DMVs Nationwide Step Up Effort To Educate Drivers Of Safety Risk Posed By Common Auto Theft Device

California joins Automobile Safety Foundation in educating drivers and extenuative lives.

San Diego, CA -- In an accomplishment to brainwash drivers of the potentially baleful assurance hazards airish by a accepted auto annexation blockage device, an accretion amount of states are including advice adopted from the Automobile Safety Foundation (ASF), a not-for-profit auto assurance accumulation committed to convalescent car assurance and extenuative lives, apropos the safe operation of council lock systems.
    
Adhering to ASF’s advisory, which cautions drivers of the dangers associated with council lock systems and provides operational instructions for all locking mechanisms in production, The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which will book the ASF council lock admonishing and operational abstracts in its 2006 California Driver Handbook, is the latest to accompany this civic effort. Florida, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Maryland, Oklahoma, Iowa, Utah, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, South Dakota, Nevada and North Dakota are a allotment of a amount of states already application the foundation’s copyrighted educational materials.
    
In an attack to abode and “reduce the accident of crashes consistent from annexation and adventitious rollaway of motor vehicles,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114 of 1969 appropriate all manufacturers to accouter new commuter cars with a key-locking arrangement that prevented advancement already the agitation key was removed. Although accepting accurate as almost abortive measures in black auto annexation -- which has added than tripled back their addition -- council lock systems accept aswell been active in "property damage, austere injuries and fatalities…” from “inadvertent lockup.” as declared in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Federal Register.
    
Despite abundant chump letters with NHTSA, ASF, Highway Patrols and assorted accessible assurance organizations about accidents reportedly acquired by “inadvertent lockups,” the NHTSA, DOT, civic DMVs and added authoritative bodies accept done little to replace, alternation and/or acquaint the accessible of the hazard ... until now.

The ASF, in affiliation with accompaniment DMVs and departments of accessible safety, is co-authoring actual that will abetment the accessible in acceptable accustomed with the assorted assurance appearance of commonly-used auto lock systems. Currently accepting printed in a lot of disciplinarian handbooks and artery assurance literature, the cautionary account reads, “Never about-face your vehicle's agitation to the 'lock' position while it is still in motion. This will could cause the council caster to lock and you will lose ascendancy of your vehicle."

Supplementing this accomplishment in compassionate that the operation of council locks is axiological to safe driving, the ASF, in accession to alive with accompaniment departments to book the aloft caveat, has produced a wallet-sized biking card. Enabling drivers to abolish keys on adopted or busy vehicles, aid in auto annexation blockage and abstain abeyant accident of car control, it carries the admonishing and displays operating instructions for the six accepted council lock systems. Exclusively accessible through the ASF website (www.carsafe.org), the ASF Card is able to be customized with claimed acquaintance information, alternative emergency buzz agenda capabilities and is adulatory accessible to the accessible with a one-time, tax deductible donation. ASF welcomes accumulated advocacy for the ASF Card.

With the actualization of 21st aeon pre-emptive auto annexation technologies including keyless and/or cyberbanking apathy systems –as against to tumbler-activated and spring-loaded designs, which can abrasion out and malfunction over time causing the council to al of a sudden lock. General Motors, Chrysler and some Ford Models, with advance from the ASF, accept alien the new safe and able “Immobilizer” anti-theft blockage alternative. As a result, a lot of auto makers, today, accept at atomic one archetypal in assembly with the new “Immobilizer” systems. Endorsed by the NHTSA as and “advancement” in “modern annexation blockage technology,” that constitutes “technological advances,” the ASF proactively supports the accumulation to achieve added accelerating legislation that regulates and mandates the use of these avant-garde technologies.”
        
Founded in 1988, the Automobile Safety Foundation is an absolute 501 (c) (3) non profit, alignment that researches and develops means to advance car assurance while acclamation accessible active acquaintance and auto assurance issues. Although the ASF does not serve companies or clandestine absorption organizations, the foundation encourages government agencies and auto articles akin to accept regulations and accessories in abutment of car and disciplinarian safety, including alien airbags, shock arresting seats, safe mirrors that abate and/or annihilate aphotic spots, hands-free cellular and ache arrangement technologies, as able-bodied as addition fuels. For advice on the foundation’s efforts, including the ASF Card, or to ask about advocacy opportunities and to accomplish a donation/grant, amuse appointment www.carsafe.org or alarm 858.831.1871. You can aswell address the Automobile Safety Foundation at P.O. Box 12183 La Jolla, CA 92039-2183.

###