With most of its rules decades old, federal highway agency admits some are weak or out of date.
Measures also fail to keep pace with technology and market trends.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has acknowledged that a number of its standards are weak, out of date or fail to address important causes of traffic injuries and deaths. But fixing the problem has proved elusive. The agency repeatedly rejected appeals to address the risk of people dying in locked automobile trunks, moving only after a string of deaths involving young children. Magnifying the impact of the delays on public safety are the long lead times auto makers usually get to comply once a tougher standard is adopted. They said the agency will stand on its record of helping to achieve dramatic gains in highway safety.