West Palm Beach, FL – When you’re traveling for business or are on a family vacation and you rent a car, what vehicle do you choose and why? Do you rent based on size, price, fuel economy, or comfort? What about vehicle safety?
Did you know that rental car companies are allowed to rent and even sell cars that are involved in a safety recall and are defective? While this may seem inexcusable, these rental car companies have not broken any laws because current statutes and regulations do not require rental car companies to fix recalled vehicles. New federal legislation however hopes to ensure the safety of millions of people who rent cars.
A bill introduced by Senator Charles E. Schumer, called the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2011, would make it so car rental companies could not rent recalled vehicles that have not been fixed and would prohibit the sale of rental cars with uncorrected defects.
“We are now one step closer to making sure that families who rent cars are not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle that could have a dangerous defect,” said bill sponsor Schumer. “This law will make it clear that if there is a defect in car it either gets fixed, or it doesn’t rented.”
The bill also requires two studies – One study would address reports that rental companies have ordered new vehicles without side air bags or other safety features. The second study would determine whether rental car companies were selling cars that they knew were about to be recalled.
Hertz is the only major rental car company that has just recently announced its support for regulations on rentals of recalled vehicles, while Enterprise Rent-A-Car appears apprehensive, according to WPTV News Channel 5 news story.
Hertz has reached an agreement with advocacy group Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety that calls for Congress to give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration oversight of recalled vehicles owned by rental companies.
“Most consumers would never expect that the rental car they are driving is defective or was subject to a recall,” said attorney Scott Murray of Murray Guari. “This bill will help prevent tragic automobile accidents and make our roadways safer.”
The personal injury law firm of Murray Guari Trial Attorneys PL was founded in 2005. The firm is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 1525 N. Flagler Drive, Suite 100. The attorneys can be contacted at (561) 366-9099. Additional information about Murray Guari Trial Attorneys PL may be obtained from the firm’s website at www.murrayguari.com.
Contact
Jason Guari, Murray Guari Trial Attorneys PL
(561) 366-9099
jguari@murrayguari.com
Kim Sailer, BARD Marketing/PR
ksailer@bardmarketing.com
