As U.S. vehicle recalls related to electronic systems have tripled and investigations quadrupled in the past 30 years after a surge in the use of computers to control functions such as acceleration, lawmakers and safety advocates say the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has failed to keep pace with the technology. Complaints to NHTSA about vehicle electronic systems rose 50 percent from the mid-1990s to 3,798 annually this decade, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News from NHTSA data. However, at the Transportation Department agency responsible for ensuring the safety of motor vehicles in the U.S., two engineers out of 125 specialize in electronics, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last month. The agency lacks regulations for auto electronics, and rules governing accelerators were written in 1973 and last updated in 1995. NHTSA may hire one more electronics specialist and can tap outside help if it needs additional expertise, LaHood said at a U.S. congressional hearing on Toyota’s global recalls of more than 8 million vehicles.Read more from Bloomberg News.
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