The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a technical report that evaluates the effectiveness of electronic stability control (ESC) systems in reducing crash-related fatalities involving light-duty vehicles weighing less than 10,000 lbs. The report updates statistics previously analyzed in 2004, 2007 and 2011. 

As of January 1, 2016, it will be illegal to sell, distribute or install a wheel weight in Minnesota that contains lead or mercury. The law also requires proper recycling of lead- or mercury-based weights removed from vehicles. California, Illinois, New York, Maine, Vermont and Washington have already enacted laws banning the manufacture, sale and use of lead weights.

The U.S. House of Representatives included a provision within the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015 to include the word “National” within the title “Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area.” 

A bill to expand the range of vehicles eligible to use original year-of-manufacture license plates on antique motor vehicles was approved by the New Hampshire Senate and now moves to the governor for her signature and enactment into law. The measure has already been passed by the House of Representatives. 

SEMA-supported legislation to exempt reconstructed vehicles that are more than 25 years old from emissions testing was passed by the Delaware Senate and sent to the governor for his signature and enactment into law. The House of Representatives has already passed the measure.

More than 40 SEMA members met with their elected representatives in Washington, D.C., as part of the May 14 Washington Rally. The meetings were a valuable opportunity to urge members of Congress to pursue a pro-growth manufacturing and job-creation agenda.

President Obama designated the Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks area in southern New Mexico as a national monument. It is the 11th designation during his presidency and, at nearly 500,000 acres, it is more than twice as big as the previous largest designation—the 243,000-acre Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico.

Legislation that would have required official inspection stations to test vehicles to determine if their exhaust systems “emit noise noticeably greater than that emitted by the vehicle as equipped from the factory” died when the legislature adjourned for the year.

A wide range of automotive events are held on the second Friday in July to honor Collector Car Appreciation Day (CCAD). At the request of the SEMA Action Network (SAN), this “holiday” has been marked each year since 2010 by a U.S. Senate Resolution recognizing that the “collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.”

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to permanently extend the research and development (R&D) credit. Several other bills to permanently extend tax credits that expired in 2013 are awaiting House consideration, including an extension of the $500,000 small-business expensing limit.