|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
CONTACT: Ruth
A. Myers |
State Rep. Ted Harhai |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Harhai’s consumer protection bill approved in House
HARRISBURG, Sept. 25 – The state House of Representatives today approved a bill authored by state Rep. Ted Harhai, D-Westmoreland/Fayette, that would require consumers to be notified if a “black box” is installed in their vehicle.
The bill (H.B. 487) would require sellers and leasing agencies to disclose whether a vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder and, if it is, to provide a description of the kind of data the EDR is able to record.
“EDRs have helped manufacturers build safer cars and are a necessary part of automobile technology,” Harhai said. “But most people don’t even know that these devices are in their cars and that the information they store could be used against them. This legislation is intended only to provide that disclosure.”
Harhai informed House members that EDR data is not 100 percent reliable, citing as examples a Westmoreland County fatal accident and an accident that involved the governor of Maine.
Similar to the "black boxes" found in airplanes, EDRs record the status of car system readings such as braking, steering, vehicle speed, airbag deployment and seat belt use immediately before, during and after an accident. The data is often used in automobile manufacturer research and federal safety research, as well as in police accident investigations.
The data retrieved from an EDR would be able to be used as evidence in legal proceedings as long as it is not the only evidence to be considered in the case; however, the bill would prohibit the downloading or retrieval of that data unless:
- the owner of the vehicle consents to the downloading, retrieval or use of the data;
- the data is the subject of a court-ordered subpoena;
- the vehicle has been involved in an accident;
- an authorized individual is allowed to download or retrieve data for the purposes of improving vehicle safety;
- data is retrieved for diagnosing, servicing or repairing the vehicle; or
- the National Transportation Safety Board makes a request related to an official investigation.
-more-
-2-
Any data downloaded or retrieved for purposes other than those identified would be inadmissible in any civil, criminal or administrative action. A violation of the measure would be considered a violation of the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protections law.
The legislation, which passed by a vote of 150-49, now heads to the Senate for consideration.
###ram/2007/mjh l:\print\releases\BlackBoxPass.058
Attention Radio News Directors: an actuality from Rep. Harhai is available by calling 1-800-452-3001. Enter PA58(7-2-58) and the pound sign (#) at the menu prompt to get today’s sound. You can also download the sound in .mp3 format by visiting www.pahouse.com/mediacenter.