Posted On: March 2, 2010
US DOT to Require New Brake Technology
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a Senate committee on Tuesday the Obama administration is considering a proposal to require that all U.S. vehicles be equipped with special brake technology that ensures a car will stop when both the gas pedal and brakes are activated. Experts say some cases of unintended acceleration may have resulted in accidents if a car's electronics favored the brakes over the accelerator.
Mr. Rockefeller, the Senate Commerce Committee chairman, suggested that some of Toyota's problems could have been prevented if its vehicles had been equipped with "smart pedal" technology. Toyota is moving to install the system in some current models and most new vehicles.
