Feinstein's bill also provides for strong criminal penalties, civil lawsuits by the states and substantial private civil remedies similar to the odometer tampering laws. For the most part, the national debate has focused on economic not public safety issues. Every rebuilt wreck isn't necessarily unsafe. Insurance companies ''total'' many older cars simply because they aren't worth repairing. It's sort of a common-sense thing.
Some anecdotal evidence is chilling.
In 1991 a Kirkland, Wash., couple discovered they had purchased a rebuilt Volvo only after an accident sheared off the poorly welded roof, killing their daughter and leaving their son with a debilitating brain injury. A 1992 anti-car theft package called for the creation of a national database that would track every Vehicle Identification Number from the moment the car leaves the factory. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System was aimed at preventing thieves from acquiring legitimate titles for stolen cars and protecting used-car buyers from unscrupulous rebuilders. The program languished for years in obscurity and inactivity. Today only seven states, including Florida, are participating in a pilot program.