Personal Injury Blog

Feds Propose Standardization of Keyless Ignition Systems

December 20th, 2011
keyless ignition systems

The NHTSA is proposing the standardization of keyless ignition systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing the standardization of keyless ignition systems in an effort to help reduce the number of accidents linked to the operations of these systems.

San Diego car accident lawyers have noted the popularity of push button ignition control systems. In the model year 2002, these were present in about 5,000 vehicles.  They are now present in approximately 1.28 million vehicles of the 2008 model year.  Currently, different automakers have different models of the keyless ignition systems.  In some keyless ignitions, the device has only to be tapped for the engine to shut down, while in others, the motorist needs to hold the control in place for at least 3 seconds for the engine to shut down.

However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering mandating certain standards for keyless ignition control systems.  For instance, the agency is in favor of mandating noise warnings for motorists, who try to turn off their vehicles before putting them in park, or try to exit the car before turning it off or try to exit the vehicle without moving it to park.

The agency also wants to specify the amount of time necessary to push the control to stop the engine.  A driver should be able to stop the car immediately in an emergency without having to wait too long to hold the ignition control in order to do so.  Keyless ignition control systems have been linked partly to the sudden unintended acceleration crisis at Toyota.  In August 2009, a Lexus being driven by an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer went out of control accelerated to excessive speeds and crashed.  All 4 occupants of the car were killed instantly.  In the Lexus that was involved in the accident, the driver needed to hold the keyless control for as long as 3 seconds in order to cut the engine.  In 2007, there was a similar accident involving a Honda Accord.  The driver wanted to switch off the engine in an emergency using the keyless ignition, but could not do so.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now in favor of a half–second time frame in place of the 3 and 2-second time that is currently in place in many keyless ignition systems.  In the new keyless ignition systems, the engine would have to stop within half a 2nd after the driver lost control.  The main aim is to help drivers quickly shut off vehicles in an emergency.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also wants automakers to focus on carbon monoxide poisoning in cars that are very silent when they are idle.  For instance, the Toyota Lexus is extremely silent when it is idle, and drivers may not realize that the car is on.  At least 4 drivers have complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that their cars that were still running in the garage began emitting carbon monoxide gases.

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