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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cameron Gulbransen 
Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. EVALUATION OF DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGY TO 
REDUCE CHILD INJURY AND DEATH FROM 
PARKED OR UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall evaluate—
(1) devices and technologies intended to reduce 
the incidence of child injury and child death occur-
ring outside of parked motor vehicles in nontraffic, 
noncrash events, including backing-over incidents, 
that are caused by such vehicles, and determining 
which of those methods is the most effective; and 
(2) currently available technology to prevent in-
jury and death of children left unattended inside of 
parked motor vehicles, including injury or death due 
to hyperthermia, power windows, or power sunroofs. 
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary of Transportation shall 
submit a report on the findings and determinations of the 
evaluation under this section to the Congress by not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) COMPLETION
OF
RULEMAKING
REGARDING 
POWER WINDOWS.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall by not later than 6 months after the submission of 
the report under subsection (b) complete any rulemaking 
begun before the date of the enactment of this Act regard-
ing power windows and power window switches.
SEC. 3. DATABASE FOR TRACKING THE NUMBER AND 
TYPES OF INJURIES AND DEATHS IN NON-
TRAFFIC, NONCRASH EVENTS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a database of (or modify an existing 
database to include), and collect data regarding, the num-
bers and types of injuries and deaths in nontraffic, 
noncrash events involving motor vehicles. 
(b) INCLUDED INFORMATION.—The Secretary of 
Transportation shall collect and include in such database 
the following information: 
(1) The types, makes, models, and model years 
of motor vehicles involved in nontraffic, noncrash 
events. 
(2) Whether there was an operator of each 
motor vehicle in such events. 
(3) The age of each operator of such motor ve-
hicles. 
(4) The age of each individual who suffered in-
jury or death in such events. 
(5) Whether each motor vehicle had technology 
installed to detect individuals and objects behind it. 
(6) The degree of injury to each individual who 
suffered injury or death in such events. 
(7) The location of which the injury or death 
occurred.
(8) Any other information prescribed by the 
Secretary of Transportation. 
(c) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall make information in the database under this section 
available to the public, through—
(1) an Internet page of the Department of 
Transportation; and 
(2) annual reports. 
SEC. 4. MOTOR VEHICLE BACKOVER PREVENTION TECH-
NOLOGY EVALUATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall evaluate the available technologies for detecting and 
preventing collisions with individuals and objects behind 
a motor vehicle, with respect to the accuracy, effectiveness, 
cost, and feasibility of installation of such technologies in 
a wide variety of motor vehicles. 
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary of Transportation shall 
submit a report on the findings of the evaluation under 
this section to the Congress by not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS REQUIRING 
BACKUP DETECTION DEVICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Based on the findings of the eval-
uation under section 4, the Secretary of Transportation 
shall prescribe motor vehicle safety standards that—
(1) require the installation, as standard equip-
ment on a new motor vehicle, of devices for detect-
ing, and providing to operators of such a vehicle a 
warning of, individuals and objects behind the motor 
vehicle; and 
(2) establish requirements for the performance 
of such devices. 
(b) PHASED-IN APPLICATION.—Standards prescribed 
under this section shall take effect (as specified by the 
standards) over the 3-year period beginning on the date 
of the submission of the report under section 4(b), as fol-
lows: 
(1) With respect to light trucks (as defined by 
the Administration for purposes of the standards), 
by not later than the end of the 2-year period begin-
ning on such date. 
(2) With respect to other passenger motor vehi-
cles specified by the Secretary of Transportation, 
after the end of such 2-year period and by not later 
than the end of the 3-year period beginning on such 
date. 
SEC. 6. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS FOR POWER 
WINDOWS AND POWER SUNROOFS. 
The Secretary of Transportation shall, by not later 
than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
prescribe motor vehicle safety standards for power win-
dows and power sunroofs, that—
(1) ensure that the operation of power windows, 
power window switches, and power sunroofs cannot 
result in deaths and injuries; and 
(2) require inclusion with power windows and 
power sunroofs of—
(A) child-safe switches; and 
(B) auto reverse technology.
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