US safety groups call for regulation on recall rental cars - Car Rental News
US safety groups call for regulation on recall rental cars
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Car Rental News - 23/02/2012
Safety advocates in the US are calling on lawmakers to regulate the use of recalled vehicles in the car hire industry.
The plea follows a 2004 incident in which two rental patrons died in a hire car that was later referred to as a “a ticking time bomb” the victims’ mother.
The family of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck was later awarded $15 million (£9.5 million) after Enterprise rent-a-car admitted guilt in the ordeal. The award came after it was discovered that the PT Cruiser they had rented had been recalled due to a power steering-related safety issue that Enterprise had not yet responded to.
Now, Cally Houck and safety advocates say the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should keep a watchful eye on the situation and that the agency has yet to apply regulation to the scenario since the 2004 incident.
Meanwhile some rental firms have since responded. Hertz said this week that it had agreed to government oversight of recalled rental vehicles and had reached an agreement with safety group Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS) to push for enabling the US Congress to empower the NHTSA.
The CARS and Hertz agreement brings further steam to an amendment recently spearheaded by two US senators, Democrats Barbara Boxer of California and Charles Schumer of New York.
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