Automakers to Put Gear-Shift Safety System in New Cars

Automakers have reached a deal with the U.S. government to have brake interlock systems in all new vehicles by 2010 to prevent children from accidentally shifting vehicles out of park, officials said Thursday.

The interlock system, already standard on many vehicles, lets the vehicle be shifted out of park only when the brake pedal is pressed. It prevents the vehicle from unintentionally rolling.

Nineteen automakers that operate in the U.S. reached the deal with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Agency head Nicole Nason said the agreement was spurred by New Hampshire state Rep. Packy Campbell, whose 21-month-old son, Ian, was killed in 2004 when his 4-year-old brother accidentally shifted the family car into gear. The car rolled, crushing the boy.

“A 2-year-old child, a 4-year-old child, a 5-year-old child are not going to be able to roll cars anymore as a result of this agreement,” Campbell said at a news conference in Concord, N.H. “Lives are going to be saved as a result of this agreement.”

Campbell said he was able to bring his proposal to federal regulators through a meeting arranged by the office of U.S. Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.).

Automakers have been sued over a number of accidents involving vehicles accidentally put in gear. About 3 million vehicles sold each year in the U.S. lack a brake-shift interlock. Nason estimated that since 2000 there had been 40 accidents, seven fatal.

The agreement was first reported by the Detroit News. Part of the agreement requires automakers to disclose which vehicles already have brake interlocks and which do not. Nason said the data would be posted on the agency’s website by Sept. 1.