Carbon monoxide deaths, auto industry targeted in new bill
Auto manufacturers, dealers, and rental companies in Massachusetts would be required to ensure that vehicles with keyless ignitions are equipped with auto-stop technology under new legislation aimed at preventing carbon monoxide deaths.
Rep. Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead, who announced the bill's filing on Monday, said the legislation (HD 4366) would address the rising number of poisoning cases and deaths, including the 2019 deaths of James Livingston and Sherry Penney, the former chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston.
According to Ehrlich's office, keyless ignition technology has become standard in more than half of the 17 million vehicles sold annually in the U.S. No federal agency is required to maintain records of carbon monoxide deaths related to keyless ignition vehicles, but Ehrlich's office, citing a 2018 New York Times report based on data from lawsuits, reports, police and fire records, estimated at least 28 deaths and 45 injuries since 2006.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2011 filed rules related to keyless ignition vehicles, including automatic shutdown technology, but "persistent industry opposition has delayed implementation of those rules and the NHTSA has yet to institute the standards," according to Ehrlich's office.
"When the federal government fails to protect people from corporate negligence, states must lead the way. This is not complicated or expensive technology and will certainly save lives," said Ehrlich, noting that General Motors in a 2015 recall retrofitted vehicles that have keyless ignitions with automatic shutoff technology at a cost of only $5 per vehicle.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly said James Livingston and Sherry Penney died in 2017. They passed away in 2019.
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