September 12, 2004

Safe Power Window Campaign - Fact Sheet

Problem:

· Power windows in automobiles have killed or injured thousands of children. Since 1990 at least thirty-seven children have been killed by power-windows, most of them age 3 and younger. The death toll keeps rising. Eight fatalities have occurred so far this year.[i]

· A 1997 study by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that each year 500 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to power windows; and half of those are children. [ii] No new studies have been conducted about injury patterns surrounding power windows since 1997 and now over 90% of vehicles come equipped with power windows. The projected number of 500 injures per year most probably underestimates the true magnitude of the number of injuries; and there are no figures available for the number of injuries that occur for which medical treatment is not sought.

· Most of the deaths have occurred in cars made by US automakers because foreign automobiles have safer power windows and switches. Most American cars sold overseas have these safer features but they are not available for US consumers.[iii]

Public Opinion:

A national poll conducted by Harris Interactive on July 17, 2003 found that:

· 75% of respondents and 78% of parents were unaware that power windows have killed and injured children.

· 84% of all respondents and 86% of parents want American automakers to install safer power windows.

· 89% of respondents believe American automakers should install the same safer power windows in vehicles for the US market that they do in cars sold overseas.

· 75% of respondents and 78% of parents are willing to pay slightly more for cars with safer power windows.

Power Window Facts:

· Power windows can exert an upward force of 30-80 pounds, which is more than is necessary in most cases to raise the window. It takes just 22 pounds of force to suffocate or injure an infant and two pounds of force to activate the switch.

· “Rocker” (push down) or “toggle” (push forward or backward) power window switches are used in most automobiles made by Detroit-based automakers, which a child can easily activate inadvertently.

Example of Models Sold Overseas with Safer Power Windows:

· Auto-reverse technology (stops a window if an obstruction is detected-much like the proven technology in garage doors and elevators) is standard equipment in the Ford Focus sold in Europe. If you purchase a Ford Focus in the US, not only does it NOT have the auto reverse feature, you can not even get it as an option.

· Auto-reverse mechanisms also are commonly included on cars sold in Europe. More than 80 percent of European models have auto-reverse mechanisms, while fewer than 10 percent of GM, Ford and Chrysler models do.

· On April 8, 2003, the European Union passed legislation (74/60/EEC/2000/4/EC) mandating that all new cars sold in Europe be equipped with safer switches. While American-made cars will adhere to this new standard in Europe, we need to add this same feature to all vehicles sold in the U.S.

What Automakers Can Do, But Have Not:

· Replace “rocker” and “toggle” switches with safer “pull-up/push down” switches that must be lifted to raise the window. The change of switches costs next to nothing and could save automakers money if a standardized system is implemented.

· Install auto-reverse mechanisms for all power windows. Consumers are willing to pay this additional cost of $8-10 per window in the price of the car.

· Warn owners of vehicles about the dangers of power windows in the owners manual.

· Auto makers need to stop accusing devastated parents of being negligent. According to the Harris poll conducted on July 17, 2003, parents are unaware of how dangerous power windows can be to children. Since the definition of negligence is "knowledge of a danger and choosing to ignore it," the auto makers are negligent because they have known about this problem for over 35 years and have not fixed the problem. Parents who have lost children in this preventable manner never meant for any harm to come to their children and live the rest of their lives with self-guilt and do not need the auto companies to add to their grief.

· The 2004 Ford F-150 truck and Ford Freestar (formerly the WindStar) minivan have recently been completely redesigned. They continue to install the dangerous "rocker" switches, but simply made them smaller. Over one-million vehicles with unsafe power windows will be put in the marketplace by the sales of these two vehicles alone this year.

Automaker Admissions

· In a video deposition in 1997, an engineer for an American automaker claimed that the industry would change power windows if they knew of deaths. For some reason the engineer was not informed about the deaths, but auto manufacturers have known about the deaths of children for decades and have done nothing.

· In a court deposition in the late 1990s, one of GM's engineers, Thomas Ankeny, stated that it would be safer to design a window that could go only down, never up, when the switch is pressed.

· Ford used the safer pull-up/push down switches on numerous vehicles from the 1980s until 1994. They stopped because of “styling reasons,” not safety, according to testimony of Ford representative Bobby Bedi.

· In September 1996, L.W. Camp, a Ford official, wrote to the NHTSA about pull-up/push down switches: "…Closing these windows requires the switch to be pulled up and held. The intent of these design features is to minimize the chance of unintentional activation of power window closing that could, with other switch design configurations, result from a child leaning or resting a foot on the switch."

· Basically all law suits against automakers regarding dangerous power windows have never gone to trial. As a condition of settlement of these cases, auto makers impose gag orders so the families often are not allowed to talk about their settlements.

Chronology:

· One early incident happened in the auto industry’s backyard. In 1962, a Dodge power window nearly strangled the son of Detroit’s mayor.

· Ralph Nader sent a letter in 1968 to the National Highway Safety Board about the danger of power windows and modification needs.

· After decades of deaths and injuries, in the early 1990’s , foreign automakers changed their power window switches and began installing auto-reverse in a majority of their cars. American automakers still have not.

· Recent petitions for mandated changes in power window switches have been presented to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and are still under consideration. One petition has been open without a ruling since 1996, and a January 2003 petition also has resulted in no action.

· Several advocacy groups (Center for Auto Safety, Kids And Cars, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Consumer Federation of America, Trauma Foundation and the Zoie Foundation) filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) on August 19, 2003 requesting a rule for safer power windows switches and auto-reverse mechanisms be installed on new vehicles. NHTSA has not even acknowledged that they have received the petition; though NHTSA rules require the administrator to respond to such petitions within 120 days.

· The Senate version of the Transportation bill passed the entire Senate with the language Senator DeWine provided on February 12, 2004. The entire Transportation bill is currently pending in the House-Senate conference committee. It took Congress passing bill to finally get NHTSA to begin to move forward on the issue.