Bill Text: NJ AR277 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges US Congress support "Hot Cars Act of 2019."
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-11-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee [AR277 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR277-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY J. PINKIN
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges US Congress support "Hot Cars Act of 2019."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the United States Congress to support the "Hot Cars Act of 2019."
Whereas, Vehicular heatstroke, a potentially fatal illness resulting from the heat inside a vehicle that causes the body's internal temperature to rise to dangerous levels, is a significant public health and safety problem; and
Whereas, Vehicular heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children under 15 years old, and is primarily a result of an individual forgetting a child or domestic animal in a vehicle's backseat, or a child accessing an unattended vehicle; and
Whereas, In 2018, at least 52 children died from vehicular heatstroke in the United States; and
Whereas, The interior of vehicles heat up quicker than individuals might imagine, potentially rising 20 degrees Fahrenheit within just ten minutes; and
Whereas, On a 95-degree Fahrenheit day, a vehicle's interior can reach up to 180 degrees; and
Whereas, Even when the outside temperature is as low as 57 degrees Fahrenheit, vehicular heatstroke can still occur; and
Whereas, Opening windows does little to mitigate the risks of vehicular heatstroke once the vehicle is turned off; and
Whereas, A child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult's does, leaving children even more susceptible to the dangers of vehicular heatstroke; and
Whereas, Technology currently exists to detect the presence of a child or animal in the rear seat of a vehicle, after the vehicle engine or motor is deactivated, and engage a warning; and
Whereas, The "Hot Cars Act of 2019" would direct the United States Secretary of Transportation to issue a final rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with this technology; and
Whereas, In developing the rule, the "Hot Cars Act of 2019" also instructs the United States Secretary of Transportation to consider requiring systems that detect the presence of any occupant unable to independently exit the vehicle, as well as detect the presence of a child who independently entered an unoccupied vehicle; and
Whereas, The "Hot Cars Act of 2019" would considerably reduce the number of injuries and deaths resulting from forgotten children and animals in unattended vehicles, as well as instances in which children independently access an unoccupied vehicle; now, therefore,
Be It
Resolved by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the United States Congress to support the "Hot Cars Act of 2019" in order to reduce the deaths and injuries that result from vehicular heatstroke.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Transportation, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the United States Congress to support the "Hot Cars Act of 2019."
Vehicular heatstroke, a potentially fatal illness resulting from the heat inside a vehicle that causes the body's internal temperature to rise to dangerous levels, is a significant public health and safety problem.
As the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children under 15 years old, vehicular heatstroke is primarily a result of an individual forgetting a child or domestic animal in a vehicle's backseat, or a child accessing an unattended vehicle. In 2018, at least 52 children died from vehicular heatstroke in the United States.
The interior of vehicles heat up quicker than individuals might imagine, potentially rising 20 degrees Fahrenheit within just ten minutes. On a 95-degree Fahrenheit day, a vehicle's interior can reach up to 180 degrees. Even when the outside temperature is as low as 57 degrees Fahrenheit, vehicular heatstroke can still occur.
Opening windows does little to mitigate the risks of vehicular heatstroke once the vehicle is turned off. Additionally, a child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult's does, leaving children even more susceptible to the dangers of vehicular heatstroke.
However, technology currently exists to detect the presence of a child or animal in the rear seat of a vehicle, after the vehicle engine or motor is deactivated, and engage a warning.
The "Hot Cars Act of 2019" would direct the United States Secretary of Transportation to issue a final rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with this technology. In developing the rule, the "Hot Cars Act of 2019" also instructs the United States Secretary of Transportation to consider requiring systems that detect the presence of any occupant unable to independently exit the vehicle, as well as detect the presence of a child who independently entered an unoccupied vehicle.
The "Hot Cars Act of 2019" would considerably reduce the number of injuries and deaths resulting from forgotten children and animals in unattended vehicles, as well as instances in which children independently access an unoccupied vehicle.
