The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) congratulated the California Senate for its leadership in the recent passing of Senate Bill 869. This measure, introduced by Sen. Leland Yee and co-sponsored by both the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) and CAPA, would require that airbags be returned to their original operating condition when replaced during collision repair.
“This bill provides California consumers with the strongest airbag protection in the country by strengthening existing penalties as well as requiring repairers to return them to their original operating condition after a repair,” said CAPA Executive Director Jack Gillis.
According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there have been a number of incidents where deaths have occurred as a result of the failure to replace the airbag when repairing a vehicle after an accident. Because there is no competition for airbag replacement parts, the cost of replacing an airbag system is very high.
"At this point it is unknown how many vehicles are on California highways where the occupants innocently assume that the vehicle they are driving has a proper operating airbag," said Gillis. "The benefit of S.B. 869 is that it will have no impact on the practices of responsible body shops who wouldn’t consider putting a vehicle back on the road without functioning airbags. On the other hand, it will be a serious deterrent to those who participate in this practice.
“The passage of S.B. 869 positions California to be one of only two states (Utah being the other) with such a life-saving measure, and Senator Yee should be commended for his leadership in taking this strong pro-consumer stand.”
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