I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3683

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to evaluate devices and technology 

for reducing the incidence of child injury and death occurring inside 

or outside of motor vehicles, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 8, 2003

Mr. KING of New York (for himself and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to evaluate devices 

and technology for reducing the incidence of child injury 

and death occurring inside or outside of motor vehicles, 

and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cameron Gulbransen 

5 Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2003’’. 
2

•HR 3683 IH 

1 SEC. 2. EVALUATION OF DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGY TO 

2 REDUCE CHILD INJURY AND DEATH FROM 

3 PARKED OR UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 

5 shall evaluate—

6 (1) devices and technologies intended to reduce 

7 the incidence of child injury and child death occur8 ring outside of parked motor vehicles in nontraffic, 

9 noncrash events, including backing-over incidents, 

10 that are caused by such vehicles, and determining 

11 which of those methods is the most effective; and 

12 (2) currently available technology to prevent in13 jury and death of children left unattended inside of 

14 parked motor vehicles, including injury or death due 

15 to hyperthermia, power windows, or power sunroofs. 

16 (b) REPORT.—The Secretary of Transportation shall 

17 submit a report on the findings and determinations of the 

18 evaluation under this section to the Congress by not later 

19 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

20 (c) COMPLETION OF RULEMAKING REGARDING

21 POWER WINDOWS.—The Secretary of Transportation 

22 shall by not later than 6 months after the submission of 

23 the report under subsection (b) complete any rulemaking 

24 begun before the date of the enactment of this Act regard25 ing power windows and power window switches. 
3

•HR 3683 IH 

1 SEC. 3. DATABASE FOR TRACKING THE NUMBER AND 

2 TYPES OF INJURIES AND DEATHS IN NON3 TRAFFIC, NONCRASH EVENTS. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor5 tation shall establish a database of (or modify an existing 

6 database to include), and collect data regarding, the num7 bers and types of injuries and deaths in nontraffic, 

8 noncrash events involving motor vehicles. 

9 (b) INCLUDED INFORMATION.—The Secretary of 

10 Transportation shall collect and include in such database 

11 the following information: 

12 (1) The types, makes, models, and model years 

13 of motor vehicles involved in nontraffic, noncrash 

14 events. 

15 (2) Whether there was an operator of each 

16 motor vehicle in such events. 

17 (3) The age of each operator of such motor ve18 hicles. 

19 (4) The age of each individual who suffered in20 jury or death in such events. 

21 (5) Whether each motor vehicle had technology 

22 installed to detect individuals and objects behind it. 

23 (6) The degree of injury to each individual who 

24 suffered injury or death in such events. 

25 (7) The location of which the injury or death 

26 occurred. 
4

•HR 3683 IH 

1 (8) Any other information prescribed by the 

2 Secretary of Transportation. 

3 (c) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of Transportation 

4 shall make information in the database under this section 

5 available to the public, through—

6 (1) an Internet page of the Department of 

7 Transportation; and 

8 (2) annual reports. 

9 SEC. 4. MOTOR VEHICLE BACKOVER PREVENTION TECH10 NOLOGY EVALUATION. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 

12 shall evaluate the available technologies for detecting and 

13 preventing collisions with individuals and objects behind 

14 a motor vehicle, with respect to the accuracy, effectiveness, 

15 cost, and feasibility of installation of such technologies in 

16 a wide variety of motor vehicles. 

17 (b) REPORT.—The Secretary of Transportation shall 

18 submit a report on the findings of the evaluation under 

19 this section to the Congress by not later than one year 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

21 SEC. 5. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS REQUIRING 

22 BACKUP DETECTION DEVICES. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Based on the findings of the eval24 uation under section 4, the Secretary of Transportation 

25 shall prescribe motor vehicle safety standards that—
5

•HR 3683 IH 

1 (1) require the installation, as standard equip2 ment on a new motor vehicle, of devices for detect3 ing, and providing to operators of such a vehicle a 

4 warning of, individuals and objects behind the motor 

5 vehicle; and 

6 (2) establish requirements for the performance 

7 of such devices. 

8 (b) PHASED-IN APPLICATION.—Standards prescribed 

9 under this section shall take effect (as specified by the 

10 standards) over the 3-year period beginning on the date 

11 of the submission of the report under section 4(b), as fol12 lows: 

13 (1) With respect to light trucks (as defined by 

14 the Administration for purposes of the standards), 

15 by not later than the end of the 2-year period begin16 ning on such date. 

17 (2) With respect to other passenger motor vehi18 cles specified by the Secretary of Transportation, 

19 after the end of such 2-year period and by not later 

20 than the end of the 3-year period beginning on such 

21 date. 

22 SEC. 6. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS FOR POWER 

23 WINDOWS AND POWER SUNROOFS. 

24 The Secretary of Transportation shall, by not later 

25 than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
6

•HR 3683 IH 

1 prescribe motor vehicle safety standards for power win2 dows and power sunroofs, that—

3 (1) ensure that the operation of power windows, 

4 power window switches, and power sunroofs cannot 

5 result in deaths and injuries; and 

6 (2) require inclusion with power windows and 

7 power sunroofs of—

8 (A) child-safe switches; and 

9 (B) auto reverse technology.

Æ