WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Auto safety and consumer groups pressured U.S. automakers and the government on Tuesday to change design features of power windows to improve child safety.
Led by a national safety group, "Kids and Cars," the advocates are seeking voluntarily action by auto manufacturers but will also petition federal regulators to force change if necessary.
The nonprofit child safety group called on the industry to redesign "rocker" and "toggle" switches so windows cannot be activated accidentally. The group also recommended an auto-reverse feature so the window will retreat, like elevator or garage doors, if its movement is blocked.
"Detroit-based automakers can prevent children from being killed or injured by designing and installing safer power windows and power window switches," Janette Fennell, president of "Kids and Cars," told a news conference.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has previously rejected requests to make car manufacturers install auto reverse, mainly because of the cost. But the agency, in 1996, ordered the industry to make window switches less prone to activate accidentally.
Regulators are compiling power window death and injury statistics as part of a larger safety study. Preliminary government figures show up to four deaths annually. But the agency has no current information on injuries, which previous studies have numbered at roughly 500 a year. Many involved injuries to fingers, hands and arms.
According to "Kids and Cars," an 11-year-old in Indiana was killed in April. There were four known deaths last year and one serious injury, the group said.