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New Law Will Help
Families Buy a Safer Car
Finding a vehicle that's safe for your family is
about to get a lot easier thanks to a new federal
regulation requiring safety ratings on the window
stickers for all new cars, mini-vans and
sport-utility vehicles.
The new rule goes into effect in 2007 and will
require that rating information from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) be
displayed on part of the window sticker on new cars
beginning with the 2008 model year.
Dubbed the "Stars on Cars Rule," the requirement
will help consumers measure a vehicle's safety
information by the number of safety stars on the
sticker.
The new vehicle price stickers will contain NHTSA
safety ratings in three areas - front and side crash
and non-destructive rollover tests. All three tests
use the five-star rating, with five stars being the
safest.
"By making safety a selling point, it is my hope
that this rule will encourage the faster development
of these kinds of technologies," stated Nicole Nason,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator.
While this safety information is already accessible
on the Internet at www.safercar.gov, the new rule
will make it a lot easier for car buyers - as all
they will have to do is go from car to car and
compare the numbers of safety stars on the window.
"This measure just makes sense. By placing safety
ratings directly on new car window stickers,
consumers will have the ability to make more
informed decisions right there on the car sales
lot," said Ohio Senator Mike DeWine, who sponsored
the legislation creating the "Stars on Cars"
program.
The new star ratings will join other information on
car pricing stickers already required by law -- such
as cost, fuel economy, and vehicle features.
If you want to review a car's safety ratings before
the new rule goes into effect, visit
www.safercar.gov, a government Web site that offers
detailed safety information on all sorts of car
makes and models dating back to 1990. This
information can be useful when evaluating the
purchase of a new or used car.
(SPM Wire)
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