Gear-Shift Safety System Standard by 2010

Today 19 automakers reached a deal with the U.S. government to make brake interlock systems standard in all new vehicles by 2010. Many of us are all too familiar with horror stories on the local news of a child accidentally shifting a car out of park, causing injury and sometimes death. This system — already in use in many cars today — requires the brake pedal to be pressed before the car can be shifted. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration official said there have been 40 accidents and seven fatalities since 2000 that could have been prevented if the system were in place.

[Automakers to Put Gear-Shift Safety System in New Cars, Los Angeles Times]