NHTSA Weighing Merits of Brake Override Mandate

WASHINGTON - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering whether to recommend that all cars and trucks sold in the U.S. be required to have brakes that can override gas pedals, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said this week. 

LaHood made the statement March 2 while addressing the Senate Commerce Committee, the Associated Press reported. Some safety advocates have recommended such a mandate to prevent sudden acceleration problems like those that have prompted the Toyota recalls. 

"We're looking at it," LaHood said. "We think it is a good safety device, and we're trying to figure out if we should be recommending that." 

LaHood appeared at a hearing scheduled to examine the sudden-acceleration problem. 

During the hearing, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) argued that strong legislative action was needed, including mandates for brake overrides. Rockefeller is the committee's chairman.