Res. No. 1277 Title Resolution calling upon the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to approve rules requiring all new vehicles in the United States be equipped with a trunk release mechanism that would allow trunks to be opened from the inside. Body By Council Members Nelson, Boyland, Malave-Dilan, Fisher, Freed, Henry, Lasher, Marshall, Miller, Reed, Warden Watkins, Golden, Oddo and Stabile; also Council Members DiBrienza, Eisland, Foster, Harrison, Michels, O'Donovan, Pinkett, Provenzano, Robinson, Rodriguez and Spigner Whereas, During the summer of 1998, 11 children age six and under died after climbing into the trunks of their family cars and were unable to escape; and Whereas, The problem of accidental deaths due to entrapment in automobile trunks had gone unaddressed since at least 1984 when National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first denied a request to mandate release mechanisms inside automobile trunks; and Whereas, In November 1998, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requested that an Expert Panel on Trunk Entrapment be formed; and Whereas, In June 1999, the Expert Panel recommended that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration enact rules mandating interior trunk releases, establish a system of national data collection, and develop an education program that would warn children of the dangers of trunk entrapment without making climbing into trunks appear attractive; and Whereas, General Motors, Daimler-Chrysler, Nissan North America, Subaru of America and Ford are offering, or plan to offer, kits to install in trunks which enable them to be opened from the inside; and Whereas, On December 17, 1999, NHTA issued a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" Docket No. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 99-5063 in the Federal Register volume 64 number 242, page 70672 to "require that all new vehicles with trunks come equipped with a release latch inside the trunk compartment beginning January 1, 2001"; and Whereas, The comment period for this rulemaking having expired; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to approve rules requiring all new vehicles in the United States be equipped with a trunk release mechanism that would allow trunks to be opened from the inside. ls# 2713 3/06/2000 NMR:lc |1013| |1013|