Car Safety Bill Would Prevent Houston Companies From Renting out Recalled Cars « Houston Accident Attorney | Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Houston

Car Safety Bill Would Prevent Houston Companies From Renting out Recalled Cars

A new bill that has been introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer would prevent rental car companies from renting out cars that have been included in a recall list. The three major car rental agencies in the US have already made clear their opposition to any such legislation.

The bill by Sen. Schumer is based on statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which found that the practice of renting out cars on a recall list without repairs is widely prevalent among some of the biggest rental car companies in the US. The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration focused on the three biggest rental car companies in the US-Enterprise, Avis and Hertz.

The study found that Enterprise had the best rate of repairing recalled cars before renting them out, at a rate of 68%. At Avis/Budget, that rate was just 53%, while at Hertz, the rate of repairs of recalled vehicles before renting them out within a period of 90 days, was just 34%. Senator Schumer based his proposed legislation on these alarming facts.

According to the senator, rental car companies should not be given the freedom to simply rent out cars that have been recalled, without getting these fixed. Current laws don’t allow automakers to display recalled vehicles in auto showrooms or dealer lots, and the same rule should apply to rental car companies too.

Al three rental car companies have now written a joint letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, finding fault with the study. According to the rental car companies, their policies regarding grounding of recalled vehicles are effective. They pick and choose which recalled vehicles need to be grounded, and rent vehicles accordingly.

When it comes to the safety of American motorists, no company should be allowed to pick and choose. I have no doubt that the rental car industry will lobby hard to prevent the passing of this bill. Anyone with any interest in auto/highway safety should come out strongly in support of this legislation.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Houston car accident attorney, representing injured victims of auto/car accidents across Texas, and nationwide.