot.
Rockefeller and Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) included the Stars on Cars provision in last year's transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005.
Rockefeller has long been an auto safety advocate. In addition to Stars on Cars, Rockefeller successfully won inclusion of a number of other auto safety provisions in the transportation bill, including measures to better protect child occupants, prevent vehicle rollover, protect against side-impact crashes, and occupant ejection.
http://rockefeller.senate.gov/news/2006/pr092106.html