Proposed Safety Bill Could Hurt Low-Income Vehicle Buyers | News, Sports, Jobs

Legislation requiring more safety features on vehicles weighing more than 3,000 pounds, as proposed by state Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-New York City, comes at perhaps the worst possible time for low-income or poor-credit car buyers.

Vehicles are getting bigger, and with that increase in size comes an associated increase in car-pedestrian accidents that most researchers think is caused in part by an increasing number of blind spots in newer vehicles. A study released earlier this year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety pointed to vehicles getting bigger as reasons for rising pedestrian deaths on U.S. roads. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data showed in 2020 there were 6,519 pedestrians killed in the U.S., a 59% increase from 2009 and a 4% increase from 2019.

Those statistics prompt Hoylman’s bill (S.9528), which is understandable. But the list of items Hoylman wants to see standard on vehicles sold in New York state is longer than Santa Claus’ naughty and nice list — active intelligent speed assist, advanced emergency braking, emergency lane keeping systems, blind spot information systems, drowsiness and distraction recognition technology, rear view camera sensor systems, event data recorders and cyclist and pedestrian detection technology.

Since they have hold all the cards here in New York state, Democrats in the state Legislature should keep in mind as they debate this bill that approving Hoylman’s proposal will add thousands of dollars to the already high cost of a new vehicle and add to used car prices that nationally are higher than they have ever been. The average price of a used vehicle in the United States in November 2021, according to Edmunds.com, was $29,011, 39% more than just 12 months earlier, according to the Associated Press.

Dealer-installed accessories like the ones Hoylman wants to make standard can add thousands of dollars onto the cost of a vehicle — which could put newer vehicles out of reach for low-income buyers or those with poor credit who often need newer, more dependable transportation the most.

This bill should not make it out of committee in its current form, and ideally should wait until this bout of inflation in the car market is under control.